Mr Ma Sivanesan is currently the Deputy Secretary General (Digital Development) at the Ministry of Digital. He has extensive experience in public finance, particularly in tax policies, encompassing both direct and indirect taxes.

Mr Ma Sivanesan began his career as an Administrative and Diplomatic Officer in 1996 and has since served in various capacities within the Ministry of Finance Malaysia. Throughout his tenure, he has been instrumental in the preparation of numerous annual national budgets, contributing significantly to the development of various tax policies and investment incentives. He led the implementation of the Sales Tax and Service Tax, which replaced the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Prior to this, he played a key role in the implementation of the GST, focusing on policy, publicity, and systems.

His experience extends to managing postal and telecommunication policy, cybersecurity, and the digital economy, with notable contributions to the 5G rollout, the national fibreisation and connectivity plan, and the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint.

Currently, he is spearheading and providing strategic leadership in establishing GovTech Malaysia and the National AI Office (AI Malaysia).

Mr Ma Sivanesan holds a Bachelor of Economics (Hons) from the University of Malaya and a Master’s in Economics from Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. He also holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Public Administration from the National Institute of Public Administration.