Dato’ Halipah Esa

Dato’ Halipah Esa, 74, a Malaysian, is a Senior Independent Non-Executive Director of Sime Darby Plantation Berhad (SD Plantation). She was appointed to the Board of SD Plantation on 1 September 2020.

Dato' Halipah began her career with the Administrative and Diplomatic Services in 1973 in the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) of the Prime Minister’s Department and has served in the areas of economic development including macroeconomy, human resources, environment and natural resources, infrastructure, water supply, energy, health, education, housing, urban services, poverty eradication and equity distribution, agriculture, manufacturing and services sector. She was appointed Director General of EPU prior to her retirement from the civil service in 2006. One of the priority areas in economic planning and management which she was involved in was the establishment of national policies, programmes and projects to tackle environment and sustainability issues, including Sustainable Development of Highland, Wetland, Coastal Zone and Biodiversity conservation.

Dato' Halipah has also served as Deputy Secretary General of Ministry of Finance and was appointed as a consultant to the World Bank as well as the United Nations Development Programme.

Dato' Halipah was on the Boards of various companies, namely, S P Setia Berhad, Cagamas Berhad, Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Holdings Berhad, Pengurusan Aset Air Berhad, Petronas, MISC Berhad, KLCC Property Holdings Berhad, NCB Holdings Berhad, Northport (Malaysia) Bhd, UDA Holdings Berhad, Employees Provident Fund, Pensions Trust Fund, Inland Revenue Board, Bank Pertanian Malaysia Berhad, FELDA, Putrajaya Corporation, Putrajaya Holdings Berhad, Malaysia Maritime Academy Sdn Bhd, Malaysia Deposit Insurance Corporation and Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Authority.

Dato’ Halipah holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in Economics and a Master of Economics degree from the University of Malaya. She has also obtained various certifications, namely, Certificate in Economic Management from the IMF Institute, Washington and the Kiel Institute for World Economy, Germany, Certificate in Advanced Management Programme from Adam Smith Institute, London and Certificate in Circular Economy and Sustainability Strategies from University of Cambridge.