Board of Directors
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The Board is responsible for the overall corporate governance of the Group and its strategic direction. The Board has delegated specific responsibilities to four (4) main committees namely the Audit and Risk Management Committee (“ARMC”), Remuneration Committee, Nomination Committee and the Strategic Planning & Oversight Committee which are guided by the Terms of Reference approved by the Board. The ultimate responsibility for the final decisions on all matters lies with the Board.
Board of Directors
Mr Maha Palan
Group Managing Director
Maha Palan is the Managing Director of SMRT Holdings.
Maha has previously served in investment-focused roles in Piton Capital LLP and British Petroleum Plc during which time he worked on a wide variety of deals ranging from Europe’s largest venture deal of 2018 with a valuation in excess of €2.5 billion to a direct sale and purchase agreement for crude & oil products with a gross exposure in excess of $4 billion.
Maha has worked extensively in leading the strategic turnaround initiative of the group since 2018 with a focus on returning to profitability and driving growth.
Maha has a Bachelors (Hons) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Manchester and a Masters in Financial Engineering from Imperial College London.
Tan Sri Dato’
Dr R. Palan
Chairman
Non-Independent
Non Executive Director
Tan Sri Dato’ Dr R. Palan is the Founder of SMRT Holdings.
Tan Sri, a lifelong learner, pursued his studies at the Federation University, Ballarat, Harvard Business School, Leicester University, California Coast University and Madras University. The British Institute of Learning & Development conferred on him their highest level of membership: a Fellowship. He has also earned the Certified Speaking Professional award - the highest award in the speaking profession from the National Association of Speakers, USA.
Tan Sri - the author of 16 books - started his career as a lecturer, trainer and HR specialist before taking on senior management roles in marketing and general management with a variety of industries in different countries for several progressive large organisations before embarking upon his entrepreneurial journey. His core focus on education related ventures has been the theme of his entrepreneurial achievements.
Tan Sri founded the Palan Foundation ("Yayasan Palan") to support his Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.
Ms Ng Kit Ching
Independent
Non-Executive Director
Ms Ng Kit Ching (Independent Non-executive DIrector) graduated with Bachelor of Commerce (Finance & Marketing) from Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia. She has vast experiences in digital transformation especially in the financial service sector. In her last 2 assignments as CEO of NEM Malaysia and Razer Fintech have brought insight into the fintech industry. She also has over 20 years experience in the financial services sector. Her senior level assignments include setting up of financial services call centres, credit card merchant businesses, overseeing the card business regionalisation programmes, creating alliances with synergies for organisations and providing consultancy to the C-suites. She loves to share her passion for business through her roles as investor and active business consultant to various startups. She is very attached to her values and believes strongly in economic empowerment through business and investing in the youth by helping them to maximise their individual potential. Ms Ng is a member of Audit and Risk Management Committee, Nomination Committee and Remuneration Committee.
Mr Chu Kheh Wee
Non-Independent
Executive Director
Danny Chu received a diploma in cost accounting from the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1990. He is a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants, an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and a Chartered Global Management Accountant.
Danny has wide-ranging industry experience in corporate finance across multiple industries including manufacturing, property development and construction. He has worked for D’Tiara Corp. Sdn. Bhd. (i.e. a company engaged in investment, development and sale of properties and resorts) as their Chief Financial Officer and was responsible for the proposed listing application of such company on the Alternative Investment Market (currently known as AIM) of the London Stock Exchange.
Post this, he founded Executive Prosight Resources (“EPR”) in February 2011 for the purpose of providing business advisory, corporate advisory and employment services. EPR has a strong track record of handling Corporate Restructuring, Initial Public Offer (“IPO”) and Merger & Acquisition (“M&A”).
Mr Danny currently also serves as an independent non-executive Director of Heng Hup Holdings Limited, a Main Board listed company at Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Ms Lim Kwee Yong
Independent
Non-Executive Director
Lim Kwee Yong graduated from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Australia with a Bachelor in Business majoring in Accountancy. She is a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (“MIA”).
Ms Lim Kwee Yong started her career as an Audit Associate and promoted as a Senior Manager thereafter with Pricewaterhousecoopers in Kuala Lumpur from 1995 to 2008. She was later employed as the Head of Finance at Wasco Energy Group of Companies, a subsidiary of Wah Seong Corporation Berhad from 2008 to 2013. In 2014, she joined Cenviro Sdn Bhd as the Chief Finance Officer until 2018. She is now with Econas Sdn Bhd as Executive Director and Chief Finance Officer since October 2018. Ms Lim is the Chair-lady of Audit and Risk Management Committee and a member of Nomination Committee and Remuneration Committee.
Mr Arthur Jack Hogarth
Independent
Non-Executive Director
Mr Arthur Jack Hogarth graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Physics from University of California, Berkeley. He has wide-ranging experience in cutting-edge technologies and the financial services sector. He started his career at Chicago-based Gelber Group from August 2016 to April 2019. In April 2019, he founded and led a Derivatives trading desk at Belvedere Trading. In his time at Belvedere until October 2020, he led various digital transformation efforts and independently developed main revenue strategies. Now trading on a quantitative fixed-income trading desk at a reputable Chicago-based firm. At which he spearheaded the desks digitization efforts in the fixed-income trading desk and led the development of automated algorithms to improve the returns generated by the desk. Based on his track record, he has successfully leveraged his passion for new-age technologies to create tangible changes that can improve a firms bottom line.
Mr Malayandi
@ Kalaiarasu
Non-Independent
Non-Executive Director
Malayandi @ Kalaiarasu holds a Bachelors of Engineering (Honours) degree majoring in electronics from University of Nottingham Trent, UK and Masters of Business Administration from Victoria University, Australia.
Over the last ten (10) years, he has had extensive experience working in this region for reputed customers on education and technology consulting projects. He contributes the entrepreneurial and technology expertise at the board level. He has worked with Accenture, Jabil and Mahindra Satyam. Throughout his employment, Kalaiarasu managed several key research and development projects within the South East Asian region.
Kalaiarasu is the bursar of Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences - an entity of Minda Global, an SMRT subsidiary.