Asma Abdullah, Ph.D.
Intercultural Specialist, Malaysia

Dr. Abdullah recently retired from ExxonMobil after spending more than 22 years in human resource development. She considers herself a "corporate anthropologist" as well as an author, teacher and facilitator of learning. She received her bachelor's degree in Anthropology and Sociology and Diploma in Education from Monash University, Melbourne. She holds a master's degree in educational technology from University of Southern California (Los Angeles) and a master's degree in counseling education from University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. She received her doctorate from Universiti Kebangsaan, Bangi, Malaysia in 2001.
Asma has written more than 40 articles on culture, corporate culture and women management. She authored Understanding the Malaysian Workforce: Guidelines for Managers and Going Global and Understanding Multicultural Malaysia. She co-wrote and co-directed two cross-cultural plays: Expat Comes to Town and Expat Files for local Malaysian theatre. For the past 20 years, Asma has designed, conducted and facilitated management courses such as problem- solving, consulting, negotiating, training and development, managing change and teambuilding in Malaysian organizations.
As a western-educated Malay, Asma is familiar with the challenges of the intracultural, intercultural, and cross-cultural issues at the Malaysian workplaces. She has worked with expatriate and Asian managers from many countries and with Malaysian managers at all organizational levels.
Co-author of Cultural Detective Malaysia