Mr Teoh Lay Hock is a professional geologist and is an expert in mineral resource development, specifically geological and mineral business. In 1973, he joined the Geological Survey of Malaysia (GSM), which later in 1999 was merged with the Mines Department to form the Department of Mineral and Geoscience (JMG). He served the department for 24 years and has contributed significantly to the department, the mineral industry, and the nation through his numerous technical reports and publications on the geology and mineral resources of the country. He is instrumental in the formulation of the country’s first National Mineral Policy. He was responsible for preparing the Standard State Mineral Enactment, adopted by the Peninsular Malaysian States. Upon retirement, Mr Teoh joined the private sector at Bonanza Venture Holdings Sdn Bhd (BVH). During his tenure as the director of the company’s mineral and mining group, he successfully turned around loss-making companies, bringing in new business lines and achievement of ISO certifications. After his second retirement, Mr Teoh served as a Technical Consultant on a semi-voluntary basis at the Malaysian Chamber of Mines and Tin Board. In the meantime, he has been serving as a geological and mineral business consultant on a freelance basis and took up a partnership with the mineral-based committee Malaysian Mineral Resource Reporting Code (MMRC). He contributed as the Project Leader and as a lead writer in the Mining Blueprint for the Development of Mineral Resources in Perak (2014). The output was a comprehensive report providing strategies, recommendations, and guidelines for implementing the development strategies for mineral-based activities. Mr Teoh is currently preparing the Pelan Transformasi Industri Mineral Negara 2020-2030 undertaken by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (KeTSA). He is also actively assisting ASM to prepare a bid for KeTSA’s project on establishing a rare-earth-based industry in Malaysia. He has contributed to ASM in producing the “Blueprint for the Development of the Rare Industry in Malaysia”. He was the lead author in ASM’s publication on “Revitalising the Rare Earth Mineral Programme in Peninsular Malaysia as a Strategic Industry”. He is currently a co-opted member of the ASM rare earth core group. Apart from this, he also serves the Board of Geologists Malaysia as its Board member (2017-2020) and Chairperson of Corporate and Finance Committee.