Profile of the Board of Directors
Mr. Chan Hua Eng
Chairman, Non-Independent Non-Executive Director
Mr. Chan has been on the Board since March 1995. Mr. Chan is the father of Mr. Chan Thye Seng, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director. He graduated with a Bachelor of Law (Honours) degree from the University of Bristol in 1952 and was called to the Bar at Middle Temple in 1953. He is an associate member of the Institute of Taxation. Until his retirement in 1987, he was the senior partner of a large legal firm in Kuala Lumpur during the major part of which he was engaged in corporate advisory work.
Mr. Chan Thye Seng
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Chan joined the Board in March 1995. Mr. Chan is the son of Mr. Chan Hua Eng. He had 13 years experience as a practicing lawyer, after having been called to the Bar at Middle Temple in 1980 and the Malaysian Bar in 1982. He graduated from University College Cardiff with a Bachelor of Law (Honours) degree. He was previously on the boards of the Kuala Lumpur Commodities Exchange and Malaysian Futures Clearing Corporation Sdn. Bhd.
He is also a non-independent non-executive director of Ancom Bhd. and Pacific & Orient Insurance Co. Bhd.
Mr. Chan is a director and major shareholder of Mah Wing Holdings Sdn. Bhd. as well as director and beneficial owner of Mah Wing Investments Limited, both of which are major shareholders of the Company.
Dato’ Dr. Zaha Rina binti Zahari
Independent Director, Chairman of Risk Management Committee, member of the Audit Committee, Nominating Committee and Remuneration Committee.
Dato’ Dr. Zaha Rina joined the Board in May 2012. She received her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Accounting and Finance from Leeds Metropolitan University, United Kingdom (“UK”) and Master in Business Administration from University of Hull, UK. She also holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from University of Hull, focusing on capital markets research and specialising in derivatives.
Dato’ Dr. Zaha Rina was a consultant to Financial Technologies Middle East based in Bahrain for the set up of Bahrain Financial Exchange launched in January 2009. Prior to this, she was with Royal Bank of Scotland Coutts in Singapore from August 2007 to May 2008. Dato’ Dr. Zaha Rina has 33 years of experience in the financial, commodities and securities industry and the development of the Malaysian Capital Market, which includes managing a futures broking company. She was the Chief Executive Officer of RHB Securities Sdn Bhd from 2004 to 2006. She has previous board appointments at the Commodity and Monetary Exchange of Malaysia (“COMMEX”) from 1993 to 1996, and then as the Chief Operating Officer of Kuala Lumpur Options and Financial Futures Exchange (“KLOFFE”) in 2001.
She was instrumental in the merger of COMMEX and KLOFFE which ultimately led to the creation of Malaysian Derivatives Exchange (“MDEX”) and the subsequent appointment of Chief Operating Officer of MDEX in June 2001. Dato’ Dr. Zaha Rina was then appointed Head of Exchanges, managing the operations of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad (“Bursa Securities”), Malaysian Exchange of Securities Dealings & Automated Quotation, MDEX and Labuan International Financial Exchanges in September 2003 prior to Bursa Securities’ demutualisation. She was previously a member of the Market Participations Committee of Bursa Securities.
Dato’ Dr. Zaha Rina was a Director of Zurich Insurance Malaysia Berhad prior to being appointed Chairman of Manulife Holdings Berhad in December 2013. Currently, she sits on the board of Hibiscus Petroleum Berhad, Keck Seng (Malaysia) Berhad and IGB Berhad besides holding directorships in several private limited companies. She is also the Chairman of Pacific & Orient Insurance Co. Berhad and Chairman of Mizuho Bank (Malaysia) Berhad. She is a Vice-President of Persatuan Chopin Malaysia and Divemaster with National Association of Underwater Instructors. She was a Member of Global Board of Advisers for XBRL until 2009 and was also on the Board of Trustee for Malaysian AIDS Foundation until May 2010.
Mr. Michael Yee Kim Shing
Independent Director, Chairman of the Audit Committee, member of the and Risk Management Committee, Nominating Committee and Remuneration Committee.
Mr. Yee joined the Board in February 1995. He received his tertiary education at the University of Melbourne, graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and is a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants, the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Australia and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore. He was a practicing accountant for more than 26 years, retiring as a senior partner in Ernst & Whinney (now known as Ernst & Young).
Currently, Mr. Yee is a non-independent non-executive director of Pacific & Orient Insurance Co. Bhd. He also sits on the board and audit committee of Datasonic Group Bhd. as an independent director and chairman of the audit committee.
Mr. Ong Seng Pheow
Independent Director, Member of Audit Committee, Risk Management Committee, Nominating Committee and Remuneration Committee.
Mr. Ong was appointed to the Board of Pacific & Orient Berhad on 19 April 2018. He was appointed as a member of the Audit Committee on the same date.
Mr. Ong has more than 34 years of experience in public practice with an international firm of accountants and was its National Director of Assurance and Advisory Business Services from 1994 until he retired in December 2003. He is a member of the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Malaysian Institute of Accountants. He currently sits on the board of several public and private limited companies.
YBhg. Dato’ Sri Mohd Mokhtar bin Hj. Mohd Shariff
Independent Director, Chairman of the Nominating Committee and Remuneration Committee, member of the Audit Committee and Risk Management Committee.
Dato’ Sri Mohd Mokhtar was appointed to the Board of Pacific & Orient Berhad on 22 December 2022.
Dato’ Sri Mohd Mokhtar holds a degree in Bachelor of Law (Hons) from the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom, a Master of Business Administration from Phoenix International University, New Zealand and was called to the Malaysian Bar in September 2019.
Dato’ Sri Mohd Mokhtar had served the Royal Malaysia Police from 1977 to 2018. He held several key senior positions in Royal Malaysia Police, namely Head of Special Branch Kuala Lumpur, Deputy Chief Police Officer of Pahang, Deputy Chief Police Officer of Johor, Chief Police Officer of Johor, Director of Narcotics and Crime Investigation Department and Director of Special Branch. He had also served in the Embassy of Malaysia in Bangkok, Thailand.
He is also an Independent Non-Executive Chairman of TMC Life Sciences Berhad, an Independent Non-Executive Director of South Malaysia Industries Berhad and an Independent Non-Executive Director of MY E.G. Services Berhad and currently sits on the board of several private limited companies.