In conjunction with National Day celebrations, BDC features Malaysians who have contributed to shaping this rapidly evolving industry, while charting their careers forward.
Lina Khalida, Senior Lead, Property Operations, Malaysia
When Lina Khalida joined BDC in 2023 as an Officer in Property Operations, she was stepping into unfamiliar territory. A Business Administration graduate who had built her early career in the healthcare sector as a data management officer, Lina had no prior experience in the data centre industry.
However, stationed at BDC’s Campus in Cyberjaya, the heart of Malaysia’s digital transformation, she found herself positioned to learn an entirely new domain. Over three years, what began as a steep learning curve has become a story of technical growth and a deepening commitment to building Malaysia’s digital future.
Three years on, Lina is today a Senior Lead overseeing property operations across BDC’s Malaysia portfolio, managing everything from administration and vendor relationships to maintenance schedules, compliance and operational performance. Her progression reflects a her growth story into new areas of responsibility and a willingness to keep learning as BDC’s operations, and Malaysia’s digital economy, grew around her.
Expanding skillsets
Lina’s first role at BDC involved administrative work, documentation, certifications, invoicing. However, she quickly moved beyond the paperwork. Working directly with vendors and contractors, she learned about building maintenance, equipment, machinery and the intricate systems that keep a data centre operational.
As BDC expanded rapidly, Lina noticed that teams were working in isolation, she saw process gaps and duplicates. She took the initiative to develop standardised processes that aligned operations between departments, which had not been formally established as the company was scaling so quickly. What started as a practical solution has become BDC’s standard modus operandi across all Malaysia sites. One example is a tracking process for utilities spending and employee certifications that began as a Microsoft Excel tool and is now used across all BDC Malaysia operations. These processes represent the operational discipline that underpins reliable data centre management.
Lina collaborates closely with her colleagues, as well as emergency first responders to conduct regular safety drills and operational preparedness exercises, which are foundational to Malaysia’s infrastructure reliability.
Creating alignment
As operations within the campus expanded, Lina’s manager entrusted her with greater involvement in building maintenance, increasing both her practical exposure and her level of responsibility. Over time, she developed a technical understanding of facility management that extended far beyond administration.
“I am grateful for my experienced managers and colleagues who guide and mentor me in my career growth at BDC,” says Lina.
“They encourage me to identify the source of problems and work toward resolving the issue, to be solutions driven. This has strengthened my technical understanding of processes and gives me confidence in making sound decisions,” says Lina.
She reflects on what this journey has meant to her personally. “My experience reflects Malaysians having the confidence to step forward, build our capabilities and contribute to the nation’s growth through purposeful work. I take a lot of pride in that.”
Growing responsibility
Lina currently supports colleagues in Thailand and India by sharing the Property Operations processes developed in Malaysia.
She guides regional teams on property processes and policies, operational checklists and established ways of working, helping them work toward greater process standardisation across locations. In doing so, she has developed stronger communication skills and discovered that her process improvement expertise has value far beyond Malaysia’s borders.
“As a Malaysian, I take great pride to share this knowledge supporting colleagues across the region. As BDC expands its capacity regionally, it is meaningful to know that the experience and capabilities developed here in Malaysia can contribute to that growth,” says Lina.
Reflecting on the rapid developments in Cyberjaya over the past three years and her own role in Malaysia’s digital transformation, Lina said, “There are many opportunities in the data centre industry for Malaysians who show commitment, dedication and a willingness to learn. Taking on this challenge has shown me how I can step up in my career and contribute to Malaysia’s growth as a digital leader in the Asia Pacific region.”
