KUALA LUMPUR: Adif Zulkifli is set to take over the duty of former Petroliam Nasional Bhd executive vice president (EVP) and chief executive officer (CEO) of upstream Datuk Mohd Anuar Taib from Wednesday.
The appointment is one of a few management changes made by the national oil and gas giant after Anuar's recent departure, according to an internal memo seen by the New Straits Times.
Adif is currently Petronas EVP and CEO of gas and new energy business and will vacate the position for Adnan Zainol Abidin, according to the memo.
Samsudin Miskon will take over Adnan's role as senior vice president of project delivery and technology.
All appointments will be effective from October 16.
Last month, Petronas confirmed receiving the notice of resignation from Anuar, who was seen as a potential successor to CEO Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin.
Petronas chairman Datuk Ahmad Nizam Salleh said the board of directors received Anuar’s notice and he would be stepping down for personal reasons.
This was after the NST reported that Anuar would be stepping down from his position in June.
Adif, who is also Petronas Gas Bhd chairman, is said to have been instrumental in the delivery of Project CACTUS, the Growth Positioning Study and the launch of Coral 2.0.
In his current role, he steered the team towards achieving market liberalisation for gas in Malaysia, sustaining margins for the Petronas LNG business amid challenging market conditions, and building a portfolio of growth for renewable energy.
Adif holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University in the US.
He joined Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd in 1993 as a reservoir engineer after completing his studies under Petronas scholarship.
With more than 25 years of experience, he held various leadership roles in the company, including general manager of Petroleum Economics Department, executive assistant to the president and group CEO of Petronas.
He subsequently became the head of strategy and new ventures of E&P business, before becoming vice president of Malaysia Petroleum Management and senior vice president of corporate strategy in 2015.
He was later appointed as senior vice president of development and production of upstream business.