Perodua appoints new chief as Aminar completes his term

KUALA LUMPUR: Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) has appointed Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad as its new chief executive officer (CEO), succeeding Datuk Dr Aminar Rashid Salleh, who is retiring after nine years at the helm.

In a statement, Perodua said Aminar’s tenure as Perodua President and CEO would end on December 31.

Zainal will take the helm from January 1, 2019. He was previously vice-president of Perodua Auto Corporation Sdn Bhd, and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Management Information Systems and Accounting from the Pacific Lutheran University, Washington.

He began his career in Perodua in 1995 in the cost control department, and was directly involved in creating Perodua’s manufacturing cost structure.

“Zainal will be the first President and CEO selected from within Perodua. He participated in the formulation of the National Automotive Policy (NAP) and is working closely with the government through the various bodies under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) to further improve the policy,” it said.

Meanwhile, Perodua said Aminar was the longest- serving President and CEO and under his leadership, the company expanded its market share to above 37 per cent year-to-date 2018 from 31.2 per cent in 2010.

Most importantly, on his watch, Perodua embarked on a RM1.3 billion investment to build Perodua Global Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, Malaysia’s first Energy-Efficient Vehicle ( EEV) manufacturing plant, as certified by Miti.

“The Board of Directors wishes to thank Aminar for his contributions to Perodua and to the Malaysian automotive industry as a whole,” Perodua Chairman, Tan Sri Asmat Kamaludin said. — Bernama