H.E. Unny Sankar Ravi Sankar - Minister (Economic Affairs), Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry; Malaysia’s Overseas Office; Embassy of Malaysia in Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Icons of Change International Awards 2026 H.E. Unny Sankar Ravi Sankar Minister (Economic Affairs) Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry Malaysia’s Overseas Office Embassy of Malaysia in Beijing People’s Republic of China SDG Focus: Goal 17 – Partnerships for the Goals Changemaker for Strategic Bilateral Economic Diplomacy, Multilateral Trade Architecture, Belt and Road Initiative Operationalization, and Cross-Regional Economic Integration (Malaysia) H.E. Unny Sankar Ravi Sankar is a distinguished senior diplomat and trade policy strategist whose career demonstrates high-level economic statecraft and cross-jurisdictional partnership building in a multipolar global economy. As Minister of Economic Affairs at the Embassy of Malaysia in Beijing, he spearheads Malaysia–China bilateral economic and trade relations, designing frameworks to deepen investment flows, trade facilitation, technology collaboration, and supply chain resilience. Previously, as Director of the China Section and Europe II Section at MITI Malaysia, he shaped the country’s external economic architecture. He led the establishment of the Belt and Road Initiative National Secretariat (BRINS Malaysia) in 2017, coordinated BRI projects aligned with national priorities, and oversees the Five-Year Program for Economic and Trade Cooperation with China. He served as ASEAN Lead for the Economic and Technical Cooperation Working Group in the ACFTA 3.0 upgrade negotiations. He also managed Malaysia’s strategic economic relations with the European Union and Western European countries, advancing EU ARISE+ Malaysia programs and high-level trade and investment missions that boosted FDI and market access. His civil service career began in 2003 at the Ministry of Health Malaysia, where he contributed to multiple Free Trade Agreement negotiations, focusing on Intellectual Property Rights, Trade in Goods, Trade in Services, and public health safeguards, especially access to affordable medicines. H.E. Unny Sankar holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry (Honors) from the University of Malaya and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University. He served as Honorary Secretary of the Harvard Club of Malaysia (2018–2023) and was recognized by Britishpedia in Successful People in Malaysia (2023). Through diplomatic engineering, multilateral negotiation leadership, and strategic partnership cultivation, he continues to strengthen Malaysia’s position in global value chains and advance inclusive, sustainable international cooperation. For his exemplary strategic leadership in advancing SDG 17 through high-level economic diplomacy, BRI coordination, ACFTA 3.0 negotiations, EU–Malaysia partnerships, and resilient multilateral trade ecosystems, H.E. Unny Sankar Ravi Sankar is proudly recognised as a 2026 Icon of Change. #IconsOfChange #IconsOfChange2026 #UnnySankar #SDG17 #PartnershipsForTheGoals #EconomicDiplomacy #BeltandRoadInitiative #ACFTA #MalaysiaChinaRelations #TradePolicyLeadership #IndoPacificStrategy