{"id":22548,"date":"2016-08-03T01:31:43","date_gmt":"2016-08-03T01:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mtcc.com.my\/mtcc-pays-tribute-to-its-founding-chairman-of-17-years\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T14:51:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T14:51:26","slug":"mtcc-pays-tribute-to-its-founding-chairman-of-17-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/mtcc-pays-tribute-to-its-founding-chairman-of-17-years\/","title":{"rendered":"MTCC PAYS TRIBUTE TO ITS FOUNDING CHAIRMAN OF 17 YEARS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dato\u2019 Dr Freezailah Che Yeom Inspires A Forest-Loving Society and Champions \u00a0Sustainable Forestry Agenda<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

It was a day of mixed emotions as Malaysia\u2019s forestry and timber industry fraternity paid tribute to Malaysian Timber Certification Council\u2019s (MTCC) founding Chairman, Dato\u2019 Dr Freezailah Che Yeom. His illustrious career as MTCC Chairman spanning 17 years culminated in a farewell and appreciation dinner gathering held on 27 July 2016 in Kuala Lumpur. \u00a0The event was graced by YB Datuk Datu Nasrun bin Datu Mansur, the Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities.<\/p>\n

Dato\u2019 Dr Freezailah was appointed as the Chairman of MTCC following its establishment in 1998 as an independent organisation to develop and operate the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS).<\/p>\n

A true blue forester at heart, Dato\u2019 Dr Freezailah has been instrumental in inspiring a forest-loving society through his passion and involvement in championing the sustainable forestry agenda. \u00a0His track record as a prominent thought leader in forestry spans beyond national borders to the global community. This was demonstrated through Dato\u2019 Dr Freezailah\u2019s appointment as the founding Executive Director of the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) from 1987 to 1999. As its Executive Director, Dato\u2019 Dr Freezailah provided leadership and guided the growth and development of ITTO into a respected world organisation to promote the conservation, sustainable management and utilization of the world\u2019s tropical forests. \u00a0Upon his retirement from ITTO, he pursued his passion for sustainable forest management (SFM) through his involvement as the founding Chairman of MTCC. \u00a0It was no surprise that Malaysia quickly became one of the region\u2019s early adopters and promoters of sustainable forestry practices through the implementation of the MTCS.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have enjoyed a fulfilling career in a long journey as a forester serving the Forestry Department, ITTO and the MTCC over a period which spans more than five decades. I must thank my colleagues, stakeholders and all the remarkable people who have done their utmost so that our incomparable biodiversity rich forests are sustainably managed for present and future generations. With its exemplary track record, I am confident that MTCC will continue to contribute to Malaysia\u2019s sustainable forestry agenda,\u201d said Dato\u2019 Dr Freezailah.<\/p>\n

\u201cDato\u2019 Dr Freezailah\u2019s focused approach in championing SFM is truly inspiring. \u00a0His tireless efforts have been crucial in advancing Malaysia\u2019s sustainability initiatives in the fields of forestry and environment. Words cannot express our immense gratitude to him. His stellar legacy and exemplary passion is one that will continue to inspire the next generation of foresters,\u201d commended the newly appointed MTCC Chairman, Datuk Himmat Singh.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been a life time opportunity for me to have worked with a wise professional like Dato\u2019 Dr Freezailah. His dynamic leadership over the past 17 years has raised MTCC and Malaysia\u2019s profile as a recognisable force in driving responsible and sustainable forestry. As he embarks on the next phase of his life, we wish him only the best,\u201d said MTCC CEO, Mr Yong Teng Koon.<\/p>\n

The highlight of the celebration was the presentation of a special montage depicting a walk down memory lane of Dato\u2019 Dr Freezailah\u2019s journey at MTCC which was also captured in a special photobook prepared by the MTCC management. His role as MTCC Chairman concluded on a high note with the award from the Programme for the Endorsement for Forest Certification (PEFC) for the third highest increase in the number of certified companies through Chain of Custody (CoC) certification in 2015. The recognition underlined MTCC\u2019s commitment in promoting responsible practices and the use of certified timber sourced from sustainably managed forest in Malaysia.<\/p>\n

Dato\u2019 Dr Freezailah earned a Bachelor of Science (Forestry) degree with First Class Honours and a PhD from the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. \u00a0He is succeeded by Datuk Himmat Singh, former Secretary General of the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities.<\/p>\n

\"Evening<\/p>\n

Celebrating Malaysia\u2019s beloved forester. (From left) MTCC Founding Chairman, Dato\u2019 Dr Freezailah Che Yeom receiving a special commemorative photobook from Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Datuk Datu Nasrun bin Datu Mansur; as MTCC\u2019s recently appointed Chairman, Datuk Himmat Singh; Secretary-General of the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Datuk M. Nagarajan; and MTCC CEO, Mr Yong Teng Koon look on.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"skin<\/em><\/p>\n

Fond memories. (left) Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Datuk Datu Nasrun bin Datu Mansur, and MTCC Founding Chairman, Dato\u2019 Dr Freezailah Che Yeom, looking through the commemorative photobook presented by MTCC as a memento to celebrate the Founding Chairman\u2019s retirement after 17 years of service<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dato\u2019 Dr Freezailah Che Yeom Inspires A Forest-Loving Society and Champions \u00a0Sustainable Forestry Agenda It was a day of mixed emotions as Malaysia\u2019s forestry and timber industry fraternity paid tribute to Malaysian Timber Certification Council\u2019s (MTCC) founding Chairman, Dato\u2019 Dr Freezailah Che Yeom. His illustrious career as MTCC Chairman spanning 17 years culminated in a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14183,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22548"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22548\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22884,"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22548\/revisions\/22884"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtcc.monyads.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}