KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 5): Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) (KWAP) has appointed Zarina Halim as its new chief retirement services officer, effective Tuesday.
She was previously chief corporate officer at Hektar REIT's management company Hektar Asset Management.
In her new role, Zarina is responsible for the development and implementation of policies, strategies and initiatives for KWAP’s retirement services division to maintain the fund's retirement services performance.
In addition, she will oversee the monitoring of retirement services and customer service delivery, said the pension fund for civil servants.
Zarina was among the founding members of the Hektar Group back in 2002, and was part of the management group responsible for the listing of Hektar REIT on Bursa Malaysia in December 2006.
There, she spearheaded the sustainability agenda for Hektar REIT, resulting in it being recognised as a four-star rated company on Bursa Malaysia’s FTSE4GD Index and receiving numerous awards in the area of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG).
Prior to her role in Hektar Group, Zarina began her career with UEM, serving the group for almost a decade at Prolink Development, the master developer for Iskandar Puteri, Johor, and later at a venture capital arm, OptixLab.
In a statement announcing the appointment, KWAP said Zarina brings extensive experience and knowledge in the field of sustainability.
“Aligning with our tagline 'Your Retirement Companion', we hope that with Zarina joining KWAP as chief retirement services officer will further enhance our effort to empower both pensioners and future pensioners towards an ideal and fulfilling retirement.
“The appointment of Zarina plays an important role in supporting the strategic move of KWAP’s sustainable growth foundation, improving digitalisation and enhancing processes under KWAP Teras 5 initiative,” said KWAP CEO Datuk Nik Amlizan Mohamed in a statement.
As of Dec 31, 2023, there were over 790,000 pension recipients in Malaysia, of which 570,000 are pensioners.
“To better prepare pensioners and future pensioners in facing our ageing nation, KWAP is actively conducting pension outreach programmes such as Jelajah MyPesara organised throughout the year across the country, providing advisory services to pensioners and future pensioners on various retirement aspects, including financial literacy, entrepreneurship and healthcare.
"In addition to this, Karnival MyPesara — a one-stop platform covering aspects of Health, Environment, Finance and Social will be held annually to encourage a healthy and active lifestyle in retirement years,” KWAP said.
Zarina holds a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and Finance (Honours) from the University of Manchester and a Bachelor’s Degree in Law (Honours) from the University of London.
Additionally, she is a global reporting initiative (GRI) certified sustainability professional and a certified sustainability reporting specialist under the Institute of Certified Sustainability Practitioners.