Najib Razak

Prime Minister, Malaysia

Date of Birth: 1941

Najib Razak's political pedigree is impeccable, but he struggles with the common touch needed to enact his liberal, but potentially unpopular, economic policies. Born 1953, Najib is the son of Abdul Razak Hussein, the second Premier of Malaysia. After brief stints working for the Bank Negona and Petronas, he ran for his late father's parliamentary seat in 1976. Najib, 23 and unopposed, became the country's youngest MP.

Najib's support within the party machine of the United Malays National Organisation cemented his ascendency. As head of the UMNO Youth, he built a political base of his own while earning the patronage of his elders. He held a variety of cabinet posts, including Education (1995-2000) and Defence (1991-95, 2000-08). From 1993 to 2009, he was one of the six Vice-Presidents of UMNO and was elected UMNO President in March. He was Deputy Prime Minister to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi from 2004 and became Finance Minister in 2008.

Upon assuming the premiership in April 2009, Najib retained the Finance portfolio, keeping a tight grip on the economy. In his first 100 days as Prime Minister, he rolled back affirmative action policies which had been popular with UMNO's Malay base.

In foreign policy, continuity outweighs change. At the 15th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, held in Egypt in July, Najib emphasised Malaysia's affinity with the Middle East and North Africa. On 1 July 2009, he launched Felda Global Ventures, an overseas arm of the Federal Land Development Authority. Felda is Malaysia's - and the world's - largest plantation development agency, overseeing 800,000 hectares. Felda has operated a Sierra Leone plantation since 2006. With 6 billion ringgit (US$1.7 bn.) to invest, Felda Global plans a push into overseas - including African - markets.