Former Chairman of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Tan Sri Dr. Halim Shafie has been appointed the Independent and Non-Executive Director of Axiata Group.
The appointment is effective 1 November 2020.
Tan Sri Dr. Halim Shafie, currently 71 years old, was appointed as Chairman of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) from 2006 to 2009. Following that from 2009 to 2015, he was Chairman of Telekom Malaysia (TM). He was appointed again as Chairman of MCMC on 12 January 2015 until 2018.
He has served in many Government agencies including the Ministry of Education, Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU), The National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN) and as Secretary General, Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications.
Tan Sri Dr. Halim Shafie also served on many Boards, including Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Multimedia Development Corporation Berhad, Pos Malaysia Berhad, National Library Advisory Board and Malaysian Electronic Clearing Corporation (MyClear), 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.
The Axiata Group also announced Tuan Syed Ali Syed Salem Alsagoff as a Non-Independent and Non-Executive Director, Permodalan Nasional Berhad’s nominee to the Axiata Board.
Malaysia-based mobile operator, Celcom Axiata is a subsidiary of Axiata Group.
Full media announcement from Axiata Group below:
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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.
Commentary
Axiata’s Chairman Tan Sri Ghazzali Sheikh Abdul Khalid said: “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,” Tan Sri Ghazzali added.
“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 Ghazzali said.
Axiata’s President & Group CEO, Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim said: “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,” he said.
Axiata’s Deputy Group CEO, Dato’ Izzaddin Idris said: “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.”
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