KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Pharmaniaga Bhd has appointed five new directors to its board, including Datuk Dr Hafsah Hashim, SME Corp Bhd’s former chief executive officer. 

She has been named as one of the independent non-executive directors, along with Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican, Datuk Mohd Shahrom Mohamad and Datuk Mohd Zahir Zahur Hussain.

Meanwhile, Datuk Koo Hock Fee was appointed as a non-independent non-executive director, effective today.

"With their wide breadth of experience and cross-industry expertise, the group is confident that they will enable Pharmaniaga to forge ahead in its growth path," the company said in a statement today.

Hafsah, who helmed SME Corp for more than 13 years, also sits on the boards of Johor Corp, Zurich Takaful Malaysia Bhd and Sirim Bhd.

Meanwhile, Dr Mohd Ismail was responsible for setting up the first specialised liver unit in Malaysia, and has been an overseas advisor for the Royal College of Physicians of London since 1997.

He is currently the pro-chancellor and chairman of the board of governors for MAHSA University as well as a consultant hepatologist and internal medicine specialist at Prince Court Medical Centre.

Mohd Shahrom has had an illustrious legal career and has been involved in many high-profile strategic
agreements, contracts and projects over the years, including government concession agreements in Malaysia and internationally.

He is currently a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London, an arbitrator for the Asian International Arbitration Centre and a Fellow of the Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Mohd Zahir was the group chief financial officer of Prasarana Malaysia Bhd from 2012 to 2015 and subsequently took on the role of chief executive officer of its subsidiary, Prasarana Integrated Development until 2017.

He has an extensive experience in the fields of auditing, accounting and finance and is currently a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand as well as the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.

Meanwhile, Koo has held several leadership positions in various companies within the Boustead Group and was subsequently appointed to his current role as the group’s divisional director, industrial division in 2005 and is concurrently director/advisor to UAC Bhd.

He is also a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.