KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Shahril Ridza Ridzuan will succeed Tan Sri Ghazzali Sheikh Abdul Khalid as chairman of Axiata Group Bhd following the latter's planned retirement at the end of the year.
In a statement, Axiata said the transition will take place on Jan 1, 2022, when Shahril will begin his tenure as the new chairman of the telecommunications group.
Shahril was appointed to the Axiata Board as an independent non-executive director on Nov 29, 2021.
Presently, he is a non-executive director of Malaysia Airlines Bhd and Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd, where he chairs the board nomination and remuneration committee.
From Aug 20, 2018, to Aug 19, 2021, he was the managing director of Khazanah Nasional.
He was also previously CEO at the Employees Provident Fund and group managing director at Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd.
"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,” said Shahril.
Meanwhile, Axiata president and group CEO Datuk Izzaddin Idris thanked Ghazzali for his 13 years of service with Axiata.
"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," he said.