As chairperson of the steering committee, Bursa Malaysia Bhd CEO Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift now leads the CEO Action Network (CAN), Malaysia’s first sustainability-focused informal coalition of leading CEOs and senior business decision-makers.
Datuk Tengku Muhammad Taufik, a founding member of CAN and the president and group CEO of Petroliam Nasional Bhd (PETRONAS), passed over the leadership baton to Muhammad Umar recently at a CEO luncheon debate held at the Malaysia Petroleum Club.
Tengku Muhammad Taufik, who served a two-year term, stated that CAN has emerged as a credible voice of Corporate Malaysia on sustainable business and sustainable development since its formation in late 2020.
“As a coalition of leaders with a purpose, our efforts continue to be focused on building capacity on sustainability (and) mobilising the necessary resources and tools to support environmental, sustainability and governance integration efforts.
“Most importantly, (the coalition) seeks active participation of CEO-level champions of the industry in shaping and/or advocating sustainability policies as well as regulations that will help Malaysia meet its global commitments to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Umar stated that Malaysian CEOs aspire to accomplish important global targets, such as the UN SDGs, while keeping local interests in mind.
“I look forward to elevating CAN be a major driving force for good ESG practices, with fellow CEOs leading by example in championing higher levels of ESG literacy and convergence towards common sustainability benchmarks among Malaysian corporates of all sizes and industries,” said the incoming chairperson.