KUALA TERENGGANU (April 15): Eastern Pacific Industrial Corporation Bhd (Epic) has announced the appointment of Muhtar Suhaili as the new group chief executive officer (CEO) effective April 17, 2024.

In a statement on Monday, the group said Muhtar will be taking over from Ridzuan Ali, who will be ending his tenure as the group CEO on April 16.

It said Muhtar has over 20 years of experience in the oil and gas, automotive, commodities, port management, logistics and renewable energy sectors.

“He graduated from the International Islamic University Malaysia with a bachelor's degree in mechatronics engineering, and then continued his studies at Curtin University in Australia, where he obtained a master's degree in petroleum technology," it said.

Prior to joining Epic, Muhtar had worked at Shell Malaysia, as well as the Perodua Auto Corporation Sdn Bhd.

He also served as chairman of the Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council (MPOC), before being appointed as CEO of the Malaysian Timber Industry Board in December 2022.

“Muhtar has experience working in Malaysia and abroad, namely in the Netherlands and Germany. He aims to leverage his extensive experience in handling various mega projects and business contract management at both local and international levels, to take Epic to greater heights.

“Given his extensive experience and expertise, the Epic Group believes that under his leadership, the group will be able to continue to improve its performance in developing the company, while contributing to the prosperity of Terengganu,” it said.