KUALA LUMPUR: Peer-to-peer (P2P) car-sharing platform Moovby has appointed Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir as its non-executive chairman.
This followed Syed Zainal's resignation as Petronas Dagangan Bhd's non-independent and non-executive director on June 10.
Moovby said Syed Zainal Abidin's chairmanship with the startup was another automotive company added to his extensive portfolio with professional experience in Perodua Auto Corporation Sdn Bhd, Hicom Holding Bhd, Petroliam Nasional Bhd and Proton Holdings Bhd.
"While my work has spanned within the automotive industry, entrepreneurship has been a longtime interest of mine," said Syed Zainal Abidin in a statement.
He said there were several local businesses breaking the mold and Moovby was one of them.
He added that disruption of the sharing economy by pioneering P2P car-sharing in Malaysia showcased innovation and readiness to provide solutions.
The P2P car-sharing platform was established in 2017 by founder and chief executive officer, Nik Muhammad Amin Nik Muhammad Kamal, aimed to connect vehicle owners, whose cars would otherwise be idle, with people who need a car.
"I firmly believe in its vision to tackle urban mobility and considering that Nik [Muhammad Amin] is a success story of the local startup ecosystem, I have faith in what Moovby will achieve under their present management team," Syed Zainal said.
"We are delighted and humbled to be under Datuk Seri's tutelage in moving the company forward," said Nik Muhammad Amin of the appointment.
"We have followed his career journey from Petronas to Proton and back to Petronas closely and we know he inculcates a customers-first ethos."
He added that Syed Zainal Abidin's prominence in the industry was a force to be reckoned with.
Moovby said Syed Zainal Abidin's appointment came at an exciting time as it was looking to further expand within the region.
In 2019, the company established its presence in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta, Bandung and Bali with 3,000 cars.
Since then, its operations have grown to reach Depok, Bogor, Tangerang, Bekasi, Semarang and Surabaya.
Now with a fleet of 20,000 vehicles, the company has its eyes set on reaching Yogyakarta, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Lombok.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic impacting Moovby's expansion plans this year, Nik Muhammad said the platform was regaining momentum in Indonesia.
He said the initial expansion into the market had accelerated the startup's development as the country's large population contributed significantly to Moovby's user base.
"While we have other Southeast Asian markets in mind to expand to, we're currently focusing on Indonesia as we want to increase our existing community.
"Covid-19 may have been a temporary disruption in our timeline, but now we can resume bringing Moovby to new locations and new heights," he added.