30 Oct 2020
KUALA LUMPUR - Axiata Group Berhad (“Axiata” or “the Group”) announces two new appointments to its Board effective 1 November 2020 namely, Tan Sri Dr. Halim Shafie as Independent and Non-Executive Director and Tuan Syed Ali Syed Salem Alsagoff as a Non-Independent and Non-Executive Director (“NINED”).
Both appointments will significantly elevate the Board’s capacity in delivering the best standards of corporate governance as the Group navigates industry complexities as well as geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainties in seeking new digital growth opportunities across the region.
Tan Sri Dr. Halim, as the former Chairman of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for two terms (2006-2009 and 2015-2018), and Chairman of Telekom Malaysia (2009 to 2015) brings to the Board a wealth of industry, policy and regulatory strengths that will be critical to the Group’s future growth. He was also Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications (2000-2006). Other government agencies served include the Ministry of Education, Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit and The National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN).
Additionally, he served on the Boards of Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Multimedia Development Corporation, Pos Malaysia, National Library Advisory Board and Malaysian Electronic Clearing Corporation, a subsidiary of Bank Negara Malaysia. He is currently the Chairman of MSD Innovation Sdn. Bhd., a start-up deploying IoT in the agriculture sector and also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Universiti Utara Malaysia.
Permodalan Nasional Berhad’s nominee to the Axiata Board, Tuan Syed Ali’s roles included being part of Bumi Armada’s turnaround team, whilst at Ekuiti Nasional Berhad (2010-2011) he oversaw oil and gas related investments.
Among notable achievements, as the President Director of Bumi Armada’s Indonesian JV entity, he successfully pivoted the domestic shipping business into a full-fledged Floating Production Storage and Offloading operator through a landmark contract win. At Baker Hughes Malaysia, Tuan Syed Ali was responsible for managing Petronas global accounts, advocating low carbon technologies for energy transition and digital solutions to enhance cost optimisations via operational efficiencies. He also serves as a NINED on the board of Sapura Energy Berhad.
Tan Sri Ghazzali Sheikh Abdul Khalid
Axiata’s Chairman
The Board is very pleased to welcome Tan Sri Dr. Halim Shafie and Tuan Syed Ali Syed Salem Alsagoff, two very capable professionals who will enhance Axiata’s Board capabilities and bring new insights required to chart the Group’s next-level growth.
Tan Sri Dr. Halim is a respected industry veteran who despite retirement continues to be at the forefront today through his involvement in the Malaysian tech start-up ecosystem. Having witnessed first-hand the evolution of our mobile telco industry from Day 1 in his two terms as Chairman of MCMC, and now steering current-day agricultural Internet-of-Things projects, he is well-placed to guide Axiata forward. Tuan Syed Ali has a strong background in investments, as well as in leading regional expansion and driving operational excellence in the challenging oil and gas industry.
I am confident their contributions will be highly relevant to Axiata’s pursuit of excellence and growth in becoming a Next Generation Digital Champion by 2024.
Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim
Axiata’s President & Group CEO
As part of the Board refresh programme, I am delighted to welcome two new board members who will bring new perspectives and skills needed for the future of the Group.
Tan Sri Dr. Halim’s breadth and depth of experience with a long history in the industry is unmatchable, and he brings a unique combination of experience in both government and commercial sectors. His background in both mobile and fixed line, and consumer and enterprise segments reflect the Group’s aspirations very well. His knowledge in dealing with the intricacies of the government and regulatory bodies versus technology and commercial challenges will be very useful,” he added.
On the other hand, Tuan Syed Ali’s experience outside the industry will bring diversity to the board. His transformation, environmental management and enterprise experience in particular will be great additions to the Board’s skill sets.
Dato’ Izzaddin Idris
Axiata’s Deputy Group CEO
As Axiata’s transformation intensifies to meet with evolving digital needs across our footprint, the Group is fortunate to have a dynamic combination of highly skilled and deeply knowledgeable individuals as new additions to the Board. We look forward to Tan Sri Dr. Halim and Tuan Syed Ali’s stewardship as we work towards shaping Axiata into a trusted partner for communities and businesses as we jointly embrace the digital revolution.
About Axiata
As one of the leading telecommunications groups in Asia in pursuit of its vision to be the New Generation Digital Champion by 2022, Axiata has transformed itself from a holding entity with a portfolio of pure-play mobile assets into a Triple Core Strategy driven business focusing on Digital Telco, Digital Businesses and Infrastructure.
Within ASEAN and South Asia, the Group has controlling stakes in market-leading mobile and fixed operators in the region including 'Celcom' in Malaysia, 'XL' in Indonesia, 'Dialog' in Sri Lanka, 'Robi' in Bangladesh, 'Smart' in Cambodia and 'Ncell' in Nepal. Axiata is actively spearheading efforts to transform its mobile-centric operations into digital converged companies.
Axiata Digital, the digital services arm of Axiata is focused on two digital business verticals namely Digital Financial Services ('Boost', ‘Aspirasi’) and Digital Advertising ('ADA').
'edotco', the Group's infrastructure company, operates in six countries to deliver telecommunications infrastructure services, amassing approximately 32,300 towers. Presently the 16th largest independent tower companies globally, it aims to be one of the top regional telecommunications tower companies and is committed to responsible and sustainable business operations.
As a committed and long-term investor, and in line with its sustainability goals, the Group actively supports and drives young talent development; disaster response and recovery; as well as green initiatives. Axiata's broader goal of Advancing Asia aims to piece together the best in the region in terms of innovation, connectivity and talent. For further information on Axiata visit www.axiata.com
Issued By
Corporate Communications
Axiata Group Berhad
Level 30, Axiata Tower,
9 Jalan Stesen Sentral 5, Kuala Lumpur Sentral 50470 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
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