KUALA LUMPUR (March 7): Former Employees Provident Fund (EPF) chief executive officer (CEO) Tunku Alizakri Raja Muhammad Alias has been appointed as a non-executive director of Malaysia Airlines Bhd and its parent company Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) effective on Monday (March 7).

In a statement on Monday, MAG said Zaiviji Ismail Abdullah had also been appointed as a non-executive director of Malaysia Airlines and MAG.

MAG group chairman Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin said in the statement that Tunku Alizakri and Zaiviji Ismail's wealth of experience and leadership values will be vital as MAG continues to execute strategies aligned with its long-term business plan 2.0 and realise its aspirations of becoming Asia’s leading travel and aviation services group.

"The next few months will be critical for the group (MAG) in terms of demand recovery as we anticipate the safe reopening of Malaysia’s borders.

"We will continue to further enhance our services and capabilities within our airline and non-airline businesses to provide customised experiences and innovative solutions to all stakeholders involved in our journey,” Wan Zulkiflee said.

According to MAG's statement, Tunku Alizakri, who is currently the chairman of Malaysia Venture Capital Management Bhd, is also a board member of Prudential BSN Takaful, Bumi Armada Bhd, IHH Healthcare Bhd and Sime Darby Plantation Bhd.

"He previously served as the CEO (chief executive officer) of EPF (Employees Provident Fund) from 2018 to 2021, where he played a pivotal role in the digital business transformation of EPF to increase members' digital experience and improve operational efficiency," MAG said.

Meanwhile, Zaiviji Ismail is an experienced professional with extensive local and international board and operation experiences in setting strategies and policies for companies, according to MAG.

"He is currently the chairman of Cement Industries of Malaysia Bhd and Uniquest Ventures Pte Ltd in India. Prior to this, he served Shell for over 22 years and retired in July 2011, where his last position was chairman of Shell companies in Pakistan," MAG said.