World Football Summit (WFS), the premier global platform uniting football’s most influential leaders, today announced the appointment of Dato’ Christopher Raj to its Advisory Board, effective 31 July 2025.

Dato’ Christopher, a respected figure in Malaysian football communications and governance, has built a career spanning more than two decades at national, regional and global levels. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ShekhinahPR, one of Southeast Asia’s leading award-winning sports communications agencies, and former Executive Committee Member of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) as well as a Board Member of the Malaysian Football League (MFL).

Internationally, he serves the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA at some of the sport’s most prestigious tournaments, including the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup in Indonesia, the 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup in India, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and FIFA World Cup Russia 2018, as well as multiple AFC Asian Cups, AFC Champions League and AFC Cup finals. He becomes only the second Malaysian to be appointed to the WFS Advisory Board, joining Datuk Seri Windsor John, General Secretary of the AFC.

WFS’s Advisory Board is composed of elite senior figures from across football’s ecosystem, tasked with steering the Summit’s strategic agenda and content. Notable members include Nicolas PompigneMognard, founder and chairman of APO Group; Luis Vicente, former FIFA Chief Digital Transformation Officer; Michael Broughton, senior sports consultant and former FIFA executive; and Sol Campbell, former England international turned football leadership advisor. WFS has also featured in its speaker lineups football icons like Fabio Capello, the celebrated former manager and player, alongside Javier Zanetti, Carles Puyol and Pierluigi Collina at events such as the Hong Kong Summit.

Jan Alessie, Managing Director and cofounder of WFS, said: “We are honoured to welcome Dato’ Christopher Raj to our Advisory Board. His extensive experience in football media and communications from his roles with FAM, MFL and AFC to international engagement with FIFA, brings a genuinely global perspective. Christopher’s network and insight will greatly reinforce our mission to shape the future of the sport, and to deliver the football we want and the football we need.”

Dato’ Christopher Raj commented: “I am deeply honoured by this appointment. Having taken part in WFS since the 2020 edition in Saudi Arabia, I’ve seen its power to convene leaders who shape global football. To now serve on the Advisory Board, among individuals of such calibre, is an immense privilege. I look forward to contributing my experience in Malaysian and Asian football, and supporting WFS’s vision of advancing football worldwide.”