Ahmad Izahan Ismail is a distinguished leader in Strategic Foresight and Innovation, currently serving as the Senior Director of the Programme Office while also covering the role of Senior Vice President, Innovation & Ventures at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP). With a career spanning over 25 years, grounded in a Computer Engineering degree from Syracuse University, he has consistently driven transformative initiatives at the intersection of technology, strategy, and business development.
His expertise lies in architecting future-ready strategies. As an Innovation Facilitator, he translated strategic goals into tangible action, designing a corporate Innovation Coach Training Programme and elevating the performance of innovation pods in critical growth areas such as Hydrogen. Building on this practical innovation experience, he then served as a Futurist, where he was instrumental in establishing the strategic foresight capability at PETRONAS. In this capacity, he designed frameworks to analyse market shifts and long-term trends, developing key insights that directly informed the company's innovation pipeline. This unique ability to connect practical innovation with strategic analysis is central to his approach for developing new ventures.
His leadership is built on a foundation of deep technical experience in high-stakes environments. During a five-year tenure with the Sauber-PETRONAS Formula 1 team, he honed his skills in systems engineering, race strategy, and performance analytics. As Programme Head for Frontier Technology, he later spearheaded R&D programmes in advanced solar cells and biohydrogen, working in close collaboration with UTP on key lab facilities. This demonstrated his capability to lead complex, cutting-edge research from concept to execution and provides him with the critical technical acumen required to evaluate and champion new technology ventures.
A proven organisational architect, he has led significant transformation projects, including a group-wide HR study that redefined talent management, and has managed the operations of a 33-acre R&D complex. In his role at UTP, he brings together this diverse experience—from Formula 1 circuits to corporate boardrooms—to foster a vibrant ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship, dedicated to creating sustainable, high-impact ventures that will define the future.
