The Team · Principal-Partner Model

Senior Practitioners.
No Junior Analysts.
Ever.

Every engagement is led by a specialist with verified credentials in the specific domain your mandate requires. One principal. Named partners. No generalists. No hand-offs.

One specialist partner per service — domain depth, not generalist breadth
Every advisory mandate led by a credentialled senior practitioner
Clinical confidentiality applied to every engagement
ASEAN-grounded expertise throughout — no imported frameworks
Founding Principal & Confirmed Partners

The People Behind
Every Engagement

Named practitioners with verified credentials. Every partner's background is disclosed before an engagement begins.

MA
Founder & Principal Advisor · All Engagements
Ts. Dr. Manju Appathurai
Founder · Mahat Advisory · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Dual PhD — AI · Crisis Economics Licensed Clinical Psychologist Licensed Technologist Ts. WTO · World Bank · IORA EFPA EU Level B · ISO 10667 Author · 6 Published Works 100+ International Keynotes
200+
C-suite leaders coached globally
25
Years WTO & World Bank advisory
Regions=9
Primary ASEAN C-suite research
The only practitioner in ASEAN combining dual doctoral qualifications in AI and Crisis Economics with active clinical psychology licensure, 25 years of WTO and World Bank advisory, and eight proprietary frameworks built from primary C-suite research. She anchors every engagement. The partners extend her reach. Together they form a complete advisory team without the overhead of a global firm.
Experience
Founder & Principal Advisor — Mahat Advisory · 2024–Present
Host & Executive Producer — The Centered Edge · 2024–Present
Strategic National Advisor — World Trade Organization (WTO) · 2018–2024
Strategic National Advisor — The World Bank · 2020–2023
Strategic Advisor — Bursa Malaysia · 2020–2023
Strategic National Advisor — IORA · Dutch Coalition Defence & Security Malaysia · 2018–Present
Senior Government Advisor — MITI · MINDEF · MOHR · MOF · 2010–2024
CEO — Aventor Group (UK) · Tengda Intelligence Technologies · 2016–Present
Executive Leadership Advisor — Stanton Chase International · 2024–2026
Board Member — Painite Associates · IABC · 2023–Present
Founder — Malaysia Mind Foundation · MY Human Inc · Fur Kids Farm
Core Domains
Clinical C-Suite Coaching — LEAD™
Board Governance & AI Oversight — GUARD™
Organisational Diagnostics — SCAN™
Market Navigation Intelligence — COMPASS™
Human-AI Workforce Architecture — CORE™
Leadership Training — BRIDGE™
Authority Positioning — ASCEND™
Research Intelligence Architecture — MOAT™
For all engagements — contact@mahatadvisory.com Full Profile →
DE
Specialist Partner · CORE™ · HR & Talent Acquisition
Donald E. Maclary
Strategic Workforce Architect · CORE™ Orchestration Pillar
CORE™ — Orchestration Pillar 10+ Years ASEAN Recruitment US Army Combat Medic MBA Magna Cum Laude
Army Veteran. Recruiter. Builder of teams from scratch. Donnie designs and installs the hiring machine — structured interviewing systems, recruiter capability programmes, and talent acquisition architecture for organisations that have outgrown instinct-based hiring.
Experience
Strategic Workforce Partner — Mahat Advisory · CORE™ Framework · 2024–Present
Delivery Centre Manager — Airswift KL · 30-person team · Oil & Gas / STEM · Malaysia
Senior Recruitment Leader — 10+ years across Malaysia · Singapore · Indonesia · Vietnam · Philippines
Recruitment Bootcamp Designer & Facilitator · LMS module development
US Army Combat Medic · Battalion Operations · Structured systems under pressure
MBA Magna Cum Laude · California Coast University · 3.62 GPA
Core Domains
Structured Hiring System Design
Recruiter Capability Programmes
ASEAN Talent Acquisition Architecture
Delivery Centre Operations Management
LMS Module Development
Operations Under Pressure — Military Background
contact@mahatadvisory.com Full Profile →
SY
Specialist Partner · Maritime & Defence
Lt (R) Hajjah Suryati
Maritime & Defence Sector Access Lead · Kuala Lumpur
Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM) Founder — Global Atlas Yayasan Amal Malaysia ASEAN Security Networks
There are sectors where credibility is not earned in a consulting room — it is earned in the field, in uniform, over decades of operational service and institutional relationship. Malaysia's maritime and defence establishment is one of them. Lt (R) Hajjah Suryati spent her career inside that establishment.
Experience
Sectoral Partner — Mahat Advisory · Maritime & Defence · 2024–Present
Commissioned Officer — Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM) · December 1986
Founder — Global Atlas (MRO marine engineering & security)
Executive Committee Member — Yayasan Amal Malaysia · Disaster Management & Urban Poor Children Education · Federal Territory KL
Core Domains
Royal Malaysian Navy Institutional Network
Maritime Sector Access — Malaysia & ASEAN
Defence Sector Relationship Architecture
MRO Marine Engineering & Security
ASEAN Security Institutional Networks
Disaster Management & Social Impact
contact@mahatadvisory.com Full Profile →
TB
Specialist Partner · Technology & AI Data Risk
Thomas Berndorfer
Technology & AI Data Risk Partner · Austria / Portugal
Technology & AI Data Risk Connecting Software — Founder & CEO Truth Enforcer — Blockchain Authenticity Microsoft Gold Partner ISO 27001
Founder and CEO of Connecting Software since 2004 — 100% self-financed, growing 30% annually, Microsoft Gold Partner, ISO 27001 certified. Creator of Truth Enforcer blockchain document authenticity technology. The operator who has been inside the AI data risk problem, not consulting on it from the outside.
Experience
Technology & AI Data Risk Partner — Mahat Advisory · 2024–Present
Founder & CEO — Connecting Software · Austria · 2004–Present · Offices: Austria · Slovakia · Portugal (Madeira) · USA (Denver)
Creator — Truth Enforcer · Blockchain document authenticity technology · Top 10 Blockchain Solution Provider 2020
Microsoft Gold Partner · Microsoft Partner of the Year 2015 Finalist · ISO 9001 & ISO 27001 Certified
Honorary Consul of Austria in the Autonomous Region of Madeira
MSc Business Administration — Vienna University of Economics
Core Domains
AI Data Risk & Internal Data Architecture
Blockchain Document Authenticity — Truth Enforcer
Enterprise Integration — Connect Bridge Platform
AI Governance Technical Infrastructure
ISO 27001 Information Security
Europe–ASEAN Technology Sector Access
contact@mahatadvisory.com Full Profile →
Service-Aligned Positions

Eight Services.
Each Requires a Specialist.

The following service positions form the complete Mahat Advisory delivery architecture.

Service 01 · LEAD™
Clinical Performance Lead
Executive Coaching · C-Suite & Board
Licensed clinical or organisational psychologist. EFPA EU Level B. C-suite and board-level individual coaching experience 10+ years.
Service 02 · BRIDGE™
L&D Operations Partner
Leadership Training · Harvard Gamified
Corporate L&D design and facilitation. Harvard Business case method certified. HRDF SBL-Khas programme management.
Service 03 · SCAN™
Chief Psychometrician
Assessments · Diagnostics
Registered psychologist. EFPA EU Level B accredited. ISO 10667-1 and -2 compliant. Active ASEAN organisational psychometrics practice.
Service 04 · GUARD™
Corporate Governance & AI Ethics Lead
Corporate Governance & ESG · Board Advisory
ISS ESG trained. MAICD. 15+ years institutional shareholder engagement and M&A ESG risk advisory across Asia-Pacific.
Service 05 · COMPASS™
Geopolitical & Trade Policy Advisor
Business Navigation · Market Intelligence
Geo-economic and political risk specialist. Active ASEAN and GCC regional intelligence network. Former government relations and trade policy advisory background.
Service 06 · CORE™
to Strategic Workforce Architect
HR Strengthening · Talent Acquisition Architecture
10+ years ASEAN recruitment leadership. Airswift Delivery Centre Manager. US Army Combat Medic. MBA Magna Cum Laude.
Service 07 · ASCEND™
Executive Branding & Narrative Lead
Career Advancement · Authority Positioning
Executive personal branding and thought leadership strategy. GLC nomination committee familiarity. Board appointment process experience.
Service 08 · MOAT™
Research Intelligence Lead
Research Architecture · Intelligence Building
Primary research and thought leadership architecture. Academic-practitioner publishing experience. ASEAN market intelligence production background.
Regional Market Lead Network · Eight Markets
Geographic Reach — Eight Market Anchors
Beyond the eight service-aligned partners, the Regional Market Lead network anchors Mahat Advisory's commercial reach across eight specific ASEAN and Pacific markets — each position held by a senior leader with established C-suite networks in that market.
Malaysia
Senior leader with established Malaysian C-suite, GLC, and board network. Anchors domestic pipeline development.
Singapore
Senior leader with established Singapore C-suite and board network. MAS/SGX regulatory landscape fluency.
Indonesia
Senior leader with established Jakarta C-suite and conglomerate network. OJK, BKPM, and IDX ecosystem familiarity.
Brunei
Senior leader with established Brunei government-linked and royal-affiliated institutional network.
Vietnam
Senior leader with established Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi C-suite network. SOE transition context expertise.
Philippines
Senior leader with established Manila C-suite, family conglomerate, and board network. SEC and PSEi familiarity.
Thailand
Senior leader with established Bangkok C-suite and SET-listed company network.
Australia & New Zealand
Senior leader with established Sydney C-suite and board network. ASX regulatory landscape familiarity.