KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 19): Malaysia Competition Commission's (MyCC) acting chief executive officer Iskandar Ismail has been named as the new CEO of the commission. The appointment took effect on Oct 15.

Iskandar was previously MyCC's director of its investigation and enforcement division, a post he held since February 2013. He was acting CEO for the past six months since the retirement of former CEO Datuk Abu Samah Shabudin on April 16.

The appointment was made by Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, MyCC said in a statement today.

"As the director of the investigation and enforcement division, Iskandar has led and overseen the investigation of many of the MyCC’s landmark cases such as Malaysian Airline Systems Bhd and AirAsia Berhad, Container Depot Operators in Penang, MyEG Services Bhd, the General Insurance Association of Malaysia (PIAM) and its 22 members, Dagang Net Technologies Sdn Bhd and several others," MyCC's statement read.

Iskandar said it was an honour to be given the opportunity to lead the competition, which he believes plays a significant role in ensuring a healthy competitive culture within the business landscape of Malaysia. 

"I am looking forward to bringing MyCC to greater heights and being amongst one of the leading government agencies in Malaysia to protect the interests of businesses, consumers and the economy as a whole. Last but not least, in line with the policies of the current government, the Commission will not hesitate to take swift and stern action against all enterprises, whether big or small that are found to be engaged in such anti-competitive practice such as cartels and abusive monopolies,” he said.

Prior to joining MyCC as director, Iskandar was an assistant trial attorney with the United Nations for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Tanzania for eight years, prosecuting genocide and serious violations of international human rights laws. He is currently listed in the Justice Rapid Response expert roster, a professional service provider to entities that have jurisdiction or mandate to investigate fact-find or carry out inquiries wherever mass atrocities may have occurred.

A law graduate of the International Islamic University with a Master in International and Comparative Law from the George Washington University Law School in Washington, US, Iskandar was called to the Bar as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 1998, before he joined Bank Negara Malaysia, where he was part of the pioneering prosecuting team in the legal department until 2005.