10 May 2021 (Monday) – Dr Ismail Parlan has been appointed as the fifth Director General (DG) of Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) effective 30 April 2021.

He was the Forestry and Environment Division Director before replacing Dr Khali Aziz Hamzah who has retired.

Ismail started his career at FRIM as a Research Officer on 16 August 1996 in the field of management and conservation of wetland forest ecosystems, especially peat swamp forests in Malaysia.

Ismail obtained his PhD from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in 2009 and  Masters (Forest Management) from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 2001.

He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree (Forestry) in 1996 and was awarded the Chancellor’s Gold Medal as the best graduate at the 20^th UPM Convocation Ceremony.

He has produced over 200 technical publications and articles in journals, books, guidelines and reports.

Ismail received the FRIM Outstanding Service Award in 2004 and 2017 as well as other group awards (research and publication projects).

He is also a representative of FRIM and the country for international forums such as the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC, ITTO), United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), Asia Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Experts Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade (EGILAT) and the Sino-ASEAN Network of Forestry Research Institutes (SANFRI) under the Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation (APFNet).

Currently, Ismail is a Board Member and has also served as the Honorary Treasurer of the Malaysian Forestry Institute (IRIM); as well as an Alternate Member of the Board of Directors of the Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB) and Johor National Park Corporation (JNPC).

In conjunction with the 72^nd Birthday of the DYMM Sultan of Selangor, he was awarded the Pingat Setia-Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (S.I.S.) on 11 December 2017.