The board of Axiata Group Berhad has appointed Tan Sri Shahril Ridza Ridzuan as its new Chairman, effective 1 January 2022.
He will succeed Tan Sri Ghazzali Sheikh Abdul Khalid, who was first appointed to the Board on 24 March 2008 and assumed the role of the Chairman of the Board on 1 November 2018.
In a media statement, Axiata said, “The Board of Directors takes this opportunity to thank Tan Sri Ghazzali for his numerous contributions towards the Group’s growth since its inception in 2008. He is the longest serving Board member since incorporation and has steered Axiata through the challenging times towards greater heights over the years. A distinguished and highly respected career diplomat backed by 40 excellent years of serving international missions, his contributions to the Group have been profound in elevating governance, process excellence and transparency,”
The new Chairman of the Axiata Group, Tan Sri Shahril, was appointed to the Axiata Board as an Independent NonExecutive Director 29 November 2021. Presently, he is a Non-Executive Director of Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) and Malaysia Aviation Group Berhad, where he chairs the Board Nomination and Remuneration Committee. From 20 August 2018 to 19 August 2021, he led Khazanah Nasional Berhad as its Managing Director.
He was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Employees Provident Fund from 16 April 2013 to 18 August 2018 and served as its Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Investment) for approximately three years. During this stint, he oversaw the successful digitisation of the fund and revamped the investment strategy which resulted in higher returns. Between 1 September 2003 and November 2009, Tan Sri Shahril was involved in the development of Kuala Lumpur Sentral into one of the main commercial centres in Malaysia as Group Managing Director at Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad.
Dato’ Izzaddin Idris, President & Group Chief Executive Officer said, “Tan Sri Ghazzali has been exemplary in his service to the Board spanning 13 years with Axiata. I have been privileged to work with him on the Board both as a colleague as well as reporting to him in my current role. As Chairman, he upheld the rigour of our fiduciary duties with the highest accountability and gold standards in governance and transparency. He also guided us always towards bringing out the best from the business responsibly.”
“Together with the rest of the Board, during his time as Chairman, Tan Sri Ghazzali was also instrumental in engineering a meticulous succession plan for the mission critical change in senior leadership at Axiata. I took great comfort in the stewardship and guidance extended during his leadership.”
“On behalf of the Board and management of Axiata, I wish to record and express our heartfelt respect and gratitude to Tan Sri Ghazzali and wish him the best for the future. Thank you for standing by us to build this professionally run and resilient organisation that continues to proudly carry the Malaysian flag and serve communities across our footprint.”
“We are also very pleased to welcome Tan Sri Shahril as our next Chairman. We certainly appreciate his familiarity with Axiata’s businesses and at the same time, with his expertise, experience and extensive network of relationships, we look forward to the new insights and challenges he will inspire. As our businesses of digital telcos, digital businesses and infrastructure are positioned to drive and accelerate digital inclusion across emerging Asia, we look to the future with confidence guided by his leadership.”
Tan Sri Shahril said, “I would like to thank the Board for entrusting me with this appointment. The telecommunications industry is well-poised to serve the digital needs of nations and communities seeking recovery and growth in the post pandemic environment. It is an opportune time to position Axiata for increased value creation across the region. I welcome this opportunity to contribute and look forward to working with the Board and management towards continuing the good work by Tan Sri Ghazzali in future-proofing Axiata in sustainable and inclusive ways.”
