Kuala Lumpur: Former Managing Director of Sime Darby Plantation, Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid, has been appointed the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MRT Co, a Ministry of Finance Incorporated company.The appointment was announced Monday by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
In a statement, the Economic Transformation Programme said Azhar, who is expected to start work in the first week of September, will be reporting to Najib in his capacity as the Minister of Finance and Second Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah.
MRT Co will be the project and asset owner of the Klang Valley MY Rapid Transit (KVMRT) project effective Sept 1.
Azhar comes with a solid track record in delivering results and managing large scale operations, Najib said.
The plantation division of Sime Darby Bhd, which was under Azhar's leadership and prudent watch between 2006 and 2010, performed well and was profitable.
The plantation division's operating profit increased by 23 per cent to RM2.1 billion in financial year 2009/2010.
Najib added that prior to finalising the decision, he consulted Datuk Seri Abu Kassim, Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) and Datuk Mohd Bakke Salleh, President and Group CEO of Sime Darby Group.
"Both confirmed that Azhar has been cleared from the investigation on Sime Darby Group's losses due to the cost overrun in its energy and utilities operations, last year," the statement quoted Najib as saying.
The MRT project is Malaysia's single largest infrastructure project in recent years and is highly complex from both the technical and financial standpoints. -Bernama
