I am an Independent Non-Executive Director. Over three decades on boards and in the C-suite, across financial services, aviation, energy, infrastructure and telecommunications, I have provided the “Radical Realism” required to stabilise complex entities in high-stakes environments.
Grounded in robust governance and institutional stewardship, I have architected the turnaround of publicly listed entities, directed the navigation of complex regulatory crises, and executed high-friction merger integrations. My board contributions consistently enforce the “Straight and Narrow” path: prudent restructuring, stakeholder management, and uncompromising risk oversight. I prioritise the survival of the entity over the comfort of the regime.
My executive career began on the derivatives floor in London in 1988, and took in senior leadership at PricewaterhouseCoopers, the chief executive’s seat at Engen Petroleum in South Africa, and the Executive Director, Investments role at Khazanah Nasional. The grounding in risk from those years has shaped every judgment since.
Selected highlights
Turnaround. As Chairman of AirAsia X, I led the airline through a financial turnaround, securing a private placement and returning it to profitability, ultimately helping it emerge from PN17 status under Bursa Malaysia’s classification.
Integration. I chaired the merger-integration of Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport into Malaysia Airports, and the integration of Packet One into Telekom Malaysia, each realising real operational synergy.
Crisis. I led Telekom Malaysia’s internal response to U.S. Department of Justice and SEC sanctions involving Alcatel-Lucent, coordinating with Axiata and the regulators.
Current mandates
Speaking & engagements
I present and sit on panels regularly for aspiring and serving directors. I spend upward of 160 hours a year in courses, conferences and forums; in a contest this competitive, the alternative is obsolescence.
Platforms include the Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia (ICDM), Bursa Malaysia, the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers (AICB), the CGMA Leadership Academy, and the UKM Graduate School of Business, where I serve as Industry Advisor. Recurring themes: board effectiveness and the modern non-executive director, governance and risk oversight, crisis leadership, and institutional stewardship.
Credentials
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA · CGMA); Member of the Institute of Public Accountants, Australia (MIPA); Life Member of the Malaysian Institute of Corporate Governance. MBA, University of Warwick; BA (Hons) Business Studies, University of Westminster; Diploma in Marketing, Chartered Institute of Marketing.
For the full board record, current and concluded, see Board & Advisory.