KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 21): M&A Equity Holdings Bhd (KL:M&A) said its non-executive director Thong Mei Chuen has been redesignated as non-executive chairperson, effective Monday.

Mei Chuen is the daughter of businessman Datuk Seri Thong Kok Khee, said M&A Equity in a Bursa Malaysia filing. Kok Khee is the largest shareholder of Insas Bhd (KL:INSAS), which in turn is the controlling shareholder of M&A Equity Holdings with a 50.51% stake.

Mei Chuen is also on the board of Inari Amertron Bhd (KL:INARI) as an alternate director to her father, who is the second-largest shareholder in the semiconductor company via Insas.

She also sits on the board of Microlink Solutions Bhd (KL:MICROLN) as a non-independent and non-executive director. Her brother Thong Weng Sheng is an executive director at the company.

Insas holds an 11.31% equity stake in Inari and an 11.2% equity stake in Microlink.

M&A Equity said Mei Chuen, 44, has experience in equity capital markets through her roles at Credit Suisse in New York, followed by positions at Deutsche Bank across its New York, Hong Kong, and Singapore offices.

She subsequently joined the corporate finance team at Genting Hong Kong, where she served from 2009 to mid-2012. After that, she was appointed as head of global treasury and corporate planning at Insas.

In February 2014, Mei Chuen assumed the position of chief operating officer of Microlink Solutions’ Singapore division.

She holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Dartmouth College, US.

M&A Equity shares closed down one sen or 5% at 19 sen on Monday, giving the group a market capitalisation of RM381 million. Year-to-date, the stock has fallen by 20.83%.