Board Of Directors

Tan Sri Rafidah (Female), Malaysian, aged 74, was appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Board on 3 March 2011 and re-designated as a Senior Independent Non-Executive Chairman upon listing of the Company on 10 July 2013. She is also Chairman of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, the Risk Management Committee of the Board, and the Safety Review Board of the Company.

Tan Sri Rafidah holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Malaya.

She was Malaysia’s longest-serving Minister of International Trade and Industry, having served in that capacity from 1987 to 2008, and contributes a wealth of international experience.

Prior to this, she has also held the portfolio of Minister of Public Enterprises from 1980 to 1987 and Deputy Minister of Finance from 1977 to 1980. Tan Sri Rafidah also lectured at the Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya, between 1966 and 1976. She now serves as an Adjunct Professor at the College of Business, University Utara Malaysia, and the Chancellor of the Emeritus University.

She has received various awards from the states of Selangor, Perak, Melaka, Sarawak and Terengganu as well as from Thailand, Argentina and Chile. She has also been conferred Honorary Doctorates from University Putra Malaysia, University Utara Malaysia, University Tun Razak Malaysia, University of Malaya, HELP University and the Dominican University of California, United States of America.

She also serves as Chairman of Megasteel Sdn Bhd and Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studio; and Advisor to the Government of Sarawak on the Renewable Energy Corridor (RECODA). She is also Patron of several NGOs.

Datuk Kamarudin Meranun (Male), Malaysian, aged 56, was appointed as Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of the Company on 6 June 2006. He was appointed as Chairman of the Board on 3 February 2010 till 3 March 2011. Datuk Kamarudin was re-designated as Non-Independent Executive Director and Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) on 30 January 2015. He is one of the Company’s co-founders and is a member of the Safety Review Board of the Company.

Prior to joining the Company, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun worked at 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. He subsequently acquired the shares of the joint venture partner of Innosabah Capital Management Sdn Bhd, which was later renamed Intrinsic Capital Management Sdn Bhd.

Datuk Kamarudin Meranun 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 BSc with Distinction (Magna Cum Laude) majoring in Finance in 1986 and an MBA in 1987 from Central Michigan University.

He received the Darjah Panglima Jasa Negara (PJN), which carries the title Datuk, from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on 21 November 2013.

He is a Non-Independent Executive Chairman of AirAsia Berhad and AirAsia Group Berhad, and a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of Tune Protect Group Berhad. He is also a Director of Yayasan Pendidikan Titiwangsa.

Tan Sri Tony Fernandes (Male), Malaysian, aged 54, was appointed as Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of the Company on 18 July 2006 and is one of the Company’s co-founders. As at 1 January 2018, Tan Sri Tony Fernandes has been re-designated as the Non-Independent Executive Director and Co-Group Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia X Berhad.

One of Asia’s most recognisable entrepreneurs, Tan Sri Tony Fernandes is best known for co-founding low-cost carrier AirAsia with Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and democratising air travel in the region. Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and Datuk Kamarudin famously bought the ailing airline with MYR40 million in debt for a token MYR1 (approximately USD0.25) and turned it around within two years, growing it from a Malaysian domestic carrier into Asia’s largest low-cost carrier by passengers carried.

Tan Sri Tony Fernandes studied at Epsom College and the London School of Economics and Political Science in the UK, and qualified as an Associate Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in 1991, and Fellow Member in 1996. An accountant by training, he began his career in Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, eventually returning to Malaysia as Warner Music Group’s Vice President for Southeast Asia before venturing into the airline business.

Tan Sri Tony Fernandes has received numerous honours and awards over the course of his career. These include the Honour of the Commander of the Order of the British Empire, conferred by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2011, and the Commander of the Legion d’Honneur, awarded by the French government for his outstanding contributions towards the economy of France through the aviation industry. Tan Sri Tony Fernandes has also published an autobiography, Flying High, which recounts his journey from a young boy growing up in Malaysia all the way to his time at Warner Music and, finally, as AirAsia Group CEO.

He is also a Non-Independent Executive Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia Berhad and AirAsia Group Berhad.

Dato' Fam, Malaysian (Male), aged 57, was appointed as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of the Company on 24 March 2008. He is a member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, the Risk Management Committee of the Board, and the Safety Review Board of the Company.

He received his BA (Hons) in Law from the University of Malaya in 1986 and an LLB (Hons) from the University of Liverpool, UK in 1989. Upon obtaining a Certificate of Legal Practice in 1990, he has been practising law since 1991 and is currently a Partner at Messrs Gan & Zul Advocates & Solicitors.

Dato’ Fam sat on the Board of Trustees of Yayasan PEJATI from 1996 to 2007. Since 2001, he has also served as a legal advisor to the Chinese Guilds and Association and charitable organisations such as Yayasan SSL Haemodialysis Centre in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

He also serves as a Senior Independent Non-Executive Director of AirAsia Berhad and AirAsia Group Berhad.

Mr. Lim, Malaysian (Male), aged 61, was appointed as an Alternate Director to Dato’ Seri Kalimullah Bin Masheerul Hassan on 11 June 2007. He ceased as an Alternate Director to Dato’ Seri Kalimullah and was appointed as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of the Company on 10 July 2012. Mr Lim was re-designated as an Independent Non-Executive Director on 26 February 2016. On 24 May 2016, he was re-designated as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director. Mr Lim is also a member of the Audit Committee of the Board.

He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and the Malaysian Institute of Accountants. He served his articleship with KMG Thomson McLintock in London and was a consultant with Andersen Consulting from 1981 to 1984. Between 1984 and 1993, he was with Hong Leong Group, Malaysia as an Executive Director in the stockbroking arm responsible for corporate finance, research and institutional sales. Mr Lim founded the Libra Capital Group in 1994 and co-founded the ECM Libra Group in 2002.

He was appointed to the Board of ECM Libra Financial Group Berhad (ECMLFG) on 16 June 2006 and re-designated as Managing Director with effect from 1 May 2007, a position he held till 5 August 2010. On 6 August 2010, he was redesignated as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of ECMLFG. He was subsequently re-designated as Managing Director of ECMLFG with effect from 16 July 2015.

He also serves as the Non-Executive Non-Independent Chairman of Plato Capital Limited, a company listed on the Stock Exchange of Singapore, and as a trustee of the ECM Libra Foundation.

Tan Sri Asmat (Male), Malaysian, aged 74, was appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director of the Company on 13 May 2013. He is a member of the Audit Committee.

Tan Sri Asmat graduated from the University of Malaya with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Economics. He also holds a Diploma in European Economic Integration from the University of Amsterdam.

Tan Sri Asmat has vast experience of 35 years in various capacities in the public service. His last post in the public service was as the Secretary General of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry Malaysia, a position he held since May 1992. In the last five years prior to his retirement in 2001, Tan Sri Asmat served as a Board member of Malaysia Technology Development Corporation, Multimedia Development Corporation, Malaysian Trade Development Corporation, Permodalan Nasional Berhad, Small and Medium Industries Development Corporation and Perbadanan Johor.

Tan Sri Asmat serves as the Non-Executive Chairman of Panasonic Manufacturing Malaysia Berhad and Compugates Holdings Berhad, companies listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad. He is also Non-Executive Vice Chairman of YTL Cement Berhad and a Director of The Royal Bank of Scotland Berhad and JACTIM Foundation, all public companies. Tan Sri Asmat is a Governor of JACTIM and has also represented Malaysia for several years as Governor on the Governing Board of The Economic Research Institute for Asean and East Asia.

Dato' Yusli, Malaysian (Male), aged 59, was appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director of the Company on 13 May 2013. He is Chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee as well as the Risk Management Committee of the Board.

He graduated from the University of Essex, UK with a Bachelor of Economics in 1981. He qualified as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales and is a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants as well as an Honorary Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors Malaysia.

He commenced his professional career in 1981 as a Trainee Accountant with Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co in London, UK.

He returned to Malaysia and held various key positions at industrial and financial groups in the country’s capital, providing him with experience in a number of different industries including property and infrastructure development, telecommunications, engineering and merchant banking.

He entered the stockbroking industry when he was appointed as Chief Executive Director of CIMB Securities Sdn Bhd from 2000 to 2004. He also served as Chairman of the Association of Stockbroking Companies Malaysia from 2003 to 2004.

From 2004 to 2011, he was the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia Berhad, previously known as the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange. During the same period, he also sat on the Board of the Capital Market Development Fund and was an Executive Committee member of the Financial Reporting Foundation of Malaysia.

He also serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director on the Board of Directors of a few public listed companies in Malaysia, namely YTL Power International Berhad, Mulpha International Berhad, Mudajaya Group Berhad Group and Westports Holdings Berhad. He also sits on the Boards of Dato’ HM Shah Foundation, Australaysia Resources & Minerals Berhad, Malaysian Institute of Corporate Governance and Infinity Trustee Berhad. Outside of his professional engagements, he also serves as Patron of the Victoria Institution Old Boys Association. Currently, Dato’ Yusli is the President of the Malaysian Institute of Corporate Governance.