“I am deeply grateful to the entire Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) and Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) leadership, as well as all MARA institutions I have worked with. Serving UniKL and MARA for the past 20 years has truly been an honour.”
Retired Professor Dato’ Ahmad Zahir Mokhtar expressed this sentiment upon being honoured with the Tokoh Pendidik MARA 2025 award, the highest accolade during the Hari Pendidik MARA event held on 27 May 2025.
With nearly 30 years of experience in the aviation industry, Professor Dato’ Ahmad Zahir chose to venture into education specifically to serve MARA’s institutions, motivated by his admiration for how MARA and UniKL manage their programmes and their commitment to producing skilled, job-ready graduates.
He served as the Dean of UniKL MIAT for more than six years before contributing further to UniKL’s leadership as Deputy President across various sectors.
During his tenure, he helped UniKL MIAT become the first Maintenance Training Organisation (MTO) recognised by the Department of Civil Aviation.
Under his leadership, UniKL MIAT also won the Aviation Human Resource Development Award for Asia Pacific from the renowned global consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.
“Before joining MARA and UniKL, I served 30 years in the aviation industry, travelling all over the world. From the company’s inception until I took early retirement, I was deeply involved. Then I chose to venture into education.
“Why? Because I was drawn to MARA and UniKL’s management of their programmes. MARA had already been collaborating with us while I was still in the aviation industry. MARA has never disappointed industry players who sought support or partnership.
“There was a time when a Japanese company approached us to develop seat covers that needed to be changed every season. We turned to MARA again — requesting skilled tailors with recognised credentials — and Alhamdulillah, MARA delivered. From one contract to another, we succeeded thanks to the capabilities of MARA’s trainees,” he said in his speech after receiving the award.
Professor Dato’ Ahmad Zahir was among several UniKL award recipients at the event, alongside Dr. Shahnaz Majeed, Ts. Dr. Mohd Amran Mohd Daril, Professor Dr. Megat Farez Azril Zuhairi, and Associate Professor Dr. Aimi Zulhazmi Abdul Rashid, who received the Anugerah Pendidik Cemerlang.
In addition, UniKL Malaysian Institute of Marine Engineering Technology (UniKL MIMET) was named Institusi Pendidikan MARA Terbaik 2025 in the higher education category.
