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Heineken Malaysia Bhd has appointed Datuk Iain John Lo as its new chairman, effective Aug 15, 2026, succeeding Datuk Seri Idris Jala, who is stepping down after serving nine years on the board. In a statement, the brewer said Lo brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across the energy, banking and telecommunications industries. Heineken Malaysia Bhd, Chairman – Datuk Iain John Lo. He spent over three decades with Shell, culminating in his appointment as country chairman of Shell Malaysia Ltd, a role he held from 2012 until his retirement in March 2021. He also previously served as chairman of Shell Refining Company (Federation of Malaya) Bhd before the company’s sale in 2016. Lo currently serves as a member of the Board of Guardians of the Sarawak Sovereign Wealth Future Fund. He is also an independent non-executive director of RHB Bank Bhd and RHB Investment Bank Bhd, as well as a board member of Sepang International Circuit Sdn Bhd. He holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Heineken Malaysia said the board is confident that Lo’s extensive corporate and governance experience will provide strong leadership as the company navigates an increasingly dynamic business environment while advancing its long-term growth strategy under the EverGreen 2030 agenda. Meanwhile, Idris Jala will retire as chairman and director in accordance with the Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance (MCCG), which recommends a maximum tenure of nine years for independent directors. He will continue to support the company as an adviser from Aug 15. The company credited Idris with playing a key role in guiding Heineken Malaysia through a period of significant transformation since joining the board in January 2017. During his tenure, the group strengthened its digital capabilities, enhanced its route-to-consumer strategy, undertook major brewery upgrades and successfully navigated the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Shares of Heineken Malaysia closed 12 sen, or 0.6%, higher at RM19.42, giving the brewer a market capitalisation of RM5.87 billion. The stock has declined 22.9% over the past 12 months.

Sunway Bhd has appointed Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar as its co-chairman, effective July 1, 2026. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, the group said Abdul Wahid, who currently serves as an independent non-executive director of Sunway, has been redesignated to the role following the retirement of Datuk Seri Idris Jala. Sunway Bhd, Co-Chairman – Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar. The company expressed its appreciation to Idris for his contributions during his tenure as co-chairman. “The board of Sunway thanks Idris for his invaluable contributions during his tenure as co-chairman of Sunway and wishes him all the best in his future endeavours,” the company said. Abdul Wahid brings extensive leadership experience from both the corporate and public sectors. He served as president and chief executive officer of Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) from May 2008, where he oversaw the bank’s regional expansion and transformation initiatives. Prior to leading Maybank, he was the group chief executive officer of Telekom Malaysia Bhd from July 2004 until the company’s demerger with Axiata Group Bhd in April 2008. During his tenure, he played a key role in strengthening the group’s telecommunications business and driving its strategic restructuring. Widely recognised as one of Malaysia’s most respected corporate leaders, Abdul Wahid has also held several prominent positions in both government-linked and private sector organisations, contributing significantly to corporate governance, business transformation and national economic development. His appointment as co-chairman is expected to further strengthen Sunway’s leadership as the group continues to expand its diversified businesses across property, construction, healthcare, education and infrastructure. The leadership transition forms part of Sunway’s ongoing board succession planning and commitment to maintaining strong governance and strategic oversight.

CTOS Digital Bhd has appointed Creador founder and chief executive officer Brahmal Vasudevan as its new non-executive chairman, effective July 1, 2026. According to Bursa Malaysia filings, Brahmal, 57, succeeds Datuk Noorazman Abd Aziz, who is retiring after serving as chairman since February 2020. The appointment comes as Creador remains CTOS Digital’s largest shareholder, holding a 20.784% stake in the company through Jade Vine Sdn Bhd. Brahmal founded private equity firm Creador in 2011 and has served as its chief executive officer since its inception. Under his leadership, Creador has grown into one of the region’s leading private equity firms, with investments across Southeast Asia and India spanning sectors such as financial services, consumer, healthcare, retail and business services. CTOS Digital Bhd, Chairman – Brahmal Vasudevan. Before establishing Creador, Brahmal was the general partner and managing director of ChrysCapital Investment Advisor (S) Pte Ltd from 2000 to 2011. He also held senior positions at several multinational organisations, including Malaysian Tobacco Bhd, Boston Consulting Group, British American Tobacco and Astro. In a separate Bursa filing, CTOS Digital also announced the appointment of Datuk Iswaraan Suppiah, 62, as an independent non-executive director. Iswaraan brings extensive experience in banking, technology and digital transformation. He previously served as group chief operations officer of AmBank Group, where he spearheaded initiatives involving digital transformation, artificial intelligence adoption and operational automation. Prior to that, he held several senior technology and operations roles at CIMB Group. The appointments are expected to strengthen CTOS Digital’s board as the group continues to expand its digital credit reporting and data analytics capabilities while advancing its long-term growth strategy. Shares of CTOS Digital closed 0.75% lower at 66.5 sen, giving the company a market capitalisation of RM1.52 billion. The stock has declined 17.39% year-to-date.

For Penny Choo, Co-Founder of BloomThis, gifting is not defined by products or transactions, but by the emotion behind the gesture. It is a way of turning intention into something tangible making it easier for people to express care in life’s most meaningful and everyday moments. When BloomThis was founded in 2015, the idea was shaped by a simple but powerful gap in the market. While floristry had long been established through Giden’s family business in Penang, the way flowers were sold had not kept pace with how people actually lived. “The vision was about removing the friction between wanting to show someone you care, and actually doing it,” Choo explains. “We wanted to make thoughtful gifting easy, reliable, and genuinely beautiful.” What began as an online flower delivery service has since evolved into a broader gifting lifestyle brand used for birthdays, anniversaries, grief, apologies, celebrations, and quiet moments of thoughtfulness. “When I look at what BloomThis represents today, it’s about the feeling you create when you send something to someone,” she says. “That emotional connection has always been at the heart of it—we’ve just found more and more ways to honour it.”   Evolving from Floristry to a Gifting Brand BloomThis was never positioned as a traditional florist. From the outset, it was built around how people express emotion in a modern, digital-first world. BloomThis, Co-Founder – Penny Choo. Choo describes its evolution as a natural expansion of purpose rather than a change in direction. Customers were not simply buying flowers—they were marking moments, expressing feelings, and communicating what words sometimes could not. Today, BloomThis sits within a broader gifting lifestyle space, shaped by the belief that the value lies not only in what is sent, but in what it represents.   Long-Term Vision & Regional Growth Looking ahead, Choo’s ambition extends beyond Malaysia. “For the next five to ten years, I want BloomThis to be the name people reach for across Southeast Asia when they want to express something meaningful—not just in Malaysia,” she says. With strong roots already established locally, the next phase of growth is focused on both expansion and depth—building presence in new markets while strengthening the company’s product range and infrastructure. Singapore has already been an important step in that journey, with broader regional opportunities ahead as the gifting economy across Southeast Asia continues to develop. At the same time, Choo sees technology playing a critical role in shaping the next chapter of the business. “We’ve already built proprietary AI for logistics and route optimisation,” she explains. “The next frontier is using data to help customers gift better, not just faster.” For her, innovation is meaningful only when it improves how personal and relevant the experience feels for customers.   Leadership Journey Like many founders, Choo’s approach to leadership has evolved significantly since the early days of building BloomThis. In the beginning, she was deeply involved in almost every decision, driven by the realities of starting from scratch. “I thought being a leader meant having all the answers and being in the room for every decision,” she says. “But at some point you realise that your job is no longer to do the work. It’s to create the conditions for your team to do their best work.” A key shift was learning to trust people more deeply—not just delegating tasks, but allowing teams the space to operate independently. Today, she is also intentional about how she manages her time and energy, particularly in protecting her mornings for clarity and focused thinking. “Not everything that feels urgent actually is,” she says. “Learning to tell the difference has probably been the most valuable leadership skill I’ve developed.”   Staying Relevant in a Competitive Market In a category built around emotion and timing, staying relevant requires consistency and attentiveness. For Choo, the starting point is always the customer. “The data tells you what happened; the customer tells you why,” she explains. While analytics help track behaviour, she believes true insight comes from listening more closely to customer feedback—understanding both why people choose BloomThis and why they do not. Consistency is equally important. “Relevance isn’t about doing something new every single week. It’s about showing up reliably, in a way that feels true to who you are.” She also emphasises the importance of curiosity—staying open to ideas from outside the industry and continuously learning from different perspectives.   Advice for Women Entrepreneurs Choo is clear and direct when speaking to women building businesses. “Don’t apologise for your ambition,” she says. “Women are often socialised to soften their drive, but ambition is not a character flaw. Own it.” Her second message is about timing and readiness. “I was not ready when we started BloomThis. I figured it out alongside building it. If you wait for perfect conditions or perfect confidence, you’ll wait forever.” Finally, she highlights the importance of building a strong and intentional support system—people who challenge, support, and provide honest feedback. “The people around you shape the kind of leader you become.”   Life Beyond Founder Mode Outside of work, Choo prioritises structure, grounding, and quiet. Her mornings often begin with movement—either Pilates or functional training—followed by a simple breakfast and what she describes as a calming routine that helps set the tone for the day. The rest of her day off is intentionally slow and screen-free, centred around reading, time with family, and moments of stillness. “Quiet is sacred to me,” she shares. “It’s where I come back to myself.”   Building Something That Lasts For Choo, success is not measured only by expansion or commercial performance, but by trust. As BloomThis grows across Southeast Asia, her focus remains on building a brand that people rely on during meaningful moments in their lives. “If there is a legacy I want to leave behind, it is a company that people trust to show up on the important days—the birthdays, the grief, the celebrations, the quiet ‘I was thinking of you’ moments,” she says. At its core,

EWI Capital Bhd (formerly known as Eco World International Bhd) has appointed Tee Kim Xiong as its new deputy chief executive officer. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, the group said Tee, aged 37, brings extensive experience in corporate and investment banking, having spent the majority of his career with CIMB Bank, where he served for nearly 15 years. EWI Capital Bhd deputy chief executive officer Tee Kim Xiong. The company added that prior to joining EWI, Tee briefly held the position of chief executive officer at a private real estate asset management company. The appointment comes as EWI continues to reposition its business following changes in its operating structure and project pipeline. In a separate filing, EWI reported a net loss of RM30.86 million for the second quarter ended April 30, 2026 (2Q26), compared with a net profit of RM2.28 million in the same period a year earlier. The group did not record any revenue for the quarter. EWI explained that its projects in Australia had been fully sold and handed over to purchasers in financial year 2025, resulting in the absence of revenue during the current reporting period. The group also said it completed its subscription into TrustCapital Australian Office Fund No. 3 during 2Q26. It expects future income to be generated following the completion of the acquisition of a commercial asset in Melbourne in May 2026. Despite the current loss-making position, EWI said its transition towards investment-linked income streams is expected to support longer-term earnings visibility as it shifts away from its previous development-heavy model.