KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 1): Abdul Jalil Abdul Rasheed, the former chief executive officer of Berjaya Corp and Permodalan Nasional Bhd, has been appointed as the managing director of Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.

The institute is a non-profit organisation set up by former British prime minister Tony Blair, who is also the executive chairman of the organisation.

Announcing his new appointment in a tweet, Jalil said: "From mid-September, I will be joining Tony Blair Institute as managing director to build out the firm’s Asian business, advising foreign governments on [a] wide range of issues. I will be relocating to Singapore with the family to take this role on."

The institute, which started in 2016 with its headquarters in the UK, has more than 450 staff located in more than 20 countries across four continents. Its website says that the organisation's mission is to help political leaders build open, inclusive and prosperous societies in an increasingly interconnected world.

Jalil, 40, has almost 20 years of experience in investment and business leadership, having worked in the UK, the US, Malaysia,and Singapore, with global investment firms Aberdeen Standard Investments and Invesco Ltd.

In March, Jalil stepped down from his position as CEO of Berjaya Corp, just a year after he took up the role. He was the first "non-family" member to run Tan Sri Vincent Tan's business empire.

During his tenure, Jalil revealed a three-year strategic plan to reorganise the Berjaya group into five key business areas, comprising retail, food and beverage, property, hospitality, and services that include gaming, environment, digital and financial technology.

He also announced plans to dispose of about RM5 billion worth of non-core assets of the group over the next five years, and wanted to halve its debts of RM5 billion in three years.

Subsequently, the group began disposing of some of its non-core assets, including stakes in associate companies Razer Fintech Holdings Ltd and Berjaya Higher Education Sdn Bhd, which owns Berjaya University College.

Berjaya Corp turned profitable in the second quarter ended Dec 31, 2021, after six consecutive quarters in the red.