This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on June 16, 2025 - June 22, 2025

SEVERAL changes at the helm of public transport companies Prasarana Malaysia Bhd and Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) are expected to take place soon, sources familiar with the industry tell The Edge.

According to the sources, Prasarana may soon see the departure of its president and CEO Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah, who has been at the helm since July 2021. Meanwhile, KTMB group CEO Datuk Mohd Rani Hisham Sam sudin, who will turn 63, is expected to step down from his role. Mohd Rani is slated to complete his contract at the end of this year.

In response to questions from The Edge, Prasarana says: “At this juncture, we are unable to provide any comments. We appreciate your understanding and will reach out should there be any updates to share in the future.”

Mohd Rani could not be contacted by press time.

A source says Mohd Azharuddin is expected to take up a role in Sunway Group Bhd (KL:SUNWAY) and there are already two potential candidates being considered for the top post at Prasarana. “After almost four years with Prasarana, Mohd Azharuddin is joining the private sector,” says the source.

Another source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, says Mohd Azharuddin is joining a publicly traded diversified conglomerate but does not divulge the identity of the group.

In addition to his leadership role at Prasarana, Mohd Azharuddin’s credentials include serving as chief transformation officer at Malaysia Airlines, CEO of the Land Public Transport Commission and director of urban public transport for the Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley at the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) of the Prime Minister’s Department.

Prasarana saw several changes at the helm prior to the appointment of Mohd Azharuddin, who was the third CEO in a span of 12 months back in 2021. He replaced Muhammad Nizam Alias, who was removed in February that year.

Three months later, then Prasarana chairman Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman was removed over his conduct during a press conference to address and clarify issues after a crash involving two LRT trains which left 47 passengers seriously injured and another 166 with minor injuries.

Prasarana is a wholly-owned unit of the Ministry of Finance. It owns and operates the country’s urban rail services, which include three light rail transit (LRT) networks, the KL monorail and the mass rapid transit lines. It also owns and operates the stage bus services in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang, Perak and Pahang, provides management and engineering consultancy services and undertakes commercial and transit-oriented developments within its assets, as well as key public transport infrastructure projects.

A source points out that the internal candidate to replace Mohd Azharuddin could be Amir Hamdan, who currently serves as chief operating officer at Prasarana, a position he took on in February.

Prior to the role, he was CEO of Rapid Rail and served as the group chief financial officer upon joining Prasarana in February 2019. Prior to that, he was a senior manager at DRB-Hicom Bhd (KL:DRBHCOM) in treasury operations and portfolio management.

Another source says the external candidate being considered to helm Prasarana is Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) CEO Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak.

“Darwis has been with MRL for almost nine years. Generally, a CEO being at the helm for such a long span of time is not favoured … his next move is being considered,” says the source.

Darwis has been at the helm of MRL, a subsidiary of the Ministry of Finance overseeing the development of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project, since 2016.

MRL is the owner and project manager of the RM74.96 billion ECRL project that will connect Kota Bharu, Kelantan, to the Gombak Integrated Terminal. The project, which has gone through several proposals to change its alignment in the past, is expected to be completed in December 2026.

It is unclear at this point who will replace Darwis should he be appointed CEO of Prasarana.

Mohd Rani has had two stints as CEO of KTMB. He was reappointed to lead the loss-making national railway company back in December 2020. He held the top job at KTMB from 2017 to 2019 before moving on to take up the chief executive’s post at Kontena Nasional Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MMC Corp Bhd.

In August 2019, The Edge reported that Mohd Rani had stepped down as CEO of KTMB following the expiry of his two-year contract. His departure came as a surprise as it came about after a “surat layang” or poison-pen letter was sent to the Ministry of Finance, accusing him of wrongdoing. However, an internal audit subsequently cleared him of any wrongdoing.

It is understood that the current CEO of the Land Public Transport Agency, Datuk Azlan Shah Al Bakri, is likely to take the reins from Mohd Rani at KTMB. 

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