Leadership

Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee bin Wan Ariffin is the Non-Executive Group Chairman of the Board of Directors of Malaysia Airlines Berhad and Malaysia Aviation Group Berhad.

Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee was appointed the Chairman of Malaysia Aviation Group and Malaysia Airlines Berhad in July 2020. In September 2020, he was appointed the Chairman of DRB Hicom, a diversified business conglomerate involved in automotive, services and property businesses. In July 2021, Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee joined Gas Malaysia as Chairman of the Board. He was also appointed as Director and Chairman of EON Petromin Sdn. Bhd. effective 13 September 2022. Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee had served Petronas, the national Oil and Gas Company of Malaysia, for 37 years. He was appointed President and Group CEO in April 2015 and retired from the position in June 2020 after a highly successful 5 years. He was on the Board of Petronas for more than 12 years, from August 2007 to June 2020.

In addition to the role as the Regulator for the Malaysian Oil and Gas industry and providing stewardship to Petronas domestic operations, he was instrumental in the expansion of Petronas international business over the years. These include the successful acquisition of exploration blocks in Mexico, gas projects in Oman, LNG Projects in Egypt and Australia. He also lead the establishment of the Joint Venture with Saudi Aramco for the development of the integrated Refinery and Petrochemical Project in Johor. During his tenure, the world’s first floating LNG facility was commissioned and many digital initiatives were introduced across the Group to transform Petronas into a data driven digital enabled organisation. He is also passionate about talent and leadership development as well as establishing the right culture for organisations.

He was active in the World Economic Forum activities in Davos as one of the Oil and Gas Governors and was on the Stewardship Board for Shaping the Future of Energy initiative. He was the Council member of ASCOPE, the association of the National Oil and Gas companies in ASEAN for 5 years when many new initiatives were embarked by ASCOPE. He was also the Chairman of the Malaysia’s National Trust Fund which was set up to conserve wealth from natural resources for the benefit of the nation and its future generations. He was a Council Member of the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) and the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) where he chaired the Audit Committees at both Agencies.

In education, he held the role of Pro Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Petronas. He also sits on the Board of Trustees at the Razak School of Government and on the Advisory Council of Yayasan Prihatin Nasional. He is also on the Board of Governors for the International Islamic University of Malaysia where he serves as an Adjunct Professor at its Kuliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences.

Datuk Captain Izham bin Ismail is an Executive Director of Malaysia Airlines Berhad. He currently holds the position of Group Managing Director of the Malaysia Aviation Group and Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Airlines Berhad. He is also a member of the Board Safety and Security Committee. He has 40 years of experience in the aviation industry, having started his career with Malaysia Airlines as a pilot in 1979.

Appointed to a management position just 10 years after joining Malaysia Airlines, Datuk Captain Izham bin Ismail Izham moved up the ranks over the years and has held various management positions such as Executive Vice President of Flight Operations, Director of Operations and Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Malaysia Airlines. Datuk Captain Izham also served as CEO of MASwings, Malaysia Airlines’ sister company in Sabah and Sarawak, between July and November 2016.

Apart from his extensive aviation experience, Datuk Captain Izham bin Ismail Izham currently serves as Board member of Tourism Malaysia.

As a pilot, Datuk Captain Datuk Captain Izham bin Ismail  broke world aviation records when he flew Malaysia Airlines’ first Boeing 777-200 eastward from Seattle to Kuala Lumpur and back. The flight set new world records for longest flight and fastest round-the-world flight by a commercial airliner, with a total flight time of 41 hours 59 minutes over a distance of 23,310 miles.

Tan Sri Krishnan Tan is a Non-Executive Director of Malaysian Airlines Berhad. He currently chairs the Board Safety and Security Committee and a member of Board Audit Committee and Board Nomination and Remuneration Committee. He is also a director of Malaysian Aviation Group Berhad. His association with the airline started with his appointment as an Independent Director of Malaysian Airline System Berhad in 2011 wherein he chaired the Board Safety and Security Committee and later the Board Restructuring Committee.

Tan Sri Krishnan Tan obtained his Bachelor of Economics (Honours) degree from the University of Malaya in 1975 and qualified as a Certified Public Accountant in 1978. He also holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration.

He started his career in the commercial wing of the Selangor State, Kumpulan Perangsang Selangor Berhad as an Assistant Accountant in 1975, with his last position before he left in 1982 as its Group Financial Controller.

He then worked on the merger of IGB Construction Sdn Bhd, Jurutama Sdn Bhd and Mudajaya Construction Sdn Bhd which led to the formation of the present IJM Corporation Berhad in 1983 with him as the Financial Controller. He became Director in 1990, Deputy Managing Director in 1994, Managing Director from 1997 till 2010, Executive Deputy Chairman from 2011 till 2013 and Deputy Non-Executive Chairman till 2019. Concurrently, between 2007 and 2015, he was Chairman of IJM Land Berhad, the listed Property arm of IJM. He is currently the Non-Executive Chairman of IJM Group and a Non-Executive Director of Malaysia Community and Education Foundation and Grupo Concesionario del Oeste SA, Argentina.

He was appointed as an Independent Director of HSBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad in 2014 and subsequently as Non-Executive Independent Chairman from 2016 to April 2022.

He was actively involved in the promotion of Malaysia India business ties and was the founding President of the Malaysia India Business Council (2008 - 2015). From 2011 to 2018 he was the Co-Chairman of the Malaysia India CEO Forum, a government nominated committee of private sector CEOs from both countries formed to enhance bilateral trade and investments.

Tan Sri Krishnan Tan is an ardent promoter of the development of rugby in the country both through IJM as well as the COBRA Rugby Club of which he was President from 1995 to 2009. He is currently President of the Klang High School Old Boys Association as well as Management Committee Member of the Olympic Council of Malaysia Trust Fund.

Appointed as Non-Executive Director of Malaysia Airlines Berhad and Malaysia Aviation Group Berhad effective 26 June 2021.

Cheryl is currently the Group Vice President of Marketing and Sustainability and the Founding Chief Marketing Officer of Grab Holdings Inc, (“Grab”). In her role, she shapes the strategy behind the company’s user growth, country expansion and service diversification. She also oversees Grab’s marketing efforts across the Southeast Asia region. Cheryl has spent a decade in leadership roles in the digital space, mostly in technology companies such as MOL Global (an e-payment enabler for online goods and services and Friendster, She also headed The New Straits Times Group’s digital arm and served as Group Digital General Manager at Nissan Malaysia. Throughout her career, Cheryl has developed a profound understanding of digital audiences and how to build businesses around them. She graduated from Curtin University with a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics & Marketing and completed the Harvard Business School Executive Leadership Program in 2019.

Appointed as Non-Executive Director of Malaysia Airlines Berhad and Malaysia Aviation Group Berhad effective 30 November 2021. She is currently a member of Board Audit Committee, Board Nomination and Remuneration Committee and Board Governance and Risk Committee.

Wong Shu Hsien joined Khazanah in February 2005 from Binafikir Sdn Bhd. Prior to that, she worked in a private equity firm, Emerging Markets Partnership, the Principal Adviser to AIG Infrastructure Fund ll. She is currently a Non-Executive Director of UEM Group Berhad, PLUS Malaysia Berhad and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad.

She holds a degree in Economics from University of Cambridge, United Kingdom and a Masters in Economics and Political Science from London School of Economics, United Kingdom.

Appointed as Non-Executive Director of Malaysia Airlines Berhad and Malaysia Aviation Group Berhad effective 7 March 2022. He currently chairs the Board Governance and Risk Committee and a member of Board Nomination and Remuneration Committee.

Tunku Alizakri is currently the Chairman of Malaysia Venture Capital Management Berhad (“MAVCAP”) and a Board Member of Prudential BSN Takaful, Bumi Amanda Berhad, IHH Healthcare Berhad, and Sime Darby Plantation Berhad and Petronas Dagangan Berhad. He also sits on the Board of Trustees at the Yayasan Hasanah and Yayasan Amanah Mahkota. He has nearly 30 years of experience in senior management roles and Boards across various industries covering, amongst others, the national retirement fund, financial services telecommunications and the oil & gas industry.

He served as the CEO of Employees Provident Fund of Malaysia (“EPF”) from 2018-2021 where he played a pivotal role in the digital business transformation of EPF to increase members’ digital experience and improve operational efficiency. This included the launch of i-Invest and i-Saraan to deliver value to members in a digital era. Before his role at EPF, he held several senior management roles in various organisations, including Bank Negara, Maybank, and Digi.

Alizakri holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Law (LLB) from King’s College London. He is qualified as a Barrister (Lincoln’s Inn) in the courts of England and Wales. He completed Executive Management Program from INSEAD and Circular Economy and Sustainability Studies Program from Cambridge Judge Business School.

Appointed as Non-Executive Director of Malaysia Airlines Berhad and Malaysia Aviation Group Berhad effective 7 March 2022. He is currently a member of Board Audit Committee, Board Safety and Security Committee and Board Governance and Risk Committee.

Dato Zaiviji Ismail has extensive local and international board and operational experiences in setting up strategies and policies for Companies, developing leadership and meeting shareholder's and stakeholders’ commitments. He is currently the Chairman of Cement Industries of Malaysia Berhad (“CIMA”) and Uniquest Infra Ventures Private Limited, a JV between UEM Group and IDFC in India and its subsidiaries, Jetpur Somnath Tollways Private Limited, Khalghat Sendhwa Tollways Private Limited and Trichy Padalur Tollways Private Limited. He is also an Independent Non-Executive Director of Tenaga Nasional Generation (GenCo) Sdn Bhd and Chairman of its Board Audit and Risks Committee. 

He retired from Shell on 1 July 2011 after having served Shell for over 22 years. His last position was Chairman of Shell Companies in Pakistan. 

Dato Zaiviji Ismail holds an MBA from Cranfield University, England and is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Appointed as Non-Executive Director of Malaysia Airlines Berhad and Malaysia Aviation Group Berhad effective 14 July 2022. She is currently a member of Board Audit Committee and Board Governance and Risk Committee.  

Faridah is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Khazanah Nasional Berhad having joined the organisation in 2006 after building a career in accountancy and finance with PricewaterhouseCoopers Malaysia and BP Malaysia. At BP Malaysia, she worked on a Japanese entity, restructuring the reporting process as well in the selloff of a major segment of BP to a Shanghai entity. At Khazanah, Faridah delivered several notable Islamic Finance transactions, including the world’s first Exchangeable Sukuk of USD750 million into Telekom Malaysia Berhad shares in 2006 and the world’s first negative yield sukuk into Parkson shares in 2012.

She is currently a Non-Executive Director of Putrajaya Holdings Sdn. Bhd., Taman Tugu Project Development Sdn. Bhd. and Securities Industry Development Corporation.

She graduated from Lancaster University in Account and Finance and is a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

Appointed as Alternate Director to Wong Shu Hsien effective 28 December 2022. She is currently a Director in the Investments Division. 

Prior to joining Khazanah, she worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services Sdn Bhd for 18 years and was formerly a Director in the Deals division, specialising in valuations. She led numerous value advisory projects involving business enterprise valuations for M&A transactions, financial reporting valuations including intangibles, corporate and strategic advisory, corporate restructuring and conducting feasibility studies. In her first 3 years with PwC, she was with the audit services team within the Energy, Utilities, Media, and Info-communications sector.

Adeline holds a Bachelor of Science Accounting & Finance from The London School of Economics, a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, UK (ACCA), a member of Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) and is a Chartered Valuer and Appraiser (CVA) from the institute of Valuers and Appraisers of Singapore (IVAS).