Axiata picks heads for business services, info security

Asri Hassan Sabri has been appointed CEO of its newest subsidiary Axiata Business Services Sdn. Bhd

KUALA LUMPUR: Axiata Group Bhd has made two key appointments for its business services and also information security in line with its aspirations to build a leading digital company, beyond its core mobile business. 

Axiata said on Thursday it had appointed Asri Hassan Sabri – its group chief business operations officer since January 2016 – as CEO of its newest subsidiary Axiata Business Services Sdn. Bhd. His appointment is effective Jan 1, 2018.

Axiata said due to the growing importance of information security and its continued focus and commitment to improving cyber security capabilities, Abid Abdul Adam has been appointed group chief information security officer. 

Abid will also assume the position of group head of privacy given the increasingly critical nature of data privacy and protection.

Commenting on Asri's role, it said that operating under the brand Xpand, Axiata Business Services will drive the group’s enterprise and Internet of Things (IoT) business across all of Axiata’s footprint in Asean and South Asia. 

Set up in 2017, the subsidiary is a new area of focus for the group and it is earmarked to achieve double-digit growth and holds great promise as a multi-billion dollar addressable market within the next few years. 

Asri has almost 30 years of experience in various management, consulting and entrepreneur engagements in the IT and telecom industries. 

Prior to joining Axiata, he was a strategic partner with Provident Capital Partners, a South Asia private equity company. 

Asri was also the former country president for Motorola Malaysia, a position he held from 2006 till 2008. Besides Motorola, Asri has also held senior management and regional positions with other multinational corporations (MNCs) including Nokia.

As for Abid, he joins Axiata from South Africa where he was the chief information security officer and deputy information protection officer for a leading financial services organisation.

Axiata said Abid brings over 15 years of experience in developing, implementing, and leading an Information security and technology risk management function. 

Abid has led large scale cyber security transformation programs for leading international organisations that span across multiple countries and continents in the field of data protection and information security.

 Axiata president and group CEO Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim said these appointments are in line with its aspirations to build a leading digital company, beyond its core mobile business. 

Asri’s role as CEO of Axiata Business Solutions is to scale up this addressable area of growth in the enterprise and IoT space and to ensure that group aggressively capitalises on the opportunities in the Asean and South Asia market, to eventually bring a significant uplift in revenue.

“As the telecommunication industry is evolving at a rapid rate, we are also placing significant importance and operationally strengthening the two areas that impact our business; IT security and data protection. 

“Abid’s two led functions work in tandem to help us to achieve cyber resilience and data privacy across the group,” Jamaludin said.