About

In 2016, Haylena worked as the Malaysia correspondent for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa), the German Press Agency’s English service for two years.

She has covered several major events and high-profile cases on the ground, filed stories and facilitated documentaries including the disappearance and search of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, the world’s biggest financial heist – 1MDB corruption scandal involving former prime minister Najib Razak, the murder trial of two foreigners in the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s half-brother, the 2018 election coverage of 92-year-old Mahathir Mohamad returning as the nation’s leader, and the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis in Southeast Asia.

Haylena’s broadcast experience spans from radio to television. Between 2016 – 2019, she independently wrote scripts, recorded and edited packages, and presented the news and sports updates respectively for local television and radio stations.

Her written, edited, produced, co-produced and news presenting work has appeared on several media platforms (print, broadcast, online and digital) globally.

Haylena speaks English, Malay, basic Mandarin and Spanish. She finds her drive through impartial, alternative narratives – environmental & wildlife conservation, politics & law, human rights, injustice and societal development.

When Haylena is not chasing the crux of an investigative piece, her interest in construction and nature has led her to work with NGOs such as Build for Tomorrow (an initiative by Wild Asia) and EPIC Homes to build homes for the indigenous Orang Asli communities in Malaysia.

2020: Completed a HarvardX online course by Harvard University on The Health Effects of Climate Change.

2019: As a partner with HER Planet Earth (HPE), she trekked 100km on foot with a self-funded team of women and Samburu tribe warriors in Northern Kenya; in efforts to raise funds for anti-poaching initiatives, wildlife and environmental conservation.

2018: Haylena was part of HPE’s sailing expedition across islands in the Philippines on a traditional Paraw sailboat – promoting sustainable tourism efforts by their local communities.

2016: Joined Women on a Mission (WOAM) on a 60km biking expedition in Cambodia, to raise funds for a local culinary school in support of vulnerable girls prone to human trafficking.

2015: Travelled on her first challenging WOAM expedition to Siberia, Yamal Peninsula, raising awareness and funds for women survivors of war and abuse. It was the first time in history that an all-female team accompanied the nomadic Nenets reindeer herders on one of their twice-yearly 60km-journey migration across the frozen Gulf of Ob, deep in the Arctic Circle in northern Russia.

2014: Upon completing her Master in Journalism from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia, she joined a volunteering programme called Peru’s Challenge in South America for a month. During her time in Cusco, Peru, Haylena helped an underprivileged community build a sustainable school on an impoverished mountain village. She also taught English, Art and Sports subjects to the local children in Spanish.

Haylena is grateful to serve as a conjugate in giving voice to the unheard and telling untold stories that matter.