Khairul Azwan Harun

Azwan had his tertiary education at the International Islamic University Matriculation Kuala Lumpur, and his university education at Cardiff University and Open University Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. While at Cardiff, he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Accounting in 1999. In 2007, he completed his Master's degree in Management at Open University Malaysia. Azwan also successfully completed the Leaders in Development Executive Course from Harvard Kennedy School, U.S. in 2014.^{[citation needed]}

Azwan started his career in 1999 with Ernst & Young, chartered accountants at Kuala Lumpur Office and held senior positions in Business Assurance and Corporate Recovery divisions. He was involved in Ernst & Young corporate advisory assignments at several public listed companies and GLCs. He joined Perak State Government in 2004 and was appointed as CEO of Yayasan Bina Upaya Darul Ridzuan (YBUDR), a state charity foundation, in 2010 and served until 2011. He is also an adjunct Lecturer of Management and Leadership at PETRONAS University of Technology.^{[citation needed]}

Azwan served as Chief of Staff at Perak Chief Minister's Office in 2009 until January 2010. After having served YBUDR as its founding CEO, Azwan built his own corporate flagship, namely Great Colour Group, and focused growth of his group's business interests in energy, marine engineering, pharmaceuticals and ICT.^{[citation needed]}

In sports, Azwan was the Deputy President of Perak Football Association^[11] and was Perak State Super League Team Manager from 2011 until 2013.^{[citation needed]}

Azwan has expressed support for the principle of Wasattiyah aligning with policies promoted by Prime Minister Najib Razak. He has been vocal in championing issues pertinent to the Malaysian youth.^{[12][8][13][14]} In recent years, Azwan has urged for greater efforts to upskill convicted drug addicts to ensure they can integrate back into society.^[15] Azwan has voiced his concern on issues of religious extremism, climate change, sustainable energy and the need to prepare the youth for the jobs of the future.^[16][9]

Azwan urges youth to be attentive to the politics governing their nation. In an article in the New Straits Times, Azwan said:

"For as much as you can express your wants and opinions, you must also listen to others and follow the traditions set to make sure everyone gets a fair chance. Frustrations of not seeing your particular ideals met should not warrant you to burn the bridge of this vital cooperation. What the youth must comprehend and actually guard against is the wrong perception that supporting your party president equates to yes-manning mindlessly. There are values of being a part of a party, values of loyalty and the sincerity of respect to leaders."^[17]

Azwan opposed Mahathir Mohamad’s role as Malaysia's opposition leader, citing concerns over his approach to modern issues.^[18][19][20] Mahathir, a former Prime Minister of Malaysia for 22 years, became opposition leader in January 2018 at age 93. Azwan argued that Mahathir's appointment could hinder the development of youth leadership in Malaysia^[21] and that someone at such an advanced age would not be able to comprehend issues such as cybersecurity, job security, climate change and modern religious extremism.^[21][9]

Azwan started The Kuala Lumpur International Youth Discourse (KLIYD), a platform for youth to discuss geo-political issues like sovereignty, security, the cultures and the role of religion. During the discourse, Malaysian and foreign youth had the opportunity to exchange views and opinions with Malaysian policy makers, ministers, industry experts and academician.^{[citation needed]} During the inception of KLIYD, Azwan focused on empowering youth for a safer and better future. He argued that terrorism and radicalism, among the most dangerous threats, should be tackled by the government.^[22][23][24] In its second year, KLIYD emphasised the importance of total security, protection from both traditional and non-traditional threats including job security, energy and power security, cyber security and food security.^[25][26] The discourse has created awareness amongst youth of the importance of total security in maintaining a stable and prosperous nation. KLIYD has been held annually to provide a platform for youth discussions on geopolitical and societal issues.^[27][28]

Azwan was mentioned in a press conference by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on 8 January 2020 regarding audio recordings linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal.^[29]