KUALA LUMPUR: Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Bhd (PUNB) has appointed Tan Sri Rastam Mohd Isa as its new chairman, effective Jan 1, 2026.
PUNB chief executive officer Izwan Zainuddin said the company is confident that Rastam’s extensive leadership experience will add significant value to PUNB, particularly as it marks its 35th anniversary this year and embarks on R30, its five-year strategic roadmap for 2026-2030.
"Our Five-Year Strategic Roadmap (2026-2030) aims to bring PUNB to greater heights with our vision to be a catalyst for the growth of Bumiputera entrepreneurs,” he said in a statement.
Rastam was formerly the secretary-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before retiring on Sept 2, 2010, after more than 36 years as a diplomat. Most recently, he served as the non-independent non-executive chairman of FGV Holdings Bhd
from September 2023 to September 2025.
He began his career in the Administrative and Diplomatic Service (PTD) on April 17, 1974 and throughout his diplomatic career, he held several key positions abroad, including high commissioner to Pakistan (1994-1996), ambassador to Bosnia Herzegovina (1996-1998), ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia (1999-2003), and permanent representative of Malaysia to the United Nations (UN) in New York (2003-2005).
In the corporate sector, he has served on the boards of private and publicly listed companies in Malaysia, including Eversendai Corporation Bhd, Sime Darby Energy Sendirian Bhd, and ING Public Takaful Ehsan Bhd, and was the chairman of Tropicana Corporation Bhd (2014- 2017) before his appointment to FGV Holdings Bhd. - Bernama
