He worked at the central bank for more than a decade from 1985 in departments including economics and banking regulation, and later became an assistant governor. He was appointed U.S. ambassador in 2014. Awang and his assistant didn’t respond to e-mails seeking comment.
*Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, Finance Ministry's top bureaucrat
Irwan, secretary general of Treasury, is also among those being studied to be central bank governor, according to people familiar with the matter. He started his government career in the Economic Planning Unit in 1984 and in 2003 joined the Finance Ministry, where he has held various positions.
Irwan has a PhD in economics from the International Islamic University Malaysia and holds a masters of science in energy management and policy from the University of Pennsylvania. He also sits on the boards of state oil company Petroliam Nasional Bhd. and one of Malaysia's biggest pension funds. Irwan, as well as the three Bank Negara deputy governors, are part of the central bank's board of directors. He didn’t respond to a mobile text message seeking comment.
*Deputy Governor Muhammad Ibrahim
Muhammad joined the central bank in 1984 and has been deputy governor since June 2010. He oversees international reserve management, and money market and foreign exchange operations. He has served in areas from banking supervision and regulation to insurance and offshore banking.
