UMW Holdings Berhad announced last week that it has appointed Dato' Ahmad Fuaad Kenali as its President and Group CEO effective November 1, 2020. He will take the helm from Chief Operating Officer Azmin Che Yusoff, who is currently serving as acting President and CEO.

Ahmad Fuaad is currently CEO of water and power firm Malakoff Corporation, a position he has held since 2017. Prior to joining Malakoff, he was the CEO of carmaker Proton from 2016 to 2017. A chartered accountant by training, he also spent three years at automotive firm DRB-HICOM, where he served as CFO, then COO—Finance and Corporate, and before that, he was CFO of Astro Malaysia.

UMW group chairman Tan Sri Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman said of his appointment: ““We are pleased to welcome Dato’ Fuaad to UMW, a leading Malaysian conglomerate with a history spanning over a century. His wealth of professional and corporate experience would contribute immensely to the Group. The Board of Directors and I are looking forward to working closely with him. We are confident that he will propel UMW to new frontiers and greater heights—whilst continuing to deliver value to our shareholders."

Ahmad Fuaad's appointment ends a four-month search that began after former CEO Badrul Feisal Abdul Rahim, who had been with UMW for ten years and served as CEO since 2015, abruptly passed away in May this year.