Dr David Lacey has been appointed as the new British Honorary Consul in Penang, succeeding Dato’ Robert Hawkins MBE who has retired after serving in the role for 20 years.
As the Honorary Consul, Lacey will help foster political, academic and commercial ties on behalf of the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. He will be working closely with Penang state government leaders and the local business community. He will also carry out consular responsibilities, such as visiting British nationals in hospitals or prisons, assisting with arrangements when a British citizen passes away, and supporting the UK’s response during times of crisis.
H.E. Ajay Sharma CMG, British High Commissioner to Malaysia, said:
In addition to supporting British nationals in Penang, David Lacey will support the High Commission in working with Penang and the northern region in the technology, digital and artificial intelligence sectors as the UK and Malaysia work towards delivering Strategic Partnership.
I would like to thank Robert Hawkins for his 20 years of excellent service to the British community in Penang and to the High Commission.
Lacey is an accomplished semiconductor industry leader with experience in Europe, the USA and Malaysia, setting-up R&D teams that bring new products and technologies to the market. He has wide experience in collaborative research and talent development with universities and institutes across Asia. Currently he is a Director at a leading a high-tech semiconductor business in Penang. He is also Chairman of the Semiconductor Fabrication Association of Malaysia (SFAM), a Board Member of Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science & Technology (CREST) and an advisor to the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM).
Lacey studied Materials Science and has a Doctor of Philosophy (D.Phil) from the University of Sussex, UK. He was conferred an Honorary Doctor of Science by Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in 2021 for contributions to the economic development of Malaysia. He is passionate about classic cars of the 1960’s & 70’s and vintage photography. Lacey, 60, has been living in Penang since 2001.