SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Prof Datuk Dr Paul Chan
Founder/Chancellor/Advisor
Professor Datuk Dr Paul Chan is widely recognized as an innovative pioneer in private tertiary education. With his wife, Datin Chan-Low Kam Yoke, he initiated the HELP Education Group in 1986 with a borrowed capital of USD5,000 and subsequently grew it to become a widely respected educational institution both in Malaysia and abroad. In 2012, he received numerous awards, including the Datukship from the Agong in recognition for his contribution to providing quality education to Malaysians. Recognising his professional and entrepreneurial expertise and experience he has been invited to Boards and Committees of important institutions in Australia, China and Malaysia. Dr. Chan has an extensive and valuable network that includes key influences in the political, business, academic and professional arenas. As a key opinion leader, he speaks in international conferences and writes in major medias in China and Malaysia.
Dr Goh Chee Leong
(CEO of Tertiary)
Dr Goh is the CEO Tertiary for the group. He previously served as the Group CEO of XCL Education Malaysia which in 2019 was valued at 860 million ringgit, and owned 4 leading K12 education brands, Sri KDU, REAL Kids, REAL Schools and Cambridge English for Life. He obtained his PhD in Psychology from the University of Otago, in New Zealand, where he was conferred the Otago Postgraduate Award. He has served as the project leader for 8 UNICEF projects and was a member of the Ministry of Health’s National Disaster Taskforce for Mental Health. He has served as an external consultant and trainer with Shell, Ogilvy and Mather, Petronas, Maxis, MISC, CIMB, Public Mutual, Prudential, Standard Chartered Bank, Digi, Great Eastern, Kraft, Sime Darby, Bank Negara, Prudential, Hitachi, Mimos, Toyota and BASF. His areas of specialization include the application of psychology to change management, talent management and leadership.
Dr Gerard Louis
(CEO of K-12)
Dr. Gerard is CEO K-12 for the Group, overseeing the management of the 3 international schools owned by the group.
He is a professional educator and counselling psychologist with over 20 years’ experience in educational leadership from the K-12 to tertiary levels. He was appointed as Principal of a Lasallian secondary school in Kuala Lumpur at age 33, making him one of the youngest Principals in the country. In 2013, he was appointed as the Founding Principal of HELP International School.
Prior to that, Dr. Gerard was the Dean of the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, Education and Languages as well as the Pro Vice-Chancellor overseeing Mental Health and Wellbeing at HELP University. He also served as a council member (representing private tertiary institutions) in the
National Advisory Board of Counsellors to the Minister of Women, Family and Community
Development and has worked as an external trainer to improve staff resilience, well-being and performance for organisations such as Bank Negara, Petronas, MISC, McDonald’s Malaysia, and Maxis.
Mark Lee
(Executive Vice President)
Mark leads group strategic planning, governance and corporate finance and serves as Director in several subsidiaries. He brings 25 years of experience in strategic management, financial policymaking, international relations, research, as well as corporate finance and assurance services.
He began his career in Ernst & Young, providing transaction advisory services for IPOs, financial due diligence, valuation, M&As and assurance engagements across a wide range of industries. Mark then joined the Securities Commission, followed by Bank Negara Malaysia where he was involved in financial regulation and organisational strategy including strategic planning, banking supervision (regional financial conglomerate), organisation and industry transformation, international policy, capital market regulation, and financial sector development (as part of the team that formulated the Financial Sector Blueprint 2011-2020).
Prior to joining HELP, Mark was Head of Strategic Planning and International at the Malaysia Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Throughout his career, Mark has held leadership roles including as Chairperson of the Asia Pacific Research Committee of the International Association of Deposit Insurers, and as Senior Fellow of the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development at Sunway University.
Ms. Berlinda Soo Ching Ching
(Group Chief Financial Officer)
Ms. Berlinda Soo joins HELP Group as the Chief Financial Officer. She has nearly three decades of senior finance leadership experience across public-listed companies and diversified industries including healthcare, property development, logistics, education, hospitality and professional services. A Chartered Accountant and Certified Practising Accountant, she has held key C-suite and senior management roles, most recently as Group Chief Financial Officer of Alpha IVF Group Berhad, where she was instrumental in the company’s successful listing on the ACE Market and supported its regional expansion into China, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Her career also includes leadership roles at EcoFirst Consolidated Berhad, Mygres Ceramiche Group, Nationwide Express and Airpak Express, as well as earlier experience with Deloitte and PwC. Widely regarded for her strong governance mindset, strategic financial planning and ability to strengthen financial controls, Berlinda brings deep expertise in budgeting, regulatory compliance, treasury management, investor engagement and corporate exercises. She is known for her integrity, hands-on leadership style and track record in streamlining finance functions to improve efficiency and performance.