KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) announced the appointment of Noraihan Abdul Rahman as its chief executive officer (CEO) effective December 1, 2022, here, today. Noraihan will replace Muhtar Suhaili who resigned as CEO on 1 October 2022.
Noraihan, who was MTC’s first woman chief operations officer (COO), is now the council’s first woman CEO in its 30-year history. She will oversee the strategic direction and drive sustainable growth for the council. Noraihan possesses wide experience and held various key posts in the MTC.
She holds a degree in Business Administration (Marketing) from the University of Arizona USA, began her career in the MTC as an officer in the Market Promotion Division before being appointed as its deputy director in 2010. After serving for over two decades in the Market Promotion Division, she was promoted as the director of the Corporate Communications Division in 2020 and subsequently appointed as the COO on March 1, 2022.
Noraihan’s promotion was celebrated as a step in the right direction for an industry that has few women in its top ranks. The MTC’s chairman characterised Noraihan’s new role as a point of pride for the council, especially in a competitive timber industry.
“I believe that, with her new, well-deserved role, Noraihan will continue to empower the staff and bring our company forward. She is a long-serving member of the MTC and is knowledgeable about the timber industry. I am confident that Noraihan has all the qualities needed to drive the MTC through its next phase of transition and growth,” said Hajah Norrida, who extended her best wishes to the incoming CEO.
Muhtar will be the group chief operating officer of an integrated oil and gas solutions provider effective December 1, 2022. Deemed as one of the most passionate and hardworking CEOs of the MTC in recent years, Muhtar had introduced a slew of new programmes and strategies, including the MTC’s Must-Wins, which further outlined the direction the MTC should take to achieve its business goals under the MTC Roadmap 2019-2023.
“Muhtar has been a force in developing and driving the MTC forward, especially in a very challenging but also exciting past two years. I cannot overstate the degree of admiration and gratitude which I and the board of trustees have for Muhtar. I am immeasurably grateful to him for his unparalleled contribution to the company,” said MTC chairman Norrida Yusoff. The MTC wishes him all the best. – Bernama, November 29, 2022
