Bakhtiar joined the RSPO Secretariat as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) in January 2017. He holds degrees from Princeton University in Chemistry and Environmental Studies, and from Université Paris-Sorbonne.

Prior to RSPO, he was the Regional Director at the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) based in Kuala Lumpur. He has also worked with various international advisory firms such as PFC Energy and Nexant specialising in downstream oil, after having started his career in Petronas.

Bakhtiar actively works on public health issues in Malaysia, and currently serves in the Malaysian AIDS Council and several grassroots NGOs.