K Maheswari: From hockey captain to transparency leader

Free Malaysia Today

3 days ago

As an athlete and regulatory officer, K Maheswari broke barriers and lifted others. (K Maheswari pic)
PETALING JAYA : If there's one person who knows how to read the field and intercept trouble before it strikes, it's Maheswari Kanniah.
The former captain of Malaysia's women's hockey team built a reputation for sharp instincts, tactical discipline, and fearless leadership on the field.
Her ability to read the game and rally a team was second to none.
She's since brought those same qualities to an entirely different turf — the high-stakes world of financial compliance and fraud prevention.
It's a space where the pace is relentless, the risks are real, and the margin for error is even smaller.
And she's just scored two final goals before retiring on Thursday as group chief regulatory and compliance officer at Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad.
K Maheswari at the ACFE global fraud conference in Nashville, USA in June. (Victor Goodpasture pic)
Maheswari has been recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records as the first Malaysian elected to the ACFE board of regents.
She is also the first in Southeast Asia to receive the ACFE's outstanding achievement in outreach and community service award.
ACFE stands for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, essentially, the champions league of anti-fraud professionals.
To be recognised by this global body for financial integrity is no small feat.
But for Maheswari, it's just another well-earned win in a career that has spanned nearly five decades and transitioned seamlessly from sports arenas to boardrooms.
It's the final whistle on a 47-year career built on discipline, conviction, and a refusal to play safe, whether on the pitch or in the corporate trenches.
Turf to trust
Before she was in high finance, Maheswari was patrolling the centre-half position in one of Malaysia's most iconic hockey squads.
Malaysia's bronze medal-winning women' hockey squad at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi. (K Maheswari pic)
She was part of the national team that clinched bronze at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, a breakthrough for women's sports at a time when female athletes were often sidelined.
Captained by the legendary goalkeeper Mary Soo, the team fought not just for a medal, but for visibility, respect, and a place in history.
That squad, widely regarded as Malaysia's finest women's hockey team, laid the groundwork for today's rising stars.
Maheswari's early juggling act between sports and study was shaped by her late father, a champion of education who believed knowledge was the real passport to success.
That mindset served her well as she transitioned from athlete to regulatory officer.
'Sport taught me discipline. Finance taught me structure. Combining both gave me an edge — the ability to see what others might miss,' said Maheswari, 65.
K Maheswari at the international fraud awareness week in Kenanga last November with (L-R) Ganesh Thuraisingham, ACFE head Asia Pacific & Middle East, MACC chief Azam Baki and Chay Wai Leong, group managing director of Kenanga.
That advantage proved vital in her rise through the financial services sector. At Kenanga, she didn't just head compliance, she transformed it.
Her approach made regulatory governance not just a function, but a living culture.
One of her defining contributions is the creation of fraud awareness week, an interactive, gamified compliance programme that's now in its eighth year.
What started as an internal initiative now involves over 500 participants across Malaysia and abroad, and recently earned Kenanga another Malaysia Book of Records entry, 'Most Participants in Fraud Awareness Games.'
'Compliance doesn't have to be boring. It has to matter,' she said. 'People remember what they enjoy, and they take it seriously when they feel involved.'
She also spearheaded Kenanga's corporate partnership with the ACFE, becoming the first Malaysian organisation to join the alliance.
The number of certified fraud examiners in the bank jumped from two to 25 in just three months under her leadership.
Breaking barriers, lifting others
'Representation matters. When people from our part of the world lead on global platforms, we challenge the narrative. We expand the lens,' said Maheswari.
Her role as regent is already bearing fruit. Malaysia will host the ACFE Asia-Pacific Fraud Conference for the first time next month, bringing together regulators, compliance professionals and law enforcement under one roof.
Behind Maheswari's accolades is a firm belief in nurturing others. She is a fierce advocate for mentorship, believing that lifting others isn't an option. 'It's a responsibility.'
'I was lucky to have mentors who believed in me. Now I try to be that voice for someone else,' she said. 'You rise higher when you rise together.'
She has spent years mentoring young compliance professionals, particularly women trying to find their footing in a demanding and often male-dominated industry.
Maheswari's leadership also helped shape Kenanga's Speak Up Policy and its move to onboard Confide, a third-party whistleblower platform and the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, founded by a whistleblower, for whistleblowers.
'Integrity isn't what's written in the code of conduct. It's how people feel when they see something wrong, and whether they feel safe enough to say something.'
Retiring, but never out of the game
With mentorships to continue, international conferences to help shape, and a global anti-fraud community to strengthen, she sees her next chapter as more coach than captain.
After nearly half a century of defending principles and protecting trust, Maheswari's legacy is not just about being the 'first'. 'It's about opening the door for many more to follow.'
The unbreakable bond K Maheswari shares with her hockey teammates continued at an outing in Taiping over the weekend. (Standing from left): Elizabeth Gomez, Halimahton Yaacob, Ong Pek Im, Agnes Leong, Lau Siew Tang, Noraihan Bahai and HK Parameswarie. (Seated): Lum Sau Foong and Maheswari Kanniah. (K Maheswari pic)
Maheswari's career is a masterclass in transformation. From a star athlete to globally recognised compliance leader, she's spent a lifetime creating pathways, not just for herself, but for others.
She changed how institutions think about risk. She made ethics a team sport.
And she reminded Malaysia, and the world, that true leadership is never about the title.
'It's about showing up, speaking up, and standing firm.
'I never set out to break records. I set out to do what felt right, and to do it well,' she says. 'The rest took care of itself.'
It all comes full circle as she reflects on the values that shaped her journey.
'I owe everything to my parents,' says Maheswari. 'They taught me to stand my ground, speak the truth, and always do what's right, no matter who's watching.'