DRB-Hicom has named Datuk Ahmad Fuaad Mohd Kenali as new chief executive officer (CEO) and executive director of Proton, reports The Star. Ahmad Fuaad is currently the chief operating officer (COO) of finance and corporate at DRB-Hicom Bhd, the holding company of Proton. Ahmad Fuaad will replace Datuk Abdul Harith Abdullah, who will lead DRB-Hicom as COO of the group in the areas of automotive distribution and defence. The company also named Datuk Md Radzaif Md Mohamed, currently the COO of DRB-Hicom's automotive distribution and manufacturing division, as the deputy CEO of Proton. Besides this, the company announced that Shamsuddin Mohd Yusof would move to Composites Technology Research Malaysia Sdn Bhd as the group COO, effective from 14 March. Prior to this move, he was COO of Hicom Automotive Manufacturers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (HAMM). Commenting on these management changes, DRB-Hicom group managing director Datuk Seri Syed Faisal Albar said that the reshuffle of internal talents is "consistent with the group's policy to continuously develop capabilities to allow its group of companies to maintain fresh perspectives to steer the group under the current challenging and competitive business environment."
Significance: The management changes will take effect from 1 April, and are part of the internal reorganisation of the DRB-Hicom group of companies. Both Ahmad Fuaad and Md Radzaif have been on the board of Proton as a non-executive director since 2013. Prior to joining DRB-Hicom, Ahmad Fuaad was the CFO of Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd. On the other hand, Md Radzaif began his career at DRB-Hicom in 2004 as the COO of Hicom-Teck See Manufacturing Malaysia Sdn Bhd (HTS), and was later appointed the CEO of HTS in 2009.
