Multi-stakeholder process from the NGO perspective Toronto 2012-10-17

Rinalia Abdul Rahim is Founder and Managing Director of Compass Rose Sdn Bhd (www.compassrose.my), a company that provides strategic advice and solutions on innovation management, knowledge management and business development towards enhancing organizational performance, learning and impact.

She is experienced in bringing together stakeholders from the public, private and civil society sectors to explore innovative and collaboration-based solutions to development challenges worldwide. She has successfully established global programs and networks for sharing knowledge, building multistakeholder partnerships, and spreading best practices across thematic clusters involving government agencies, private sector companies, UN agencies, NGOs, Academic institutions and media organizations.

She has spent more than 10 years working on issues of access, empowerment and governance in the information age and has spoken on these issues widely including at the World Summit on the Information Society (2003 and 2005). She has also conceptualized and moderated many multistakeholder discussion and learning forums at the regional and global levels.

An expert in developing and managing global multistakeholder networks, she led the Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) as its Executive Director from 2001-2008 and successfully positioned GKP as the world's leading multi-sector network in the field of "ICT for Development" and "Knowledge for Development". She established the GKP Secretariat in Kuala Lumpur upon its transfer out of the World Bank in 2001. Prior to joining GKP, she supported the Malaysian Government in developing its ICT policies, strategies and programs for nurturing Malaysia's knowledge-based society.

She has held advisory positions with the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, The Global Action Networks (GAN)-Net, the Malaysian Government, the Wawasan Open University, the International Task Force on Women and ICT, and the Youth Social Enterprise Initiative. She was recently appointed to the At Large Advisory Committee of the Internet Corporation on Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

She holds a Master in Public Policy Degree from Harvard University and a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from Princeton University.

Volunteer in the French Navy (1960-63); scholarship student (1964-68); researcher at CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique) in Paris (1967-71); diplomat (1972-2005).

In the diplomatic service, served at the Policy Planning Staff (1976-78); on secondment to the Ministry of industry to help set up the Solar Energy Authority, headed its international affairs department (1978-80); Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister for Europe (1980-81); Deputy director for Asia and the Pacific (1984-86); Alternate director for development aid (1986-88); Alternate director for the Americas (1992-95).

Diplomatic postings in Singapore (Embassy Secretary 1973-76), in Japan (Counsellor 1981-84, Minister Counsellor & Deputy Head of mission 1988-92). Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the Western European Union (WEU in Brussels 1995-98), Ambassador to Estonia (1998-2002), Ambassador to Finland (2002-05). Acting Governor for France, ASEF Board of Governors (2005).

Recent responsibilities: Special Advisor to the Board, Neumünster Cultural Centre (2009-10); Chairman of the Advisory Board, Institut Pierre Werner (2007~2009); tutor at ENA (Ecole nationale d'administration in Strasbourg, 2007~2008).