The Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp) has appointed five new directors to its board as part of ongoing governance reforms and internal investigations into suspended senior executives.
(From left) Parameswaran A Shanmuganathan, Muhammad Akmar Kasim, HRD Corp CEO Datuk Shamir Aziz, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R Ramanan, Datuk Wira Ameer Ali Mydin, Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Mohd Azmi Omar and Datuk Rusli Jaafar during the presentation of the certificates of appointment on Monday.
The appointments were confirmed on Monday by Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R Ramanan and the Ministry of Human Resources.
The new directors bring a mix of industry experience, academic expertise, and public service leadership:
-
Datuk Wira Dr Ameer Ali Mydin, Managing Director of Mydin
-
Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Mohd Azmi Omar, President and CEO of INCEIF University
-
Muhammad Akmar Kasim, corporate leader in manufacturing and export
-
Parameswaran A Shanmuganathan, former senior executive at Tenaga Nasional Bhd
-
Datuk Rusli Jaafar, former CEO and Executive Chairman of the Malaysian Cooperative Commission
Ramanan said the appointments will strengthen HRD Corp’s leadership and governance while supporting national workforce development in line with the Malaysia Madani vision.
“The diverse expertise of the new board is expected to enhance strategic oversight and ensure that employer levy funds are effectively translated into skills training, improved employability, and measurable impact,” the ministry added.
The new board comes amid internal probes that have led to the suspension of six senior executives over the past month, including three management members announced on Feb 21. Earlier suspensions followed the appointment of Datuk Mohamed Shamir Abdul Aziz as HRD Corp’s new chief executive on Jan 23.
Shamir clarified that the suspensions are procedural, aimed at maintaining the independence of the ongoing review, which identified the need for tighter internal controls, clearer reporting lines, and stronger compliance oversight.
The suspensions relate to issues highlighted in reports by the Public Accounts Committee, the Auditor General, and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. These include unutilised levy management, HRD Corp’s equity investments, the acquisition of Menara Ikhlas, and delays in the New Core System (NCS) project, which involved a RM14 million procurement and multiple failed user acceptance tests over four years.
HRD Corp, under the Ministry of Human Resources, administers levy-funded training and development programmes for employers and workers nationwide.
