KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 21): Chin Keat Chyuan is stepping down as president and managing director of KPJ Healthcare Bhd (KL:KPJ) on Sept 1, ending a three-year tenure at the helm of Malaysia’s largest private hospital operator.

In a bourse filing on Friday, KPJ Healthcare said Chin, 52, is resigning to pursue other interests. Professor Datuk Dr Hanafiah Harunarashid, the group’s chief medical director, will serve as officer-in-charge pending the appointment of a new president and managing director.

The leadership change comes as KPJ Healthcare enters the second half of 2026 with stronger earnings momentum. Net profit rose 24.8% to RM173.6 million in the six months ended June 30 (1HFY2026) from RM139.1 million a year earlier. Revenue increased 12.9% to RM2.25 billion from RM1.99 billion, driven by higher inpatient volumes and revenue per inpatient.

KPJ Healthcare’s patient volumes have shown broad-based growth across both inpatient and outpatient segments, supporting expectations for a stronger second half of the year.

Chin took over as president and managing director in September 2023, following a career spanning more than 25 years at Johnson & Johnson. He joined the healthcare company as a medical-devices product specialist before rising to country director of J&J Malaysia and later managing director of ONE J&J Malaysia.

During his tenure at KPJ Healthcare, Chin also served on the boards of KPJ Selangor Specialist Hospital, Kedah Medical Centre and KPJ Healthcare University. He is a former president of the Pharmaceutical Association of Malaysia and former member of the Board of Governors of the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce.

His departure marks the latest in a series of leadership changes at KPJ Healthcare. Four managing directors have left the group over the past decade.

Before Chin, former chief financial officer Norhaizam Mohammad served as officer-in-charge from September 2022 following the departure of Datuk Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh. Norhaizam left KPJ Healthcare in June 2024.

Mohd Shukrie, former group chief executive officer of Pos Malaysia Bhd and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd, stepped down just five months after taking the helm at KPJ Healthcare on April 1, 2022.

He had succeeded Ahmad Shahizam Mohd Shariff, who served as president and managing director from July 2020 to March 2022.

The longest-serving recent managing director was Datuk Amiruddin Abdul Satar, who joined KPJ Healthcare in June 1993 and took over the helm in January 2013. He left the role in July 2020 after serving for more than seven years.

“On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Chin for his leadership and contribution to KPJ. During his tenure, he worked closely with the board and Team KPJ to advance the group’s priorities and strengthen the organisation. We respect his decision and wish him every success in his future endeavours,” KPJ chairman Tan Sri Dr Ismail Haji Bakar said in a separate statement.

He said the board had put in place the necessary leadership arrangements to ensure a smooth transition.

“KPJ remains on a strong footing. Our strategic direction remains unchanged, and we will continue to focus on executing the group’s plans while ensuring the organisation moves forward," he added.

KPJ Healthcare operates 29 hospitals and three ambulatory care centres in Malaysia, serving about 3.3 million patients per year with 1,491 medical consultants. Johor Corp, the investment arm of the Johor state government, is the company’s largest shareholder with a 45.2% stake. The Employees Provident Fund owns 12.2%, while Waqaf An-Nur Corp Bhd holds a 7.1% stake.

KPJ Healthcare shares closed down one sen or 0.32% to RM3.12 on Friday, giving it a market capitalisation of RM14.12 billion. The stock has gained 15.99% so far this year.