JOHOR BAHRU, 5 May – Former Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Khazanah) Managing Director, Tan Sri Azman Hj Mokhtar has been appointed as Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Board of Director (BoD) Chairperson.
Tan Sri Azman is replacing the former BoD Chairperson, Tan Sri Abdul Halim Ali who ended his tenure earlier this year. Tan Sri Azman’s appointment started on April 5th, 2021 until April 4th, 2024.
He attended the first meeting with UTM Board Members today as the Chairman.
Tan Sri Azman is not a stranger in the corporate and business world as he has wide experience through several key posts that he held in important organizations.
Tan Sri Azman was the Managing Director of Khazanah, Malaysia strategic investment fund from June 2004 to July 2018. During his 14 years’ tenure at Khazanah, the institution has grown into a leading sovereign fund in the region as its net portfolio rose from RM33.3 billion in 2004 to RM115.6 billion in 2017.
During his tenure at Khazanah, Tan Sri Azman also has spearheaded the Government-Linked Companies) or GLC 10 years Transformation Programme from 2005 to 2015 which included the development of Iskandar Malaysia special economic development zone, the internationalisation of Khazanah and its company into China, India, South East Asia, Turkey, Middle East, Europe and North America.
It was also under this GLC 10 years Transformation Programme that the Malaysia GLC begun to invest into new growth sectors notably in financial services, telecommunications, infrastructure, healthcare and technology.
Besides making a name in Khazanah, Tan Sri Azman also founded, chaired and served on various boards of companies and national public interest bodies including Axiata Group Berhad, Iskandar Investment Berhad and IHH Healthcare Berhad which is today one of the largest listed hospital healthcare groups in the world.
Upon retirement from Khazanah,Tan Sri Azman has been active in various public services, academic and commercial organizations. Among his affiliations are the Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Centre of Development Studies, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, a Bye-Fellow of Darwin College, (University Cambridge) and an Adjunct Professor at UTM.
He also currently sits as a member of the Global Future Council on Investing of the World Economic Forum, a member of the Steering Committee of the Global Ethical Finance Forum and on the Finance and Investment Committee of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies.
In early 2020, he co-founded Fitrah Capital Associates, a financial and strategy advisory firm incorporated in the United Arab Emirates.
As the recipient of Chevening Scholarship, Tan Sri Azman holds a Master of Philosophy (M. Phil) in Development Studies from Darwin College, Cambridge University and a Diploma in Islamic Studies from International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).
He is also a Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) Charter Holder and a Fellow of the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants (ACCA).
Among the professional accolades received by Tan Sri Azman for over a 37-year career were Chairman of the Year in Malaysia by Minority Shareholder Watch Group (MSWG)-ASEAN Corporate Governance in 2017 and Value Creator for Outstanding Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Malaysia by The Edge in 2016.
Tan Sri Azman was also the recipient of the Most Outstanding Individual for contributions to Islamic Finance by Kuala Lumpur Islamic Finance Forum (KLIFF) in 2011 and the Special Humanitarian Award by MERCY Malaysia 2019.