Associate Professor Ts. Dr. Lee Chia Kuang achieves PMIMY IGNITE 2025 recognised Best Project Manager Merit Award

KUALA LUMPUR, 6 December 2025 – Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) once again created a proud achievement when the lecturer of the Faculty of Industrial Management (FPI), Associate Professor Ts. Dr. Lee Chia Kuang received the PMIMY IGNITE 2025 Best Project Manager Merit Award at the ceremony held at Sime Darby Convention Centre recently.

The award, presented by the President of PMI Malaysia Chapter (PMIMY), Francis Koh, together with the Director of Corporate and Government Engagement of PMIMY, Zaharuddin Jaafar, is a recognition of Dr Lee’s professional leadership, academic achievements, and high-impact contributions to the development of the project management profession in Malaysia.

According to Associate Professor Ts. Dr Lee, this recognition reflects his long journey in strengthening the project management ecosystem at UMPSA, particularly through strategic initiatives initiated since 2019.

“Among the most important achievements is the success in leading efforts to obtain and retain PMI-GAC Accreditation for two consecutive cycles for the Bachelor of Project Management with Honours Programme, which at the same time placed UMPSA among the group of universities that practise global standards in project management education,” he said.

He also led the development of the Master of Project Management programme, which became another significant achievement in building high-quality academic pathways to produce competitive project professionals.

In addition, in line with UMPSA’s aspiration to emerge as an ASEAN Advanced TVET Hub, the university plans to expand professional certification pathways such as CAPM® and PMP® to students, academic staff, and TVET instructors.

He also focuses on the development of micro-credentials, digital modules, and project simulation platforms that enable more flexible learning and meet industry demands.

In addition, he said that he will focus on strengthening the application of global PMI standards, ethical principles, sustainability, and competency frameworks within academic curricula and industrial training.

“My focus on the fields of risk analytics, project innovation, and organisational transformation is expected to add value to the development of TVET talent as well as high-impact research at UMPSA,” he said.

His success in the field of project management is also supported by an extensive network of collaborations with agencies within and outside the country.

Among the key partners is PMIMY through various training and professional development collaborations.

International collaboration was also strengthened through the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), USA, which provided funding for the project ‘Capacity Building for Malaysian NGOs in Integrated Risk Assessment and Hazard Prevention’.

Meanwhile, through a memorandum of understanding with Edustats Solutions, UMPSA received technical support related to the use of Risk Simulator software for training, consultancy, and research purposes.

All these collaborations provide space for UMPSA and the industry community to receive direct benefits from his expertise and initiatives.

The conferment of this award is also supported by his record of recognition in the field of research and innovation including, among others, the Cendekia Bitara Award 2021–2023 for scholarly works and research products, achievements in accrediting UMPSA students through the CAPM® pathway, as well as his active involvement as a consultant and trainer to various industries in the fields of project and risk management.

He is also a significant contributor to the development of global PMI standards, including The Standard for Project Management Seventh and Eighth Editions, The Standard for Program Management Fifth Edition, The Standard for Artificial Intelligence In Portfolio, Program, and Project Management First Edition, PMBOK® Guide Seventh and Eighth Editions, as well as Risk Management In Portfolios, Programs, and Projects: A Practice Guide.

These contributions clearly highlight his role in enriching knowledge and project management practices at the international level.

Moving forward, he hopes that the research and innovations developed can be utilised more widely by industries such as construction, oil and gas, and the services sector.

He said that he sees great potential in assisting government agencies to enhance quantitative risk assessment capabilities, in addition to supporting NGOs and community organisations in strengthening social project management and high-impact programmes.

His commitment to cultivating project and risk management culture is also expressed through professional training, technical consultancy, and collaborative research that can deliver a positive impact to national development.

In addition, Associate Professor Dr Lee has produced several innovations used in training and research, including GCPM Modular, DEMATEL Digraph, DEMAEX-SIM, Strategy Impact Matrix Simulator, Micro-credential Risk Ready & PM Modules, as well as video training modules for CAPM®, risk, and strategy mapping.

All these innovations play an important role in helping organisations make data-driven decisions, strengthen workforce capabilities, and advance the digital learning ecosystem in project management.

With this achievement, UMPSA continues to stand out as an institution that produces high-impact academic figures, while his expertise becomes a catalyst for the development of knowledge, profession, and industry community in the field of project management in Malaysia and the ASEAN region.

By: Nur Hartini Mohd Hatta, Centre for Corporate Communications

Translation by: Ts. Dr. Rozaimi Abu Samah, UMPSA Press