SIME Darby Plantation Bhd (SDP) has appointed Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas as its new chairman of the board of directors effective tomorrow. 

In a filing with Bursa Malaysia today, it also announced Abdul Ghani Othman’s resignation as chairman and member of the board effective today.

Megat Najmuddin, 75, who has a direct interest of 5,000 shares in SDP, currently holds chairmanship in a number of publicly listed and private companies as well as civil society bodies, including chairman of Asian Pac Holdings Bhd, SEG International Bhd, Green Venture Capital Sdn Bhd, Ulink Ascot Sdn Bhd and the Malaysian Institute of Management, as well as Federation of Public Listed Companies Bhd president. 

He is also Bersatu’s disciplinary board chairman.

“On behalf of SDP, I welcome Megat Najmuddin as our chairman at a time when the company is undergoing a crucial phase in its more than 100-year history as we lay out the foundation for our next stage of growth in our quest to be the leading integrated palm oil player,” said SDP group managing director Mohamad Helmy Othman Basha.

Helmy also expressed his appreciation to Ghani for his services and contributions since his appointment in 2013.

“It is with Abdul Ghani’s patient advice and judicious counsel that the company has overcome numerous challenges and lived through defining moments during this period, including the Sime Darby Group demerger exercise in 2017 and the unprecedented Covid-19 crisis that we are all still riding through,” he added. – Bernama, June 30, 2020.