Professor Dr. Azimi Hamzah, 57, has dedicated 35 years of his life in pursuing the field of Youth Development as a field of study and practice. He hails from Rembau Negeri Sembilan. By employing his area of specialisation as the vehicle, Prof. Azimi Hamzah has contributed scholarly in all the aspect of Youth Development – Youth Affair, Youth Service and Youth Movement. His contributions are highly acknowledged both locally and abroad.

Prof. Azimi Hamzah has been instrumental in placing UPM as the leading centre in the country in the field of Youth Resource Development. Through the Centre, a more systematic linkage was fostered with both national agencies as well as international agencies (including UNESCO; Commonwealth Secretariate London; Commonwealth Youth Programme – Asia Pacific; ASEAN Sub-Committee as Youth; National Olympic Memorial Centre, Japan; Korean Centre for Adolescence and Children; and Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences) in developing the younger generation of Malaysia. He received a Medal from the Government of Vietnam in 1995, National Youth Award in 1999 and Johan Setia Mahkota (JSM) in 2001 in recognition of his contributions to youth development within Malaysia and abroad.

Presently, he is the Director of the Institute of Extension, Entrepreneurship and Professional Development; Head, Youth Development Studies Unit; and National Coordinator Commonwealth Diploma. He has been heading the Youth Development Centre for Excellence since its inception in 1986. He has served as Chairman of National Youth awards, Chairman of National Youth Conventions and several other planning bodies for formulating policies in developing the future generation. His module on Youth and Family is accepted as an integral component of the National Service Programme.