KUALA LUMPUR: Sime Darby Property Bhd (SDProp) has appointed Rizal Rickman Ramli as its new chairman effective from May 7, following the retirement of Tan Sri Dr. Zeti Akhtar Aziz.
SDProp said Zeti had expressed intention not to seek re-election or assume the position since her appointment in July 2018, being the company’s first woman chairman.
“I would like to thank our shareholders for their unwavering trust and continuous support to SDProp. This support has been especially valuable during 2020, which has been one of the most challenging periods for the group,” she said in a statement in conjuction with SDProp’s virtual annual general meeting today.
Zeti said it had been her honour and privilege to serve SDProp since 2018 as chairman as the group had a remarkable set of assets and with its transformative initiatives underway.
“The group is well placed on a trajectory for success,” she added.
SDProp group managing director Datuk Azmir Merican said Zeti had presided over the board during an important phase of the group’s history.
“Her foresight to push for new growth frontiers in the property development segment will continue to guide the group well into the future,” he said in a statement today.
Rizal Rickman joined the group’s board as director on April 5, 2018 and is currently Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) chief investment officer (private and strategic investments).
He joined PNB in March 2018 as the executive vice president of property/ real estate and assumed the role of chief investmnt officer of real estate in 2020.
Under his leadership, the PNB real estate portfolio has doubled in size and broadened its focus from primarily commercial offices into new areas such as logistics, industrial and multi-family residential.
The portfolio is now well diversified and includes investments in markets such as the United States, Japan, Australia, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. – NST ONLINE
