As a wholly owned subsidiary of Kenanga Investors Berhad ("KIB"), Eq8 Capital Sdn Bhd ("Eq8") leverages on the Investment Committee of KIB to assist and support its Board in discharging its responsibilities pertaining to its statutory duties and responsibilities related to the investment objectives, which include overseeing the deeds and prospectuses of the respective funds, internal investment restrictions and policies, adherence to acceptable and effective practices within the investment management industry, compliance with guidelines and securities laws, as well as managing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risks of the funds established and managed by entities within Kenanga Investors Group including those managed by Eq8, while safeguarding the interests and investments of shareholder and investors.
Generally, the Investment Committee comprise the members of the Board of KIB, some of whom also serve as members of the Board of Eq8.
Chairman
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Chairman
Luk Wai Hong, William (“Luk”) was first appointed to the Board of Directors (“Board”) of Kenanga Investors Berhad (“KIB”) as an Independent Non-Executive Director (“INED”), and a Member of KIB’s Investment Committee (“IC”) and Audit & Risk Committee (“ARC”) on 12 April 2021. He was subsequently appointed as the Chairman of KIB’s IC effective from 3 March 2022.
Upon his redesignation from an INED to a NINED of Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad (“KIBB”), the holding company of KIB on 1 November 2022, he was also redesignated as a NINED of KIB on the same date.
On 1 November 2025, Luk retired as a NINED of KIBB, as well as KIB, Eq8 Capital Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of KIB and as a member of the ARC of KIB. However, he remains as the Chairman of the IC of KIB in his capacity as a Subject Matter Expert.
He is currently the Director of Investment of Cotton Tree Capital Ltd, of which he is the co-owner, with offices in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Luk holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, a Masters of Urban Planning from the University of Michigan, United States of America (“USA”) and an Executive Fellowship awarded by the State of Washington, USA.
He has more than twenty (20) years of experience in various capacities in the financial services industry, out of which eleven (11) years were spent in Deutsche Bank AG, Hong Kong and Singapore.
He began his career in 1989 as an Executive Fellow and Transportation Finance Specialist in the Office of Financial Management in the State of Washington. He later joined Lehman Brothers, Hong Kong as a Fixed Income and Credit Trader in 1993. After three (3) years, he joined HSBC Markets, Hong Kong for a year, before joining Deutsche Bank AG in 1997 as a Senior Associate Director and Senior Credit and Derivatives Trader. He then became Deutsche Bank AG’s Director and Head of Structured Credit Trading and Principal Finance Asia, a post he held until 2004.
In 2004 and 2008, Luk was appointed as Deutsche Bank AG’s Managing Director and Co-Head of Global Credit Trading and Principal Finance Asia, as well as Managing Director and Co-Head of Saba Proprietary Trading Group Asia, respectively. In 2008, he joined Pacific Advantage Capital, Hong Kong and Singapore, as its Principal and Portfolio Manager focusing on credits and special situations, before taking up the position of Director of Investment of Cotton Tree Capital Ltd in 2011.
Independent Member
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Independent Member
Irene Cheng May May (“Irene”) was appointed to the Board of Directors (“Board”) of Kenanga Investors Berhad (“KIB”) as an Independent Non-Executive Director (“INED”) on 17 November 2025. She is also a member of KIB’s Audit and Risk Committee and Investment Committee.
Irene holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
She is an accomplished governance, risk, and compliance leader with over seventeen (17) years of experience in regulated financial institutions within Malaysia’s insurance and takaful sectors.
She has a proven track record of strengthening regulatory adherence, establishing independent governance functions, and advancing strategic initiatives that enhance organisational resilience and operational effectiveness amid increasing regulatory expectations. Passionate about elevating corporate governance standards, she is committed to fostering transparency, ethical conduct, and public confidence in the financial services system.
In her most recent role as Chief Compliance Officer at Zurich Insurance Malaysia Berhad (“Zurich”), Irene led the compliance function across all four (4) licensed entities under Zurich Malaysia. She successfully implemented targeted governance and strategic planning initiatives that streamlined operations while maintaining robust compliance with regulatory requirements. A recognized industry leader, she was named one of the Top Ten (10) Chief Compliance Officers in Malaysia in 2023 by CEO Insight Asia. She has consistently championed ethical conduct, transparency, and strong governance through strategic collaboration with stakeholders and regulatory bodies, including her involvement with the Sub-Committee 2 of the Joint Committee on Climate Change (JC3).
Irene began her career as a Legal and Compliance Officer at Allianz Life Insurance Berhad before joining ING Insurance Berhad in 2011 as Compliance Manager, Enterprise Risk Management (“ERM”). She later served as Vice President of Compliance at HSBC Amanah Takaful Berhad and subsequently joined Etiqa Insurance Berhad as Head of Enterprise Risk Management, where she spearheaded the establishment of the ERM function and embedded stronger risk awareness and oversight across the organization.
She has also held senior leadership roles in AmMetLife Takaful Berhad and AXA AFFIN Life Insurance Berhad, serving as Head of Risk Management and Head of Compliance respectively.
Non-Independent Member
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Non-Independent Member
Datuk Wira Ismitz Matthew De Alwis (“Datuk Wira De Alwis”) is currently the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Executive Director of Kenanga Investors Berhad (“KIB”) and a member of its Investment Committee (“IC”). He also serves as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director on the Board of Directors of Kenanga Islamic Investors Berhad, Eq8 Capital Sdn Bhd, Kenanga Trustees Berhad, Kenanga Digital Sdn Bhd and Helicap Pte Ltd as well as all subsidiaries of KIB.
As the CEO of KIB, he is responsible for the overall asset and wealth management business of KIB and its subsidiaries. He started his career as an Investment Analyst with a regional research and advisory firm, where he obtained vast regional exposure in Hong Kong, Philippines, Dubai and Singapore. He brings with him more than thirty (30) years’ worth of experience, expertise and several leadership roles in the fields of financial and investment management both regionally and locally. He joined KIB in June 2013 upon KIB’s acquisition of the ING investment management business in Malaysia, ING Funds Berhad, where he was the Executive Director and Country Head.
He is an alumnus of University of Cambridge, Judge Business School – ABSEP and has also attended the Advanced Business Management Program by the International Institute for Management Development, Lausanne, Switzerland. He holds an MBA and professional qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Marketing UK. He is also a Certified Financial Planner and Islamic Financial Planner. He has a Capital Markets Services Representative’s Licence from the Securities Commission Malaysia (“SC”) for fund management, investment advice and financial planning.
Datuk Wira De Alwis serves as the Chairperson of the Malaysian Association of Asset Managers, and is currently on the board of the Federation of Investment Managers Malaysia. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Institutional Investors Council Malaysia. He was appointed as a member of Bursa Malaysia’s Securities Market Consultative Panel (SMCP). He is also a member of the Joint Committee (BNM & SC) on Climate Change (JC3) and participates as a member of the Sustainable Investment Platform Steering Committee – Malaysia Sustainable Investment Initiative. Additionally, he holds the position of Investment Adviser for the Olympic Council of Malaysia’s Trust Management Committee.
He is a proponent of the industry’s talent development initiatives as a member of the Capital Market Graduate Programme Steering Committee (SC) and the Industry Competency Framework Advisory Panel for the Malaysian Capital Market project undertaken by the Securities Industry Development Corporation. He also sits on the SC’s Assessment Review Committee (ARC) – Fund Management.