A BANKER with more than three decades of banking and financial experience has been appointed chief executive officer of Sarawak’s newly formed state-owned Sarawak Development Bank Bhd (DBOS).

The appointment of Sim Kheng Boon, the former Sarawak director of AmInvestment Bank Bhd, was effective August 1, the chief minister’s office said today.

State secretary Morshidi Abdul Ghani will chair the board whose members are Sharkawi Alis, Christopher Adrian and Laura Lee Ngien Hion, the CMO said.

The bank is expected to commence operation on January 1, 2018.

Sim, a Sarawakian, graduated with an honours degree of commerce from the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada.

He is also an associate member of Asian Institute of Chartered Banker.

A respected corporate figure, Sim was the executive director of Kenanga Investment Bank Bhd between 2012 and 2015.

During his tenure at AmBank AmInvestment Bank, which he joined in 1983, he was instrumental in advising Sarawak-based companies on the listing requirements on Bursa Malaysia besides providing corporate advisory services in fundraising via capital markets, corporate structuring as well as financial advisory on merges of acquisitions.

Sim served as an independent director of a Sarawak property development company Zecon Bhd until his recent retirement. – August 10, 2017.