Dr. Hans appointed Joint CEO of Axiata Group Bhd

Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya has been appointed as Joint Acting Group CEO of Axiata Group, the Malaysian multinational telecommunications conglomerate with extensive operations in Asia,

along with Vivek Sood from 1 June.

Dr.Hans is Axiata’s Telecommunications Business CEO and Group Executive Vice President at present whilst Sood is the Group Chief Financial Officer.

Dr. Hans...

The interim appointment comes as Axiata Group President and CEO Izzaddin Idris quitting on 31 May after one and half years in the role on the “mutual cessation” of his service contract with Axiata.

In a statement Axiata Chairman Tan Sri Shahril Ridza Ridzuansaid said the interim joint Group CEOs will retain their current positions and portfolios. “The board does not expect to make additional structural or senior leadership changes in the near-term,” he added.

Axiata's board further assures its stakeholders that the group has always had a strong culture of succession planning, and that it is committed towards ensuring a smooth transition and preserving the momentum Axiata has achieved thus far with the Axiata 5.0 Vision.

“The appointment of Dr Hans Wijayasuriya and Vivek Sood as joint acting group CEOs will ensure continuity in this situation.

 “In the appointment of Dr Hans and Vivek as joint group CEOs, we have two industry stalwarts who are very familiar with Axiata’s businesses. They are both strongly grounded in our culture and deeply committed to the success of our ventures,” added Shahril.

With 150 million subscribers Axiata is one of Asia’s largest networks, covering Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, and Pakistan. 

Axiata said outgoing President and Group CEO Izzaddin took the helm at the group on 1 Jan 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 crisis, after serving as deputy group CEO since January 2020.

 “He has been instrumental in shaping the group’s strategic response to secure stability and business continuity in the face of daunting and unprecedented challenges across many aspects of our operations.

“Having served as a member of Axiata’s board since November 2016, he was steadfast in translating the Axiata 5.0 Vision into execution. He rallied the team, building on Axiata’s modern, agile and digital culture to deliver several significant milestones that have placed the group on [a] solid trajectory to capture new growth areas for a sustainable future,” said the chairman as he thanked Izzaddin for his service to the group.

As one of the leading telecommunications groups in Asia in pursuit of a vision to be the Next Generation Digital Champion by 2024, Axiata has transformed itself from a holding entity with a portfolio of pure-play mobile assets into a Triple Core Strategy-driven business focusing on Digital Telco, Digital Businesses and Infrastructure.