MAS + AIR ASIA

Firefly jadi syarikat penerbangan serantau; Pengarah Urusan MAS umum letak jawatan

KUALA LUMPUR: Persaingan 10 tahun Penerbangan Malaysia (MAS) dan AirAsia Bhd berakhir semalam, apabila kedua-dua syarikat itu membentuk pakatan menerusi Rangka Kerja Kerjasama Komprehensif (CCF) bagi menjadikan Malaysia hab penerbangan serantau.

Di bawah kerjasama itu, MAS berupaya untuk mengukuhkan lagi operasi penerbangannya dengan barisan pengurusan baru yang mantap dan berpengalaman luas dalam bidang masing-masing serta meletakkannya pada landasan kukuh sebagai penyedia perkhidmatan penerbangan penuh utama negara.

AirAsia pula berpeluang meraih laluan penerbangan dan destinasi baru yang boleh menjana kukuh pendapatannya pada masa depan.

Pengerusi MAS, Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof, berkata pakatan itu menandakan era baru kerjasama untuk kedua-dua syarikat penerbangan terbabit melengkapi operasi dan meraih manfaat bersama.

“Kerjasama itu akan membantu MAS memberi tumpuan terhadap kekuatannya di pasaran teras, selain dapat menjana muatan lebih tinggi serta menggunakan sumber secara lebih cekap pada masa depan,” katanya pada sidang media berhubung kerjasama antara MAS dan AirAsia di sini, semalam.

Sementara itu, Ketua Eksekutif Kumpulan AirAsia, Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, berkata kerjasama itu memberi peluang kepada syarikatnya untuk menjana peluang pertumbuhan baru pada masa depan.

“Saya fikir AirAsia boleh menjana lebih banyak keuntungan. Kedua-dua syarikat juga akan menjadi lebih produktif dengan menggunakan tenaga bersama berbanding bersaing antara satu sama lain,” katanya.
Di bawah kerjasama semalam, Tony dan Timbalan Ketua Eksekutif Kumpulan AirAsia, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun dilantik sebagai pengarah bukan eksekutif bukan bebas MAS berkuat kuasa esok.

Syarikat penerbangan negara itu turut umumkan pelantikan Tan Sri Wan Azmi Wan Hamzah, Tan Sri Tan Boon Seng @ Krishnan, Datuk Rohana Rozhan dan David Lau Nai Pek sebagai pengarah eksekutif syarikat, dilantik daripada Khazanah Nasional Bhd berkuat kuasa semalam.

Sementara itu, Datuk N Sadasivan N N Pillay, Keong Choon Keat, Datuk Seri Panglima Mohd Annuar Zaini, Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani, Datuk Sukarti Wakiman dan Martin Gilbert Barrow meletakkan jawatan sebagai pengarah bukan eksekutif MAS berkuat kuasa kelmarin dan semalam.

MAS turut mengumumkan peletakan jawatan Pengarah Urusannya, Tengku Datuk Seri Azmil Zahruddin berkuat kuasa semalam dan akan menyertai Khazanah sebagai Pengarah Eksekutif Pelaburan berkuat kuasa 12 September ini.

Jawatankuasa eksekutif dipengerusikan Md Nor ditubuh untuk memantau pengurusan syarikat itu sehingga pengarah urusan MAS yang baru dilantik.

Subang, 9 August 2011. The Board of Malaysian Airline System Berhad (“The Board”) today announced the appointment of Tan Sri Wan Azmi Wan Hamzah, Tan Sri Tan Boon Seng @ Krishnan, Dato’ Rohana Rozhan and David Lau Nai Pek as Independent Non-Executive Directors of the Company. Mohammed Rashdan bin Mohd Yusof was also re-designated as an Executive Director of the Company being seconded from Khazanah Nasional Berhad. These appointments will be effective from 9 August 2011. The Board also announced the appointment of Tan Sri Anthony Francis Fernandes and Dato’ Kamarudin Meranun as Non-Independent Non-Executive Directors of the Company effective 11 August 2011.

The Board announced the resignations of Dato’ N. Sadasivan a/l N.N. Pillay, Keong Choon Keat, Datuk Seri Panglima Mohd Annuar bin Zaini, Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi bin Abdul Ghani, Datuk Sukarti bin Wakiman and Martin Gilbert Barrow as Independent Non-Executive Directors of the Company effective 7 and 8 August 2011. The Board also announced the resignation of Managing Director, Tengku Dato’ Sri Azmil Zahruddin bin Raja Abdul Aziz, effective 9 August 2011. Tengku Azmil will be leaving MAS to join Khazanah Nasional Berhad as Executive Director, Investments effective 12 September 2011.

MAS Chairman Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof said: “I would like to record my thanks to Tengku Azmil for his contribution and services to the Company for the last 7 years, initially as a Non-Executive Director, later on as an Executive Director / Chief Financial Officer and finally as Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer. Tengku Azmil made a significant contribution in the company’s transformation during his tenure as both CEO and CFO.

I would also like to thank Dato’ N. Sadasivan a/l N.N Pillay, Keong Choon Keat, Datuk Seri Panglima Mohd Annuar bin Zaini, Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi bin Abdul Ghani, Datuk Sukarti bin Wakiman and Martin Gilbert Barrow for their immense contributions as Directors. This is a passing of the baton to our new directors, all of whom are immensely qualified and will bring a diverse set of management experience to our Board.”

The Board also announced the establishment of an Executive Committee (“EXCO”) to be chaired by Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof. The EXCO will comprise of Datuk Mohamed Azman Yahya, Mohammed Rashdan bin Mohd Yusof, Tan Sri Anthony Francis Fernandes and Dato’ Kamarudin Meranun. The EXCO will oversee the management of the Company until such time a new Managing Director is appointed.

Profiles of New MAS Directors

Tan Sri Wan Azmi Wan Hamzah is an active investor, whose family has significant interest in E&O Berhad, Pure Circle Limited, Steppe Cement Limited and other gold and mining exploration companies.

He served as a Director in a number of Malaysian listed companies prior to retirement in 2001. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1974.

Tan Sri Tan Boon Seng @ Krishnan is currently Executive Deputy Chairman of IJM Corporation Berhad. He also serves as a Director of IJM Plantations Berhad, IJM Land Berhad (Chairman), Malaysian South-South Corporation Berhad and Grupo Concesionario del Oeste S.A., Argentina. He joined IJM as Financial Controller in 1983 and was appointed Group Managing Director in 1997 and served in this position until 2010.

He qualified as a Certified Public Accountant in 1978 after graduating with a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) degree from University of Malaya in 1975, and holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Golden Gate University, San Francisco, USA.

He is a member of the Board of Governors of Malaysia Property Incorporated (MPI). He also serves as a Member of the Malaysian Accounting Standards Board as well as the Financial Reporting Foundation, and a Trustee of Perdana Leadership Foundation. He is actively involved in the promotion of Malaysia India business ties and is currently the President of the Malaysia-India Business Council (MIBC) and Chairman of the Malaysia India CEO Forum.

Dato’ Rohana Rozhan is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Astro Malaysia Holdings Sdn Bhd, one of South East Asia’s leading media group which comprises Pay TV, Radio, Content and Digital business in Malaysia. Rohana is also the CEO of Astro TV, a position she has held since 2006. Prior to being appointed CEO, Rohana was Group Chief Financial Officer, where she was instrumental for Astro’s listing in 2003 (accorded Finance Asia’s best deal) and Asia Money’s Best Financial Management award in 2004. Rohana sits on various boards including Media Innovations Pte Ltd group and Astro Overseas Limited.

Prior to ASTRO, she was with the Unilever Group of Companies for 9 years, both in the U.K. and in Malaysia, where she gained substantial experience in financial and business management in fast-moving consumer goods operations.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Accounting & Economics, University of Kent, Canterbury, U.K. She is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Cost & Management Accountants (CIMA), U.K since November 1996, member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) since May 1997. Rohana completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School in 2006.

David Lau Nai Pek is a Director of Axiata Berhad. He is also a Director of Celcom Axiata Berhad and Shell Refining Company (Federation of Malaya) Berhad. He has over 35 years of professional experience in finance and leading financial organisations in various locations in Australia, Brunei, China, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. He served the Shell Group for 28 years in various capacities. His last position before he returned to Malaysia at the end of December 2008 was Vice-President Finance, Shell International Exploration and Production B.V., The Hague, the Netherlands.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Canterbury University, New Zealand and is a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants and New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Tan Sri Anthony Francis Fernandes is the founder and Group Executive Officer of AirAsia. Prior to joining the Company, he was Financial Controller at Virgin Communications London from 1987 to 1989 and held key positions with Warner Music which includes Regional Managing Director for ASEAN until 1999 and subsequently Vice President, ASEAN until 2001 at Warner Music South East Asia.

He has received numerous awards which include ‘Malaysia CEO of the year 2003’ from American Express and the Business Times, ‘Airline Business Strategy Award 2005 and Low Cost Leadership’ by Airline Business. He was also named Asia Pacific Aviation Executive by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) for the year 2004 and 2005.

He was admitted as an Associate Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in 1991, and became a Fellow Member in 1996.

Dato’ Kamarudin Meranun is the co-founder of Tune Group and the Deputy Group Chief Executive Director of AirAsia since December 2001.

Prior to joining Tune Group and AirAsia, Dato' Kamarudin worked in Arab-Malaysian Merchant Bank from 1988 to 1993 as a Portfolio Manager, managing both institutional and high net-worth individual clients' investment funds. In 1994, he was appointed Executive Director of Innosabah Capital Management Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Innosabah Securities Sdn Bhd.

Dato' Kamarudin received a Diploma in Actuarial Science from University Technology MARA (UiTM) and was named the "Best Actuarial Student" by the Life Insurance Institute of Malaysia in 1983. He received a B.Sc. degree with Distinction (Magna Cum Laude) majoring in Finance in 1986, and an MBA in 1987 from Central Michigan University.