KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 22): Datuk Azman Ismail, former managing director and chief executive officer of PLUS Malaysia Bhd, has been appointed as CEO of Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB).
This confirms The Edge’s report in September last year which named Azman as one of the frontrunners for the job to lead the Ministry of Finance-owned (MOF) special purpose vehicle tasked with the country’s 5G rollout.
Azman is appointed to the role effective Oct 23, DNB announced in a statement.
The position had been vacant for more than a year since March last year after Azman’s predecessor Augustus Ralph Marshall stepped down from the post when his two-year contract expired.
DNB said it is confident that Azman’s extensive experience and astute leadership will drive DNB’s efforts in its next phase of development as the company continues to advance Malaysia’s 5G adoption across consumers, enterprises and public services, and support the nation’s digital transformation.
In June this year, DNB announced completion of share subscription agreements with four mobile network operators (MNOs) with each taking up approximately 16.3% stake in DNB, and collectively owns 65.1% equity stake.
The MOF retains a 34.9% stake in DNB.
During the tabling of Budget 2025 last Friday (Oct 18), the government said it will announce a second 5G network to enhance the competitiveness of the ICT sector.
Azman was most recently with PLUS from January 2017 to December 2022. Prior to joining the toll highway operator, he was MD of Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd and, concurrently, the general manager of its retail business, overseeing Shell’s petroleum retailing in Malaysia and Brunei. In his 30-year career at Shell, Azman held key positions in the operations, retail and finance departments.