Tan Sri Asmat bin Kamaludin
Chairman, Independent Non Executive Director
Aged 66, Malaysian. Chairman and Independent Non Executive Director since 3 December 2002. He is also Chairman of the Nomination and Remuneration Committees. Tan Sri Asmat holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Malaya and a Diploma in European Economic Integration from the University of Amsterdam.
Tan Sri Asmat has vast experience of over 35 years in various capacities in the public service and his last position in the public service was as the Secretary General of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, a position he held between 1992 and 2001. He has served as Economic Counselor for Malaysia in Brussels and worked with several international bodies such as ASEAN, the World Trade Organisation and Asia-Pacific Economic Corporation, representing Malaysia in relevant negotiations and agreements. While in the Malaysian Government service, Tan Sri has also been actively involved in several national organisations such as Permodalan Nasional Berhad, Johor Corporation, the Small and Medium Scale Industries Corporation (SMIDEC) and Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE). He also sits on the board of JACTIM Foundation.
He is currently Chairman of UMW Holdings Berhad, Panasonic Manufacturing Malaysia Berhad, Scomi Group Berhad, Trans-Asia Shipping Corporation Berhad, Compugates Holdings Berhad and Vice-Chairman of YTL Cement Berhad and Governer on the Governing Board of The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). He also serves on the Board of Permodalan Nasional Berhad, Lion Industries Corporation Berhad, Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad and SCOMI Marine Berhad.
Datuk Azman Yahya
Group Chief Executive
Aged 46, Malaysian. Datuk Azman is the founder and Group Chief Executive of Symphony House Berhad. He has been a Non Independent, Executive Director since 15 October 2002 and the Chairman of the Option Committee and member of the Executive Committee.
Prior to this, Datuk Azman was appointed by the Government of Malaysia in 1998 to set-up and head Danaharta, the national asset management company and subsequently became its Chairman until 2003. He was also the Chairman of the Corporate Debt Restructuring Committee (CDRC) which was set-up by Bank Negara Malaysia to mediate and assist in the debt restructuring of viable companies until its closure in 2002.
His previous career appointments include auditing with KPMG in London, finance with the Island & Peninsular Group and investment banking with Bumiputra Merchant Bankers and Amanah Merchant Bank, the latter as Chief Executive.
Outside his professional engagements, Datuk Azman is active in public service. He sits on the boards of a number of Government Linked Corporations namely Khazanah Nasional Berhad (the investment arm of the Malaysian Government), Malaysian Airline System Berhad, PLUS Expressways Berhad, SCOMI Group Berhad and Ekuiti Nasional Berhad (Ekuinas).
Datuk Azman serves as a member of the Bursa Malaysia Securities Market Consultative Panel, the National Council for Scientific Research and Development, the National Innovation Council, the Special Task Force to Facilitate Business (PEMUDAH) and Financial Reporting Foundation. Datuk Azman is also a Chairman of Bolton Berhad, Pharmaniaga Berhad, Motorsports Association of Malaysia and Motorsports Commission of Malaysia.
He graduated with a first class honours degree in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, the Malaysian Institute of Accountants and a fellow of the Malaysian Institute of Banks.
Abdul Hamid Sheikh Mohamed
Executive Director
Aged 44, Malaysian. Executive Director overseeing the holding company and Group Shared Services Division since 3 December 2003. He is also Chairman of of the Executive and Option Committee. Encik Abdul Hamid is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
Immediately preceding his appointment at Symphony, he was the Chief Financial Officer of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE), now known as Bursa Malaysia Berhad. He joined the KLSE in 1998 as Senior Vice President in charge of the Strategic Planning & International Affairs Division and was promoted to Deputy President (Strategy and Development) in 2002. He was re-designated as Chief Financial Officer in 2003. During his five years with the KLSE Group, he held diverse roles and had experience in strategy, corporate finance, business transformation, finance and administration, treasury, external affairs and public relations. He led KLSE’s acquisitions of KLOFFE and COMMEX and their merger to form MDEX, and the acquisition of MESDAQ. He also led KLSE’s demutualisation exercise.
He started his career in the accounting firm Messrs Lim Ali & Co / Arthur Young, before moving on to merchant banking with Bumiputra Merchant Bankers Berhad. He later moved on to the Amanah Capital Malaysia Berhad Group, an investment banking and finance group, where he led the corporate planning and finance functions until 1998 when he joined the KLSE.
He is currently a Director of Pos Malaysia Berhad, Hartalega Holdings Berhad, Silk Holdings Berhad, MMC Corporation Berhad and Scomi Engineering Berhad.
Khairil Anuar Abdullah
Independent, Non Executive Director
Aged 59, Malaysian. Independent, Non-Executive Director since 25 November 2002. He is also the Chairman of the Audit Committee and member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committees. Encik Khairil holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Malaya and obtained a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, US. He is a Fellow of the Malaysian Institute of Banks.
His career spanned a diverse range of government and corporate experience in the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department from 1973 to 1982, the Guthrie Group of Companies from 1983 to 1987, Batu Lintang Rubber Company (re-listed on the Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad as Advance Synergy Berhad) and Arthur D Little from 1988 to 1992. In 1993, he joined the Securities Commission at its inception as Director for Policy and Development. His portfolio included regulations and law reform, product development, economic research, information technology, the Securities Industry Development Centre, accounting standards and Islamic capital market development. He also served on the advisory committee of the Bursa Malaysia Depository Sdn Bhd, the Board of the Labuan Offshore Financial Services Authority and chaired a working group on the regulation of secondary markets of the Emerging Markets Committee of the International Organisation of Securities Commission (IOSCO). In 1996, he was a member of Bank of International Settlement / IOSCO Task Force on clearing and settlement.
He then went on to serve as Executive Chairman of Malaysian Exchange of Securities Dealing & Automated Quotation Bhd (MESDAQ), Malaysia’s securities exchange catering to high growth and technology companies in 1997 until it merged with the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in 2002.
Currently he serves as an Independent, Non-Executive Director of Kuwait Finance House (M) Bhd and Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited, Chennai. He is also the Chairman of VisDynamics Holdings Berhad.
Foo San Kan
Independent, Non Executive Director
Aged 61, Malaysian. Non-Executive Director since 7 February 2003, designated as Independent, Non-Executive Director since 25 February 2005. Mr Foo sits on Committees of the Board, namely the Audit, Nomination, Remuneration and Option Committees. Mr Foo is a Chartered Accountant of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants. He is also a member of the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, as well as the Charted Tax Institute of Malaysia.
He was the Country Managing Partner of Ernst & Young Malaysia from 1997 to 2002 before he retired as a practising accountant. He has 34 years of experience in the accounting profession, the last 29 years of which were spent in various positions in Ernst & Young including stints in several offices in East and West Malaysia. During the course of his career, he was involved in various industry sectors including financial service, energy, manufacturing, plantations, property, construction, leisure and entertainment. His professional experience covers almost all aspects of the accounting profession, including audit, receivership, liquidation, taxation, secretarial, corporate advisory and management consultancy and all services related to the Labuan Offshore Financial Services Authority (LOFSA).
He is currently a Director of Allianz Malaysia Berhad, Allianz Life Insurance Malaysia Berhad, Allianz General Insurance Company (Malaysia) Berhad, SEG International Berhad, Star Publications (Malaysia) Berhad, OSK ventures International Berhad OSK Trustees Berhad, OSK Investment Bank Berhad and OSK Holdings Berhad.
Mohd Omar bin Mustapha
Independent, Non Executive Director
Aged 38, Malaysian. Independent, Non-Executive Director since 7 September 2006. On 28 March 2007, he was appointed as a member of the Audit Committee of the Company. Encik Mohd Omar is currently the Managing Partner and Director of Messrs. Ethos & Company, a boutique strategy consulting firm based in Kuala Lumpur which he co-founded in 2002. He is also a founder, director and general partner of Ethos Capital, a Malaysian based private equity firm.
Prior to rejoining the Ethos group in February 2006, Encik Omar served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia on economic, corporate sector and foreign policy matters. He brings with him over 15 years experience in the Malaysian corporate and government sectors, has an in-depth understanding of Malaysia’s public policy process, and an extensive network of senior level contacts in both the Government and the corporate sector.
Prior to establishing Ethos, Encik Omar was a Senior Associate with McKinsey & Company Inc. based in London and Kuala Lumpur. He has served multinational clients in the telecoms, energy, media, retail, banking and government sectors in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, on issues of corporate strategy, performance management, organisational performance and post merger management. In his consulting career, he has led a number of significant client engagements with key ministries, government agencies, government-linked companies and multinational corporations operating in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
Between 1997 to 2000, Encik Omar was part of the pioneer management team at the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDec) where he served as a Vice President and Special Assistant to the Executive Chairman. He began his career in 1994 with Petronas, first in a Group Corporate Planning function and later as Indochina Head of Downstream Business based in Vietnam.
Encik Mohd Omar graduated with BA (Hons) and MA Degrees in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from University of Oxford, England.