Just Two People, Countless Lives Touched

In most organisations, a Business Development team comes with layers: managers, executives, specialists, support staff.

At Cancer Research Malaysia (CRMY), it comes as a pair and a different entity known as CRMY Technologies Sdn Bhd.

Dr Low Ley Hian and Khayrin Nabila Binti Khairiz make up one of the smallest teams in the organisation. But what they carry is anything but small. The responsibility of translating years of cancer research into real-world solutions and building sustainable income streams to keep that research going.

Not Quite the Glamorous Version

There’s a common assumption about business development such as polished meetings, high-profile networking, perhaps a bit of glamour.

Ley Hian puts that to rest almost immediately.

“It’s not quite that,” he says.

Instead, their days are a constant rotation: strategy, financial modelling, client follow-ups, operational troubleshooting, and occasionally asking, “Did we eat?” somewhere in between.

Khayrin describes it more succinctly:

“Yes… we wear multiple hats.”

On some days, that feels like an understatement.

A Team Built on Rhythm and Trust

Having worked together for years, even before CRMY, there’s an unspoken rhythm between them.

They don’t need long explanations. A glance at a dashboard, a short discussion, and they’re aligned again.

They divide their work not by hierarchy, but by strength.

Ley Hian operates in the realm of strategy like connecting ecosystems, assessing risks, and seeing the bigger picture. Khayrin moves seamlessly between strategy and execution, ensuring that ideas don’t stall but translate into real, functioning systems.

Together, they’ve built something deceptively simple, clarity in chaos.

And occasionally, they reinforce it with coffee chats, because even the most efficient systems need human maintenance.

The Weight of Being “Lean”

A small team brings speed. But it also brings limits.

There are always more opportunities than they can realistically pursue, more communities they could reach, more programmes they could scale.

Khayrin recalls moments when demand exceeded capacity, when interest in their screening programmes grew beyond what two people could sustain.

“With more support, we could expand faster,” she notes.

So they prioritise. They sequence. They build in phases.

And when needed, they simply push through.

Or, in Ley Hian’s words: they “grind”.

Why They Keep Going

For Khayrin, the work is personal.

A medical innovation once gave her grandfather more time, time that mattered. That experience shaped how she sees her role today: as a bridge between research and real lives.

For Ley Hian, it’s about sustainability.

He sees a future where CRMY is not solely dependent on donations, but supported by strong, self-sustaining revenue streams, allowing scientists to continue their work, uninterrupted and empowered.

Two perspectives. One shared purpose.

Not One Big Moment, But Many Small Ones

Ask them about their proudest achievement, and neither points to a single milestone.

Instead, they speak about accumulation.

The systems improved.
The partnerships formed.
The services delivered.

And sometimes, the impact is seen in the simplest way, a smile from someone whose life has been touched, directly or indirectly, by their work.

Small Team, Expanding Impact

Lean. Agile. Execution driven.
Resilient. Resourceful. Committed.

Or, as they might say it locally: they make sure things are ‘setel ‘(settle).

A Quiet Force Behind the Work

Behind every research breakthrough is a chain of effort that often goes unseen.

Teams like this one ensure that discoveries don’t stop at publication but continue forward, into clinics, communities, and lives.

To everyone who has supported Cancer Research Malaysia, thank you for being part of this journey. Your support enables teams like this to keep moving, growing, and reaching further. And with continued support, what begins with two people can go on to touch countless more lives.