Shamsul resigns as PetGas chairman due to ‘time constraint’

President & Group Chief Executive Officer Tan Sri Datuk Shamsul Azhar Abbas and Chairman Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan at press conference and announcement of 2013 Quarter Two Grp Financial performance.

KUALA LUMPUR: Petronas Gas Bhd (PetGas) chairman Tan Sri Shamsul Azhar Abbas has resigned effective Jan 1, 2017, and Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) executive vice-president and chief executive officer (upstream) Datuk Anuar Taib will take over his position.

In filings with Bursa Malaysia, the company said the former Petronas president and chief executive officer, 64, was resigning due to “time constraint as he currently sits on the boards of various Malaysian and overseas companies.”

Shamsul was appointed PetGas chairman on Sept 1, 2015. a few months after he stepped down as Petronas president and CEO (on March 31) after five years at the helm. He was also chairman of Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd concurrently when he held the post of Petronas CEO.

Shamsul has been witn Petronas, which owns a 60.7% stake in PetGas, since 1975. 

Meanwhile, Anuar, 48, joined Petronas in 2012 as CEO of Petronas Development and Production and was subsequently promoted to senior vice-president of Petronas Upstream Malaysia.

PetGas also announced on Friday the resignation of non-independent and non-executive director Datuk N. Sadasivan A/L N.N. Pillay, 75, effective Jan 1, 2017.

The reason given is that the former Malaysian Industrial Development Authority director-general (1984-1995) had expressed his intention to resign. “He has been a director of the company for more than 20 years,” the statement explained.