Ambassador Muhamad Noor Yacob is the Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat based in Singapore, the coordinating, technical and advisory body that supports sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. In this role, Ambassador Noor advances APEC’s agenda by effectively executing APEC’s work programmes as mandated by Leaders and Ministers who meet annually. He is the first appointee to be recruited through an open selection process and holds this appointment until December 31, 2012.

Ambassador Noor has also held several senior positions within the Malaysian public service. Prior to taking up his current position, Ambassador Noor was Malaysia’s Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organisation in Switzerland until 2009. He was appointed in October 2003 and was elected Chair of the WTO General Council (2007); WTO Dispute Settlement Body (2006); and the WTO Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation (2004 – 2005).

Before moving to Geneva, Ambassador Noor was Under-Secretary (Planning and Policy Research) at the Ministry of Human Resources from 1996 – 2001 in Putrajaya, near Kuala Lumpur. For two years, Ambassador Noor served as Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development. During this period, he attended the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School.

During his posting at the Ministry of Primary Industries, including as Trade Commissioner in the United Kingdom, he represented Malaysia extensively in international trade fora, including ASEAN, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and various international commodity organisations. Notably, Malaysia was then the world’s leading producer of a number of commodities, including of rubber, tin, tropical timber, cocoa and palm oil. At the same time, these industries accounted for 70 per cent of Malaysia’s GDP, which attests to the importance of the negotiating tasks involved. The suspension of buffer stock operations by the International Tin Council in October 1985, in particular, required participation in complex and intensive negotiations involving industry as well as banks and brokers. At the same time, it provided practical exposure to public international law and its interface with municipal commercial law.

Ambassador Noor was honoured to have been elected as Vice-Chairman, International Cocoa Council (1995); Chairman, Management Board of the International Tin Research Institute (1986); Chairman, Executive Committee, International Rubber Study Group (1985); and Vice-Chairman, International Tin Council (1984).

After graduating with honours in economics from the University of Malaya, Ambassador Noor began his working career at the Ministry of Plantation Industry and Commodities (then known as the Ministry of Primary Industries) in Malaysia in 1974. Starting as a desk officer in the International Organisations Division, he was promoted to Principal Assistant Secretary in 1979 and Under-Secretary in 1995. In 1981 – 82, Ambassador Noor took leave to seek a Master of Public Policy at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

In recognition of service to Malaysia, Ambassador Noor was awarded the ‘Kesatria Mangku Negara’ in 1998 and ‘Johan Mangku Negara’ in 2006 by HM the King of Malaysia, ‘Darjah Indera Mahkota Pahang’ in 2006 by HRH the Sultan of Pahang and the Excellent Public Service Award by the Ministry of Plantation Industry and Commodities in 1995.