Tan Sri Datuk Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria is a distinguished Malaysian policymaker, trade negotiator and regional leader with more than four decades of experience spanning government, international trade, economic policy and corporate governance.
She currently serves as Pro-Chancellor of Sunway University and as Senior Independent Non-Executive Director of Sunway Berhad and EWI Capital Berhad. She is also a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of Hartalega Holdings Berhad, and Independent Non-Executive Director of Dialog Group Berhad. Beyond the corporate sector, she serves as a Director of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) and as a Trustee of MyKasih Foundation and Yayasan Hartalega, as well as an Independent Board Trustee of the Merdeka Award.
Dr Rebecca previously served as Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat from 2019 to 2024, becoming the first Malaysian woman to hold the position. Based in Singapore, she led the Secretariat supporting cooperation among the 21 APEC member economies.
Prior to APEC, she was Secretary-General of Malaysia’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) from 2010 to 2016, where she oversaw the formulation and implementation of Malaysia’s international trade policies and negotiating positions. Her career included senior leadership in Malaysia’s participation in ASEAN, APEC, the World Trade Organization and bilateral and regional trade negotiations. She chaired the ASEAN Senior Economic Officials Meeting and the ASEAN High-Level Task Force on Economic Integration, and played a key role in the development of the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprints.
Dr Rebecca began her career in Malaysia’s Administrative and Diplomatic Service in 1981. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia, an M.S. in Counselling from Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (now Universiti Putra Malaysia), a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Malaya, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Administration from INTAN. Her academic achievements include the Malcolm Knowles Award for the best Ph.D. dissertation in Human Resource Development from the American Academy of Human Resource Development. She is also the author of The Smell of Home, a book exploring Malaysian heritage and cuisine.
In 2024, Dr Rebecca was recognised in Forbes’ 50 Over 50: Asia list, which highlights women across the Asia-Pacific region. She has also received international recognition including the Order of the Star of Italy and the Rio Branco Order of Brazil.
