Hi, I'm Zoel.
For nearly two decades in youth and social development, I've been thinking about how to foster community sustainable development through effective collaboration.
That question has taken me from grassroots communities, juvenile homes, and urban slums to parliamentary policy rooms, international forums, and the United Nations headquarters. After partnering with over 600 organizations, the answer I found is through the 6 Helix Innovation Model—strengthening how governments, civil society, academia, industry, environment stewards, and AI align to accelerate sustainable development.
Before APPGM-SDG, I served at the Office of the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports handling national youth policy, marginalised youth, and youth organisation matters, and previously advanced youth development at the Penang State EXCO Office. These experiences taught me that real change requires both top-down policy guidance and bottom-up community engagement.
I currently serve as Director of MySDG Academy under APPGM-SDG, Malaysia's bipartisan parliamentary group on sustainable development, to work with over 159 Members of Parliament. Here we bridge political divides and build trust to bring sustainable development to the grassroots and communities. As Director of MySDG Academy, my work includes building SDG ecosystem platforms, engaging youth in SDGs, advancing ASEAN cooperation through the ASEAN SDG-ESG Roadmap, and delivering SDG-ESG related training.
Speaking at JCI Malaysia Leadership Summit 2024
Regional Leadership · 2025
Coordinating the ASEAN SDG-SSE Roadmap
Since 2024, I have been coordinating the ASEAN SDG-SSE Roadmap, working to embed the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) into the heart of ASEAN's sustainable development. From drafting to mobilization, we sustain regional momentum through monthly dialogues, various online activities, and conferences.
At the same time, I am also building a case study library that turns national success stories into replicable models, and working with the MySDG Centre for Social Inclusion to drive policy advocacy for a more inclusive and collaborative ASEAN.
Meeting with ASEAN-Malaysia National Secretariat for People Forum Program
About Zoel
Zoel Ng is a passionate advocate for youth and social sustainability. She has partnered with over 600 organizations worldwide — spanning government bodies, educational institutions, NGOs, and corporations — working from grassroots levels to prominent international platforms including TEDx and the United Nations.
Driven by the belief that shared values can transcend differences, she champions cross-ethnic, cross-class, and cross-generational collaboration.
As a PhD candidate, Zoel has contributed to 12 academic publications and 7 reports, with her work featured in the Malaysian Parliament Journal and Journal of Business Management and Accounting. She is an Obama Foundation Asia-Pacific Leader and recipient of the Malaysia Ten Outstanding Young Malaysians (TOYM) Award for Humanitarian and Volunteer Leadership.