KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 5): SD Guthrie Bhd (KL:SDG) has appointed Mohd Haris Mohd Arshad as its new managing director effective Jan 1, 2026, as part of a planned leadership transition.
Datuk Mohamad Helmy Othman Basha, who has led the world’s biggest palm oil producer by acreage since July 2019, will step down on Dec 31 as part of the “well-crafted succession plan”, according to an exchange filing. He will serve as advisor to the board following his resignation.
Mohd Haris, 53, is currently SD Guthrie’s deputy group managing director, a position he has held since September 2025.
He joined the company formerly known as Sime Darby Bhd in 2014 before its split into three separately listed entities. Mohd Haris’s roles included heading its downstream unit and overseeing upstream operations as the group’s chief operating officer.
A graduate of the University of Arizona with a degree in business administration, Mohd Haris currently chairs the Palm Oil Refiners Association of Malaysia and the Board of Trustees of the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil, and is a member of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council.
Earlier on Wednesday, SD Guthrie reported a 22% year-on-year rise in its third-quarter net profit to RM935 million, mainly driven by land sales and higher downstream sales. Quarterly revenue grew 2.7% to RM5.41 billion.