Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the sole shareholder of MAS, said it supports and approves the appointment which was decided by the MAS board of directors and upon consultation and approval of Khazanah chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
About Izham Ismail:
- Entire career spent with Malaysia Airlines
- 38 years of experience in the aviation industry
- Started his career with Malaysia Airlines as a pilot in 1979
- Appointed to management position 10 years later
- Previous positions include senior instructor pilot, fleet manager, director of operations
- Served as CEO of MASwings, Malaysia Airlines’ sister company in Sabah and Sarawak
- Became COO last year
- Flew Malaysia Airlines’ first B777-200 eastward from Seattle to KL and back, setting new world records for longest flight and fastest round-the-world flight by a commercial airliner, with a total flight time of 41 hours 59 minutes over a distance of 23,310 miles
Captain Izham Ismail’s appointment as Malaysia Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer will ensure continuity and further progress of the airline’s overall restructuring effort under the five-year MAS Recovery Plan (MRP), said parent company Khazanah Nasional Bhd.
Khazanah said Izham, in his role as Malaysia Airlines Chief Operating Officer (COO), has played an integral role in the on-going execution of the turnaround plan for the airline.
“The implementation of the MRP over the 38-month period since its launch – nearly two-thirds of its five-year duration – remains on track,” it said in a statement yesterday.
The Board of Directors of the Malaysia Aviation Group and Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) appointed Izham as Executive Director and Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO)-designate with immediate effect.
In a statement yesterday, MAB said Izham would assume the role of GCEO on Dec 1, 2017, upon the departure of Peter Bellew, who is currently on administrative leave.
Khazanah said, as provided for by the MRP, the restructuring of Malaysia Airlines follows a well laid-out governance and approval framework.
“The framework sees Khazanah, the MAB’s board of directors, management and staff working closely together, with the full support of the government, to deliver the progress of the restructuring to date,” it said.
Khazanah said this collective approach would continue to drive the restructuring of Malaysia Airlines further forward on the path towards full recovery and sustainable profitability.
The MRP, launched by Khazanah on Aug 29, 2014, provided for the development and succession of Malaysian leadership talent as a key component of the overall restructuring effort.