Board Of Directors
(extracted from Annual Report 2020)
DATUK AMAR ABDUL HAMED BIN SEPAWI
Datuk Amar Abdul Hamed (male), aged 72, was appointed to our Board on 30 August 2005 and redesignated as Non Executive Chairman on 11 March 2011. On 1st November 2017, he was redesignated to the position of Executive Chairman. He is the Chairman of our Board Sustainability Committee and a member of our Risk Management Committee.
Educated at Malay College, Kuala Kangsar, he holds a BSc from the University of Malaya, a BSc (Forestry) from the Australian National University, Canberra, and a Master's degree in Forest Products Utilisation from Oregon State University, United States.
He has more than 31 years of experience in forestry and plantation management and the manufacturing of forest products. For the last 24 years, he has been actively involved in various industries such as construction, property development, oil and gas, oil palm plantations and information and communication technology. In particular, in the area of planting of oil palm in Sarawak, he has more than 22 years of experience.
He was the recipient of the Sarawak State Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2004 and 2005 and was nominated for the Malaysia Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2005. He was awarded the Panglima Gemilang Bintang Kenyalang in September 1999 and the Datuk Amar Bintang Kenyalang in September 2012. In 2014, he was the winner of the Inaugural 2014 Sarawak State Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award and in 2015, he was adjudged The BrandLaureate "Man of the Year" Brand ICON Leadership Award.
He is the Executive Chairman of Ta Ann Holdings Berhad, a forestry and oil palm plantation company based in Sarawak, Chairman of a property and construction company, Naim Holdings Berhad, both of which are listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia. He is also the Chairman of Sarawak Energy Berhad, a power utility company wholly owned by the Sarawak State Government.
DATO WONG KUO HEA
Dato Wong Kuo Hea (male), aged 70, was appointed as our Executive Director on 28 March 2018. He is a member of our Board Sustainability Committee and Remuneration Committee.
Dato Wong has vast exposure and experience in both the timber and oil palm industries.
His persistence and drive for excellence has steered the Company to better performance. At the forefront of management, Dato Wong communicates well and has the learning agility to quickly adapt to the everchanging landscape of the oil palm industry. His leadership skills have also put the Group in good standing in the marketplace.
Since 1999, he has held the position of Group Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer in Ta Ann Holdings Berhad ("Ta Ann"), a company listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia.
HAJJAH HASMAWATI BINTI SAPAWI
Hasmawati Sapawi (female), aged 53, was appointed as our Director on 25 November 2011. She is a member of our Nomination Committee.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons, Economics) Canada, a Master of Business Administration Australia and a Master of Environment Management (Development Planning), Malaysia.
She is currently the Director of the Corporate Services and Investment Division of the State Financial Secretary's Office (Sarawak), handling corporate finance and investment activities. She joined the State Financial Secretary's Office in 2006, prior to which she had worked in a state agency and a government-linked company. She also sits on the boards of several state government-linked companies.
DATU HAJI SOEDIRMAN BIN HAJI AINI
Datu Haji Soedirman (male), aged 65, was appointed as our Director on 1 March 2019. He is the Chairman of our Board Audit Committee and a member of our Remuneration Committee, Nomination Committee and Risk Management Committee.
He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, UK (FCCA) and a Chartered Accountant of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA). He has attended the Macro Economic Policy and Management Program at Harvard University.
He started his career with Petronas in 1982 where he served in the Economic and Investment Evaluation Department, Corporate Planning Division and in its subsidiary company, ASEAN Bintulu Fertiliser Sdn. Bhd. After serving 13 years with Petronas, he resigned in 1995 to join the Sarawak State Government.
Prior to his retirement from the State Government on 31 December 2018, he held the position of General Manager of the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC). His previous employment in the Sarawak Civil Service includes being the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Development, Director of the State Implementation Monitoring Unit, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industrial Development, Deputy State Financial Secretary and State Accountant-General. Between November 2002 and September 2003, he was seconded to Amanah Saham Sarawak Berhad as its Chief Executive Officer. During his tenure with the Sarawak Government, he served on the Boards of MLNG 3 and MIDA.
Datu Haji Soedirman is currently a Director of Permodalan Nasional Berhad and an Independent Director of Sarawak Consolidated Industries Berhad, a company listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia. He also sits on the Board of various government-linked companies and Non-Governmental Organisations.
ALI BIN ADAI
Ali Adai (male), aged 65, was appointed as our Director on 27 February 2013. He is the Chairman of our Risk Management Committee, Remuneration Committee, Nomination Committee and a member of our Board Audit Committee.
He holds a Bachelor of Art from the University of Guelph Canada.
Until his retirement on 31 March 2013, he was employed with CIMB Bank as the Regional Director for East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak). He was responsible for managing 29 bank branches and for developing CIMB's retail, commercial and enterprise banking businesses in East Malaysia.
He is an Independent Non Executive Director of Dayang Enterprise Berhad and also an Independent Non Executive Director of ABM Fujiya Berhad., both of which are listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia.
BRIG GEN (R) DATO' MUHAMMAD DANIEL BIN ABDULLAH
Brigadier General Dato' Muhammad Daniel (male), aged 66, was appointed as our Director on 1 March 2019. He is a member of our Board Audit Committee, Remuneration Committee, Nomination Committee and Risk Management Committee.
Brigadier General Dato' Muhammad Daniel had a distinguished career in the Malaysian Armed Forces for 39 years, before retiring from active military service on 15 June 2015. He served and held numerous Commands, Staff and Training appointments in the Malaysian Special Service Group, Malaysian Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence. He was also actively involved in a number of Civil Affairs activities, natural disaster relief activities, heart-and-mind and socio-communal activities notably amongst the indigenous tribes nationwide.
Internationally, Brigadier General Dato' Muhammad Muhammad Daniel was appointed the Liaison Officer of Kuwait while serving as a Military Observer under the United Nations International Monitoring Group in Kuwait and Iraq (UNIKOM 1993-1994).
Brigadier General Dato' Muhammad Daniel graduated from the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, United Kingdom and is also a graduate in Defence and Strategic Studies from University of Malaya.
CHIA CHU FATT
Chia Chu Fatt (male), aged 67, was appointed as our Director on 5 April 2021.
An accountant by profession, Chia Chu Fatt is a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (UK), a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants and a member of Chartered Tax Institute of Malaysia. He is also the proprietor of Andy Chia & Co., a chartered accountants firm which he established in 1987. He has 43 years of working experience in chartered accountants' firms, 4 of which were with a medium-sized firm in London, UK.
He was formerly a councillor of the Miri Municipal Council for 11 years. He served in various capacities as a Board Member of the Sarawak Land Development Board from 2008 to 2017, a former Chairman of the Miri Basketball Association and a former Sarawak State Legislative Council Assemblyman. Currently, he serves as Secretary of the Piasau Camp Miri Nature Park Society.
Chia Chu Fatt is also an Independent Non-Executive Director of Ta Ann Holdings Bhd., a company listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia.
He was conferred the honorary Johan Bintang Sarawak (JBS) and Ahli Bintang Sarawak (ABS) by T.Y.T Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak in 2010 and 1994 respectively.