A graduate in Economics (Honours) from the University of London in 1977, Albert Teo has been in the tourism industry for the last thirty four years.
Over the three decades, he has been a hotelier, tour operator, lodge and backpacker owner and operator, photographer, author, publisher, conference organizer, ecotourism consultant, speaker, lecturer and social entreprenur. Albert is presently working on designing and building two new ecolodges in Sabah.
A keen photographer, he has trekked over 1,000km in Borneo and published over 200 postcards designs, motivational bookmarks, and Photo CDs of Borneo, published ten books including the best selling Sabah -Land of the Sacred Mountain, Journey through Borneo, Saving Paradise-The Story of Sukau Rainforest Lodge and the latest book, A Souvenir of Sabah Malaysian Borneo.
Fernando started out in the tourism industry as a van captain, and held various roles as tourist guide, head guide and naturalist. With his passion and consistency to excellence, he moved up in the rank to become the Operation Manager and Lodge Manager of Sukau Rainforest Lodge during his tenure with our group of companies.
Today, Fernando is the Assistant General Manager of Borneo Eco Tours’ Sandakan branch. His commitment, passion and extensive experience in Eco-tourism and leadership skills will be most helpful to spearhead, monitor, and ensure a smooth operation with our team in Sandakan.
Jiwa Sior, or Jo for short; originated from Kuching Sarawak, and has lived in Kota Kinabalu for almost 20 years. He has been in the hospitality industry for 36 years and started his career as a waiter as he climbed up the ladder. He's worked with some of the finest hotels such as KL Hilton, Crown Plaza Riverside, Holiday Inn Hotel, Sheraton group, Royal Rihga group, Le’ meridian Hotel &Resort, Hyatt and The Pacific Sutera.
With a background in Advance Diploma in Training and Development and MBA from Cambridge University he's even handled an entire operation for one of the National Service Camp during the first badge of National service set up. As a past time, Jiwa loves to lose himself in the kitchen. "I love cooking. Most of the time I will turn on to a nice song when in action in the kitchen. Fishing and reading motivation books are another activity I like to do to occupied my time."
Born and raised in Sukau, Mohd. Suhailie, or more affectionately known as “Mincho” has spent much of his life growing up with the knowledge and traditions of the local Orang Sungai (Ida’an). This prepared him for a lifetime of experience on the field – 12 years as a nature guide, 10 years as a research officer, and another 9 years as Honorary Wildlife Warden!
A specialist in Orangutan behaviour and wildlife education programmes, he has an infectiously cheerful demeanour and is generous with his knowledge, making him popular around guests and team members alike.
A true born naturalist, Mincho elevates our Sukau Rainforest Lodge to greater heights, working hard to make the lodge and Borneo Eco Tours brands that are synonymous with sustainability and conservation. One of his many contributions to the area is in his introduction of the Saving Hornbill programme (SAILLS), which is dedicated towards protecting the biodiversity-rich yet vulnerable Kinabatangan area.
A particularly enthusiastic staff member you may come across when you visit Sukau Rainforest Lodge is Jaini Ahmad, or affectionately known as Jamil, the lodge’s boatmen supervisor.
Serving in SRL since its opening in 1995, Jamil has seen many roles within the lodge, but he always tackles his assignments with dedication and a smile. He is well trained in operations, service, and enjoys meeting guests from around the world; when he’s not supervising his team, he’s always more than happy to lead guests on a river adventure.
Masnizah is a local Orang Sungai from Kg. Sukau. She joined Sukau Rainforest Lodge in 2011 after finishing her secondary school. Masnizah knew some English that she learned in school, but with a lot of effort and guest interactions, her English improved tremendously. She has also learned and developed the necessary skills to run an ecolodge – from management and guest relations to assisting the operation team during peak season.
Masnizah believes that working at Sukau Rainforest Lodge has been an invaluable experience, as she enjoys the wildlife, environment and most of all, her colleagues as they are like one big family. She is happy to be a part of the team, as they all strive for excellence in their personal capacity, as a company and when working with the guests.
Our very own mixologist at Sukau Rainforest Lodge! The charming and affable Kurino, better known as Noah, first joined the lodge as a Bartender back in 2014. With his LCCI Level III qualification, great attitude, and leadership capability, Noah swiftly rose through the ranks to earn his current position as F&B Supervisor. Both his innate talent and passion for his craft can be seen in the way he oversees the restaurant and bar operations, always ensuring that visitors to the lodge leave with incredible memories of their experience!
A true master of his craft, Head Chef Teddy specialises in mouth-wateringly delicious authentic Malay and Asian cuisine! Teddy joined the lodge in 2018 with more than a decade of culinary experience already under his belt, including a stint as Executive Chef at World Trade Hotel, Shanxi. He’s also trained under several prestigious institutions, such as the Shangri La Academy in Beijing! In spite of his impressive resume, Chef Teddy remains a model of humility and professionalism, often going the extra mile to fine-tune and improve the lodge’s selection of delectable dishes.
