Datuk Ruben Emir Gnanalingam Bin Abdullah attended Victoria Institution between 1989 to 1993 and later, Eton College in the UK from 1994 until 1995. Datuk Ruben graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) Degree in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, the UK, in 1998. He also holds a diploma in Port Management, awarded by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate. Datuk Ruben has also attended various Executive Education Programmes under the Harvard Business School, including the Senior Manager Development Programme and the Programme for Leadership Development.
Datuk Ruben started his career as a trainee in WMSB in 1999 before leaving WMSB to set up a start-up incubator known as The Makmal Group in 2000 until his departure in mid-2005. He then re-joined the Company as a Director in 5 July 2005 and was later appointed as Chief Executive Officer on 15 January 2009, a position he held until 31 December 2017 before being appointed as the Group Managing Director for Westports Holdings Berhad on 1 January 2018. Datuk Ruben was appointed as Executive Chairman and Group Managing Director on 20 July 2023.
Datuk Ruben is the Owner and Vice-Chairman of Queens Park Rangers Football Club (QPRFC), which participates in the English Football League (EFL). He is also a founder and Board Member of the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) which is a member of the US Major League Soccer (MLS). He also serves as an Executive Council Member of the Football Association of Selangor (FAS).
Outside his professional engagements, Datuk Ruben is involved in many other business and industry-related groups. He is the President of Kuala Lumpur Business Club (KLBC), a Member of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) for Malaysia and on the Steering Committee for the CEO Action Network (CAN). He currently also sits on the Boards of the Malaysian Productivity Corporation (MPC) and the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE).
From a charitable perspective, he also serves as the Chairman of the QPR Community Trust. He has been appointed to the Westports Foundation on 5 September 2019 and joined the CEO Action Network (CAN) as one of the Steering Committee members since 2020.