KUALA LUMPUR: Boustead Plantations Bhd chief executive officer (CEO)  Chow Kok Choy, a veteran planter, will retire on July 31 after 48 years with the group.

The board said on Friday it had accepted the retirement of  Chow, 71, who has been with the company since 1971.

In the interim, while it seeks out a new CEO, the current deputy CEO Mohamad Azlan Jaafar will be taking the helm as acting CEO.

Boustead Plantations chairman Gen Tan Sri  Panglima Mohd Ghazali Che Mat (R) said: “With a career spanning more than four decades in the plantation sector, Chow’s extensive expertise has been invaluable during his long-standing tenure with the group. 

“He has played an instrumental role in the growth of the group and we wish him all the best in his journey ahead.”

Chow was estate manager for several estates. In 1993, he became planting advisor of Boustead Estates Agency Sdn Bhd (BEA). 

He was appointed planting director of BEA in 2001 and subsequently director of operations, plantation, BEA in 2008. He was the managing director of BEA since 2014. 

He also served as chief operating officer of Boustead Plantation from 2014 until his appointment as CEO in 2018. 

Mohd Ghazali said Mohamad Azlan, who has 20 years of experience in the corporate arena and has been with the group for seven years, would be acting CEO.