KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Kamal Khalid has been appointed as the new managing director of Media Prima Bhd (MPB).
He will replace Datuk Seri Amrin Awaluddin, who has been re-designated to executive director, effective August 2.
Kamal is currently chief executive officer of Media Prima Television Networks.
In a Bursa Malaysia announcement today, MPB also announced that Mohamad Ariff Ibrahim will resign as chief financial officer effective Aug 1. He will be replaced by Farnida Ngah.
However, Mohamad Ariff will remain with MPB as Director at the Group Managing Director’s Office until 31 December 2017 to assist the Senior Management team in executing the Group’s Odyssey 2.0 business transformation efforts.
Amrin and Mohamad Ariff had earlier informed the MPB of their intentions to step down from their current posts to pursue new challenges outside the Group.
Kamal, 46, was appointed MPB Group COO on July 7 this year. He has been with the Group
since 2009.
He played a key role in MPTN’s digital transformation and business expansion initiatives. Prior to joining MPB, he had served as Head of the Communications Unit in the Prime Minister’s Office from 2003 t0 2009. He had also worked in the financial services sector gaining experience in banking and private equity financing.
He also spent three years in the Policy and Development Division of Bursa Malaysia. He graduated with a Bachelor of Law (Honours) degree from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom in 1994 and became Malaysia’s Eisenhower Fellow for 2005.
Meanwhile, Farnida, 40, has been with the Group since 2009 and is currently Group General Manager, Group Finance and Secretarial overseeing the functions of Group Finance, Treasury, Corporate Finance and Company Secretary. She has over 18 years of experience in the field of accounting, finance, business assurance and corporate advisory.
Before MPB, she had worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers for six years and KPMG for four years. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Accounting and Finance from the Flinders University of South Australia. She is a Fellow Certified Practising Accountant Australia (FCPA Aust.), a Fellow Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
(FCMA UK) and a Member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA).
Amrin, commenting on his decision to step down, said: “It was indeed a difficult decision on my part, having been with this media conglomerate for many years but I believe the time is right to pave the way for a new leadership team to follow through on our business transformation initiatives.
“It has been an honour and a privilege to be given the opportunity to work with the esteemed board and colleagues all of whom have contributed immensely to Media Prima’s success. I would like to thank them for their immeasurable commitment and support throughout all these years and I am pleased to leave Media Prima knowing it has a strong management team to continue with its transformation.”
Meanwhile, Ariff said that as a member of the Group for a cumulative 19 years, he is very proud of what the Group had accomplished for its shareholders.
“We made progress in critical areas including achieving synergies across our multiple media businesses as well as maintaining a balanced cost management and disciplined investment strategies. I wish to thank the Board and fellow colleagues for all their support. Though it was a tough decision, I have every confidence in the management team to take Media Prima forward.”