Malaysia has appointed Tan Sri Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as its new Ambassador to the United States, according to an official statement from the Foreign Ministry.
His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, presented the Letter of Credence to Tan Sri Muhammad Shahrul at a formal ceremony held at Istana Negara on Tuesday. The ceremony was also attended by Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin and current Foreign Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin.
With a distinguished career spanning more than 35 years in diplomatic service, Tan Sri Muhammad Shahrul brings a wealth of experience to his new posting in Washington D.C. He served as Secretary-General of the Foreign Ministry from 6 January 2019 until 31 May 2022.
A native of Pahang, Tan Sri Muhammad Shahrul holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Ecology from Universiti Malaya. He also completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School in 2009.
He commenced his career in 1988 as an Administrative and Diplomatic Officer. Over the years, he has held numerous key roles, including Ambassador to Qatar and Austria, and Malaysia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. His previous diplomatic assignments also included postings at Malaysia’s embassies in Vienna, Washington D.C., and Beijing.
Domestically, he has served in several senior capacities, notably as Deputy Secretary-General (Bilateral Affairs), Director-General of the ASEAN-Malaysia National Secretariat during Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2015, and Undersecretary of the Multilateral Political Division.
Tan Sri Muhammad Shahrul’s extensive international and bilateral experience is expected to enhance Malaysia’s diplomatic engagements with the United States, particularly in the areas of economic cooperation, regional security, and multilateral collaboration.
-Bernama
