KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 6): Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Sdn Bhd (Proton) has appointed Roslan Abdullah as its deputy chief executive officer (CEO), effective Jan 1, 2022.

Roslan was previously the vice president of sales and marketing at Proton, and chief executive officer of Proton Edar Sdn Bhd, Proton's distribution arm. He held these roles since June 1, 2020, Proton said in a statement on Thursday (Jan 6).

“Roslan Abdullah has played a key role in supporting the leadership of Proton and guiding the overall management of the business, particularly by strengthening the sales and marketing functions.

“I am confident we will be able to form a strong partnership to lead the company to greater heights,” said Proton CEO Dr Li Chunrong.

The automotive company also expressed its deepest appreciation to Datuk Radzaif Mohamed, who retired as deputy CEO on Dec 31, 2021.

Appointed to the role on April 1, 2016, Proton said Radzaif was instrumental in overseeing the eventual partnership between DRB-HICOM and Zhejiang Geely Holding (Geely), and helped steer the company to its current standing in the automotive industry.

“Proton would like to place on record our appreciation to Datuk Radzaif Mohamed for his invaluable contribution and unwavering commitment towards our success.

"The importance of getting it right in the early days of the partnership with Geely has been critical towards the company’s turnaround thus far and his leadership during this period was invaluable,” added Li.