KUALA LUMPUR: Pharmaniaga Bhd has appointed five new members with a wide breadth of experience and cross-industry expertise to its board, effective July 17, 2019.
In a statement released today, the pharmaceutical company said it was confident the new appointments would help to steer the organisation to greater heights.
The new appointments include Datuk Dr Hafsah Hashim as independent non-executive chairman, Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican as independent non-executive director and Brigadier General (Hon) Datuk Mohd Shahrom Mohamad as independent non-executive director.
The company also appointed Datuk Mohd Zahir Zahur Hussain as independent non-executive director and Datuk Koo Hock Fee as non-independent non-executive director.
Dr Hafsah helmed SME Corp Malaysia for more than 13 years and held the position of secretary to the National SME Development Council from 2004 to 2018.
Prior to this, she held senior positions in various ministries. Internationally, she sits on the Monsha’at International Advisory Board Committee of Small and Medium Enterprise General Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is an International Advisory Committee Member of the Oman SME Authority.
She was appointed by the United Nations as a Consultancy Team member on SME matters.
She is presently on the boards of Johor Corp, Zurich Takaful Malaysia Bhd and SIRIM Bhd and assumes an advisory role to the board of Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd.
Dr Mohd Ismail was the director-general of Health, Malaysia, president of the Malaysian Medical Council, chairman of the Drug Control Authority and chairman of the Malaysian Pharmacy Board from 2005 to 2011.
He was responsible for setting up the first specialised liver unit in the country. He has been an Overseas Advisor for the Royal College of Physicians of London since 1997 to date.
He is currently pro-chancellor and chairman of the board of governors for MAHSA University, as well as consultant Hepatologist and Internal Medicine Specialist at Prince Court Medical Centre. He is presently on the board of Gadang Holdings Bhd.
Mohd Shahrom joined the Malaysian Army in 1974 and subsequently resigned in 1986 to practice law. He was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court in Malaya in 1987.
Since then he has had an illustrious legal career and has been involved in many high-profile strategic agreements, contracts and projects over the years, including Government concession agreements in Malaysia and internationally.
He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London, an arbitrator for the Asian International Arbitration Centre and a Fellow of the Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Mohd Zahir has extensive experience in the fields of auditing, accounting and finance. He was the group chief financial officer of Prasarana Malaysia Bhd from 2012 to 2015 and subsequently took on the role of chief executive Officer of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Prasarana Integrated Development, from 2015 to 2017.
During his career he held senior positions at leading firms, including CIMB-Principal Asset Management, Baker Tilly Monteiro Heng, Deloitte & Touche and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
He currently holds the position of Senior Finance Director of Maybridge Consulting PLT. He is a Member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand as well as the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.
Koo joined Boustead Holdings Bhd in 1980 as head of internal audit (non-plantation) and was appointed divisional director, manufacturing division in 1995.
He has held several leadership positions in various companies within the Boustead Group.
He was subsequently appointed to his current role as divisional director, industrial division in 2005 and is concurrently director/advisor to UAC Bhd.
He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.