Zeti officially starts as PNB group chairman
KUALA LUMPUR: Former Bank Negara Malaysia ( BNM) governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz officially started her role as Permodalan Nasional Bhd ( PNB) group chairperson yesterday, replacing Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar who retired from the post on June 30.
Zeti, who arrived at the PNB building at 2.55pm, donned her favourite dark blue baju kurung with white pearl necklace. She was seen smiling and shaking hands with the PNB senior management team before taking the elevator to attend a meeting with the president and group chief executive Datuk Abdul Rahman Ahmad and senior management team, which was scheduled at 3pm.
Zeti, however, declined to give comments as she was ushered quickly into the lift. Her appointment took effect on July 1.
Zeti, who is a well-respected figure in the financial and corporate world, is also a member of the Council of Eminent Persons ( CEP) put together by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, following the victory by Pakatan Harapan in the 14th general election in May. The CEP consists of former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin, former Petronas president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican, business tycoon Robert Kuok and economist Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram — all are responsible in aiding the government’s administration for the 100 days.
Retired from BNM in 2016 after helming the central bank for 16 years, Zeti has been regarded as world’s best central bank chiefs by Global Finance in 2009. Adding to her sterling record, she was awarded the William ‘Bill’ Seidman Award for Lifetime Achievement in Leadership in the Financial Services Industry for 2018 at the Asian Banker Future of Finance Summit 2018 at Aman Summer Palace in Beijing, China.
PNB, an investment vehicle for the Yayasan Pelaburan Bumiputra, is the largest fund management company in Malaysia with assets under management reaching RM280 billion. PNB is one of the six government-linked investment companies that own hundreds of listed and unlisted companies.