KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 2): Oil and gas services provider Steel Hawk Bhd (KL:HAWK) said on Tuesday its group chief executive officer (CEO) Afizul Md Yusoff has resigned after just nine months in the role.

Afizul, 47, was appointed in February following the group’s internal reorganisation and restructuring of its senior management team.

Afizul made the decision to step down "in order to take a career break and devote time to focus on his personal interests”, Steel Hawk said in a filing with Bursa Malaysia.

Concurrently, the group announced the appointment of Haffiz Hussin, 40, as its new group CEO effective Tuesday. Haffiz brings 16 years of experience from Petroliam Nasional Bhd (PETRONAS) and its subsidiaries, noted Steel Hawk.

His most recent position was as head of construction-based engineering at PETRONAS, where he oversaw technical shaping, digital solution lifecycle orchestration, solution performance and value realisation from September 2024 to November 2025.

Neither Afizul nor Haffiz holds any direct or indirect interest in Steel Hawk or its subsidiaries.

Steel Hawk previously underwent a leadership transition in September 2024, when it transferred its listing from the LEAP Market to the ACE Market under Bursa Malaysia’s new market transfer framework.  At that time, Salimi Khairuddin, 39, served briefly as CEO before being redesignated as executive director upon Afizul’s appointment in February 2025.

The restructuring came shortly after Steel Hawk Engineering Sdn Bhd — the group’s main operating subsidiary — was named a panel contractor for construction and modification works for PETRONAS and 27 of its downstream operating plant units. The group had said Salimi would focus on overseeing its expanding onshore engineering division, including engineering design, fabrication of oilfield equipment, and management of onshore projects secured from clients such as PETRONAS Gas Bhd (KL:PETGAS) and PRPC Utilities & Facilities Sdn Bhd.

Shares of Steel Hawk closed unchanged at 28 sen on Tuesday, valuing the group at RM137.20 million. Its share price has fallen over 40% year to date, but investors who bought the shares at 15 sen apiece during the initial public offering are still sitting on a 86% gain.