Dr. Filzah Md Isa is currently an Associate Professor at Taylors University, the most prestigious private university in Malaysia. She joined the university on the 1st of February 2016 after servicing Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) for more than 21 years. Prior to, that she was a sales manager for more than five years in several business organisations. She obtained her BSc in Business Administration degree from University Southwestern Louisiana, USA (1987), followed by Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Northrop University, Los Angeles, USA (1989). She completed her Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from Universiti Sains Malaysia, August 2007. Her areas of expertise are in Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Organisational Behavior, both practically and theoretically.
Her leadership skill and managerial skill were further boosted when she was appointed as the Deputy Director of the Center for Innovation in Education from 1997 to 1998, now known as the Professional and Continuing Education Center (PACE). As the Deputy Director, she was given the full responsibility to spearhead the first distance learning program for the university, which at present becomes one of the vital income contributors to UUM. Later, from 2007 to 2009, she was appointed as the Deputy Director of the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (now known as the Center of Entrepreneurship Development Institute, CEDI), which focused on the entrepreneurial activities and programs in and outside UUM that involved students, public and private organisations and also entrepreneurs. At the Institute, she developed numerous innovative entrepreneurship modules and activities that helped generate income to the university and provide services to the target customer groups, i.e. students, entrepreneurs, single mothers, and government agencies. Presently, CEDI has been widely acknowledged both in the local and international arena. At Taylors University, her leadership and managerial skills are further enhanced, especially in handling significant tasks such as leading research projects and acting as one of the university's AACSB coordinators.
As an educator, she has vast experiences in teaching and mentoring undergraduate and postgraduate students (Masters, DBA, and PhD.) and executives from various fields and industries. In congruence with her teaching duties, she also actively involves in various research, consultation, and training activities. Every year, she actively publishes numerous papers in local and internationally Scopus and several refereed journals. She is also an active reviewer of research papers, case studies, books and an examiner for PhD theses and DBA dissertations in and outside the university. To expand her contributions to society, she involves in several professional bodies. She becomes a member of the Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society (MHAS), Malaysian Institute of Management (MIM), and Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia (Malaysian Islamic Consumers Association). For better academic network and knowledge transfer purposes, she participated in many research projects in the university and with other local and international universities, Ministries and government agencies such as; the Ministry of Rural Development (KKLW), National Higher Education Research Institute (IPPTN), Malaysian Economic Digital Corporation (MDeC), Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Penang Regional Development Authority (PERDA), Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA), and for various entrepreneurship agencies such as Malaysian Entrepreneurship Institute (INSKEN), PUNB, SME Corp, MARA, etc.
Apart from her commitment as an academician, she is also an active business mentor, coach, and facilitator for many government agencies and institutions such as PERDA, FAMA, AIM, KKLW, MADA, Agricultural department of Penang, Malaysian Productivity Corporation (MPC), Penang Development Corporation (PDC), Community Colleges, Matriculation Colleges, INSKEN, and others, especially those that deal with SMEs, women entrepreneurs and single mothers, and handle entrepreneurship programs. Her contributions to UUM have been duly acknowledged with the Excellent Service Award (Anugerah Perkhidmatan Cemerlang) in 2011. One of her group’s projects, called the Management Internal Control System ‘Pronet’, won a Silver Medal from the National Invention, Innovation & Design Competition in 2009. To mark her persistent efforts in developing young entrepreneurship talents among graduates, she was chosen as the 1st Runner-up for the Best Entrepreneurship Mentor/Coach for Academia of Malaysia by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in December 2015. In 2018, her research team won the Gold category for the SME Innovation Index, in the SME IINOVEX (2018): Membina IKS Berdaya Saing (Developing Competitive SMEs). Her expertise is further acknowledged at the international level, and she is now serving as the Advisory Board Member at the Centre for Academic Learning Writing and Support Services (CALWASS) at Bahria University, Islamabad, Pakistan starting May, 2019. Most importantly, her genuine commitment and passion for academia and entrepreneurship development will never end.
Her leadership skill and managerial skill were further boosted when she was appointed as the Deputy Director of the Center for Innovation in Education from 1997 to 1998, now known as the Professional and Continuing Education Center (PACE). As the Deputy Director, she was given the full responsibility to spearhead the first distance learning program for the university, which at present becomes one of the vital income contributors to UUM. Later, from 2007 to 2009, she was appointed as the Deputy Director of the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (now known as the Center of Entrepreneurship Development Institute, CEDI), which focused on the entrepreneurial activities and programs in and outside UUM that involved students, public and private organisations and also entrepreneurs. At the Institute, she developed numerous innovative entrepreneurship modules and activities that helped generate income to the university and provide services to the target customer groups, i.e. students, entrepreneurs, single mothers, and government agencies. Presently, CEDI has been widely acknowledged both in the local and international arena. At Taylors University, her leadership and managerial skills are further enhanced, especially in handling significant tasks such as leading research projects and acting as one of the university's AACSB coordinators.
As an educator, she has vast experiences in teaching and mentoring undergraduate and postgraduate students (Masters, DBA, and PhD.) and executives from various fields and industries. In congruence with her teaching duties, she also actively involves in various research, consultation, and training activities. Every year, she actively publishes numerous papers in local and internationally Scopus and several refereed journals. She is also an active reviewer of research papers, case studies, books and an examiner for PhD theses and DBA dissertations in and outside the university. To expand her contributions to society, she involves in several professional bodies. She becomes a member of the Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society (MHAS), Malaysian Institute of Management (MIM), and Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia (Malaysian Islamic Consumers Association). For better academic network and knowledge transfer purposes, she participated in many research projects in the university and with other local and international universities, Ministries and government agencies such as; the Ministry of Rural Development (KKLW), National Higher Education Research Institute (IPPTN), Malaysian Economic Digital Corporation (MDeC), Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Penang Regional Development Authority (PERDA), Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA), and for various entrepreneurship agencies such as Malaysian Entrepreneurship Institute (INSKEN), PUNB, SME Corp, MARA, etc.
Apart from her commitment as an academician, she is also an active business mentor, coach, and facilitator for many government agencies and institutions such as PERDA, FAMA, AIM, KKLW, MADA, Agricultural department of Penang, Malaysian Productivity Corporation (MPC), Penang Development Corporation (PDC), Community Colleges, Matriculation Colleges, INSKEN, and others, especially those that deal with SMEs, women entrepreneurs and single mothers, and handle entrepreneurship programs. Her contributions to UUM have been duly acknowledged with the Excellent Service Award (Anugerah Perkhidmatan Cemerlang) in 2011. One of her group’s projects, called the Management Internal Control System ‘Pronet’, won a Silver Medal from the National Invention, Innovation & Design Competition in 2009. To mark her persistent efforts in developing young entrepreneurship talents among graduates, she was chosen as the 1st Runner-up for the Best Entrepreneurship Mentor/Coach for Academia of Malaysia by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in December 2015. In 2018, her research team won the Gold category for the SME Innovation Index, in the SME IINOVEX (2018): Membina IKS Berdaya Saing (Developing Competitive SMEs). Her expertise is further acknowledged at the international level, and she is now serving as the Advisory Board Member at the Centre for Academic Learning Writing and Support Services (CALWASS) at Bahria University, Islamabad, Pakistan starting May, 2019. Most importantly, her genuine commitment and passion for academia and entrepreneurship development will never end.
