Nazir: CIMB rejected my first job application

PETALING JAYA: Being the son of a prime minister has its own challenges.

For Tan Sri Nazir Razak, these challenges include having to change the public’s first impression of him.

“When I first applied for a job at CIMB, I was rejected because they said he was the son of Tun Abdul Razak, he can’t work hard,” Nazir said during a discussion on Malaysia’s future challenges at the World Trade Centre here on Friday (June 3).

Nazir, who is the youngest of five siblings, said he had to put in a bit more effort for the people to see him for who he is.

“Generally, people would have their own first impression towards me, when they see me they would think ‘he is the son of the prime minister’, ‘he is Najib’s (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) brother’ or ‘towkay bank’.

“So I have to try to get the people to have a second impression and to see me for who I am,” he said.

Nazir, was the chairman of CIMB Group, which is one of the largest financial service providers in Malaysia and Asean.

He also served as the chief executive officer of the group from 1999 to 2014.