Axiata Strengthens Management Team, Names Nik Rizal Kamil as Group Chief Financial Officer

KUALA LUMPUR - Axiata Group Berhad (“Axiata” or “the Group”) today announced the appointment of Nik Rizal Kamil Nik Ibrahim Kamil as its Group Chief Financial Officer with effect from 1 January 2024.

Nik Rizal's appointment will be instrumental in driving the Group's aspiration towards becoming a sustainable dividend company. He will take over from Lila Azmin Abdullah, who has held the post as acting Group CFO since 24 March 2023 in addition to her role as Group Chief Corporate Development Officer at Axiata.

Nik Rizal joins Axiata with a wealth of experience and knowledge in business finance, investments and accounting. His last position was as Group CFO at RHB Bank, a position he held since February 2021.

Prior to that, Nik Rizal was with Khazanah Nasional as Executive Director, Investments, leading investment and divestments projects, value creation activities and overall private equity asset class strategy execution both domestically and internationally in the areas of Telecommunications, Media and Technology. Nik Rizal also served on the Boards of Telekom Malaysia and Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad.

His previous work experience also includes stints with Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Arthur Andersen & Co (now known as Ernst & Young PLT) and Coopers & Lybrand (now known as PricewaterhouseCoopers) in London.

Nik Rizal holds a MSc Finance from London Business School and a BSc (Hons) Economics & Accounting from University of Bristol, United Kingdom. He is also a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) and Business Finance Professional (BFP) with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and a member of Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA).

Vivek Sood

Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Axiata

On behalf of the Board and management of Axiata, I would like to record our sincere thanks to Lila for her enormous contribution in helming the acting Group CFO role while also fulfilling her duties as the Group Chief Corporate Development Officer.

 

At the same time, I am pleased to welcome Nik Rizal into the Axiata leadership team. His impressive background in both finance and investment portfolio management makes him a right fit for this pivotal role as Group CFO, as Axiata embarks on the next phase of our transformation journey from Telco to TechCo.

 

Nik Rizal possesses significant experience and a profound understanding of portfolio management in the Telecoms, Media and Technology (TMT) and Financial Services industries. His deep expertise in all aspects of corporate finance, accounting and financial planning will drive Axiata's strategic priorities for disciplined capital allocation, execution on portfolio strategy and treasury management. I am confident that Nik Rizal's 's leadership capabilities will enable the Group to further optimise our investment portfolio to ensure sustainable growth and long-term value for our shareholders.