This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on December 2, 2015.

DUBAI: Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) group managing director Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fatih Din was picked as Global CEO of the Year at the sixth Middle East Business Leaders Awards 2015 on Monday.

The awards were organised by business magazine The Leaders International and endorsed by the American Leadership Development Association.

According to MRCB’s statement, Mohamad Salim was chosen as a recognition of his three decades’ “involvement and achievements in the Malaysian property sector — especially since he took over the helm of MRCB in [September] 2013”. He was hailed as having added value to MRCB as a transport-oriented development (TOD) player and a major construction player.

He said he dedicated the honour to MRCB’s board and staff, “who have been very committed in our journey to become Malaysia’s No 1 TOD developer”.

The award was conferred by the secretary-general of the Federation of Chambers of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Abdulrahim Hasan Naqi.

Mohamad Salim has spearheaded many transformations within the group — particularly at paring down its high debt level by about RM330 million to RM3.06 billion as at September 2015 through a series of asset disposals, and amassing new land bank and projects.

With a 16.7% stake in MRCB, his effort to secure new businesses for MRCB culminated in a trifecta of wins in October: a RM1.6 billion land swap contract for the National Sports Centre in Bukit Jalil, a RM270 million joint venture with Cyberview Sdn Bhd to develop the Cyberjaya City Centre, and a RM3.2 billion project management and turnkey contract for the Kwasa Utama urban commercial development, which forms part of the Kwasa Damansara township.

He said: “I will continue to build on MRCB’s strength, and will commit myself and the able workforce of MRCB to deliver various infrastructure that supports the national economic development agenda.”