BrazilFormer PwC partner named chairman of Pos Malaysia
Dato’ Mohammad Zainal Shaari, a former Partner at professional services firm PwC, has been named chairman of postal delivery service Pos Malaysia Bhd. He was most recently the executive director and COO of the Malaysian government’s strategic investment fund.
Pos Malaysia, the publicly traded, government-linked postal service of Malaysia, has historical roots dating back to the early 1800s. In 2015, the company had revenues of RM1.5 billion, and employs a workforce of over 18,000 people. However, rising pressure from digital processes and competing couriers has forced Pos and postal services around the world to go on the defensive. Hong Leong IB Research related that Pos is aiming to improve operating efficiency through technological improvement. Furthermore, the research firm commented, “[The] postal segment will only rebound in the midterm (we estimate 5 years) once e-commerce businesses resort to Postal services for cost saving benefits at the expense of the growth in the Courier segment.”
Dato’ Mohammad Zainal Shaari joins Pos as its chairman amid this era of transformative change in the industry. He replaces Tan Sri Mohd Khamil Jamil, who stepped down as chairman earlier this month. Mohammad Zainal is currently Managing Director of Tradewinds Group, an investment holding company primarily involved in plantations, sugar, and rice.
Mohammad Zainal was previously a partner at PwC Malaysia, where he worked from 1990 to 2002. Afterwards, he held the position of executive director at boutique consultancy BinaFikir for two years. Mohammad Zainal then moved on to serve as the executive director and COO of the Malaysian government’s strategic investment fund – Khazanah Nasional Bhd – between 2004 and 2013. He also was a director on numerous boards of Khazanah’s stable of companies, including Proton Holdings (2004-2008) and Tenaga Nasional (2007-2014).
Mohammad Zainal is a Member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants and the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
“Zainal’s extensive corporate experience would contribute to enhance our efforts in realising our vision and mission to develop Pos Malaysia as the leading integrated logistics player,” said a company spokesperson.
The appointment of Dato’ Mohammad Zainal Shaari as chairman comes four months after Al-Ishsal Ishak was appointed CEO, replacing Datuk Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh in December 2017.
