Cheng Ming Yu is the Director of the Institute of Management and Leadership Development (IMLD), Chairperson of the Belt and Road Strategic Research Centre and Professor of Economics at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman in Malaysia. She works on projects related to economic development, particularly on social capital, globalization and human capital development as well as competitiveness studies. Cheng has been a Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship (JSPS), a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Washington State University, USA, a Research Fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, and Visiting Professor at National Taiwan University. She is one of the principal investigators for the World Value Survey (WVS) in Malaysia, a Member of the DAAD Alumni Association, one of the BMW Foundation Young Leaders, Executive Secretary of ABEST21 Japan and an alumna of the “Building a Better Asia-Young Leaders Retreat” organized by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan. Cheng is also the Founding Curator of the Kuala Lumpur Hub of the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers Community.