KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 23): The Human Resource Development Corp (HRD Corp) has appointed five new directors to its board, a move that comes as the agency intensifies its governance reforms and continues internal investigations into several suspended senior executives.
The appointments were confirmed in separate statements on Monday by Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R Ramanan and the Ministry of Human Resources.
The newly appointed directors represent a mix of industry veterans, academics and former public service sector leaders. They are: Datuk Wira Dr Ameer Ali Mydin, managing director of Mydin; Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Mohd Azmi Omar, president and chief executive officer of INCEIF University; Muhammad Akmar Kasim, corporate figure in the manufacturing and export sector; Parameswaran A Shanmuganathan, a former senior leader at Tenaga Nasional Bhd (KL:TENAGA); and Datuk Rusli Jaafar, former chief executive and executive chairman of the Malaysian Cooperative Commission.
Ramanan said the diverse leadership team is expected to strengthen HRD Corp’s leadership and governance structure.
“This move not only enhances organisational governance, but also intensifies efforts to strengthen talent and skills development for the national workforce, in line with the Malaysia Madani aspiration for a more resilient and competitive economy,” he said.
Separately, the ministry said the new board composition underscores HRD Corp’s commitment to "integrity, transparency and measurable impact” in managing employer levy funds.
"The combination of expertise in industry, Islamic finance, engineering, export sectors and public-sector reform is expected to enhance strategic oversight and ensure that every levy contribution is translated into training outcomes, skills improvement and greater worker employability," it said.
The new board appointments comes as the agency continues internal investigations that have led to the suspension of six executives over the past month, including three additional management members announced on Saturday (Feb 21).
Shortly after the appointment of Datuk Mohamed Shamir Abdul Aziz as its new chief executive on Jan 23, HRD Corp suspended “three members of top management” on Feb 6.
Although none of the suspended officials were identified, Shamir previously said the suspensions were procedural measures to preserve the independence of an ongoing internal review and did not represent findings of wrongdoing.
He said the review had identified areas requiring tighter internal controls, clearer reporting lines and enhanced compliance oversight, with corrective measures underway to modernise governance, reinforce accountability and streamline administrative processes.
The suspensions were linked to issues highlighted in reports by the Public Accounts Committee, the Auditor General and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission relating to the management of unutilised levy and the agency's equity investment strategies, the acquisition of Menara Ikhlas, HRD Corp’s equity investment practices, and a recent discovery involving the New Core System (NCS). The NCS findings involved a RM14 million procurement and a delay of more than four years following three failed user acceptance tests.
HRD Corp, which operates under the Ministry of Human Resources, administers levy-funded training and development programmes for employers and workers nationwide.