Bursa Malaysia Berhad today announced the appointment of Dato' Tajuddin Atan as its Chief Executive Officer with effect from 1 April 2011. He will take over from Dato' Yusli Mohamed Yusoff who will be in office until 31 March 2011.
Chairman of Bursa Malaysia, Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Hj. Abdullah said that he looked forward to Dato' Tajuddin taking the Exchange to the next level. "The mandate for the new CEO is to develop Bursa Malaysia into an attractive and competitive exchange in the region, and to make the capital market more vibrant. Dato' Tajuddin is tasked to ensure that Bursa Malaysia remains a destination of choice for issuers and investors," he said.
Dato' Tajuddin brings with him about 24 years experience in the finance and banking industry. He is currently the Managing Director of RHB Bank Berhad and Group Managing Director of RHB Capital Berhad since May 2009 and July 2009 respectively. At RHB, Dato' Tajuddin has been instrumental in elevating the RHB Group's business performance, operational efficiency and development, and implementation of innovative technology in line with its transformation plan. He has also succeeded in positioning RHB Group's business to become a strong, full financial service brand in the region. Under his leadership, the Group also strengthened its presence in foreign markets such as Singapore, Thailand and Brunei and initiated the establishment of its footprint in Indonesia.
Dato' Tajuddin is familiar to the Malaysian capital market and the Exchange business as he currently serves as a Non-Executive Director and Public Interest Director of the Board of Bursa Malaysia since 14 July 2008. He is also the Chairman of the Risk Management Committee, and member of the Audit Committee and Appeals Committee of Bursa Malaysia.
Prior to heading RHB Group, Dato' Tajuddin, was appointed to helm Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Berhad as its President/Group Managing Director in December 2007. At Bank Pembangunan Berhad, Dato' Tajuddin was responsible in formulating and establishing the business direction and strategy while ensuring optimal performance and sustainable growth for the banking group. Dato' Tajuddin also served as the Chief Executive Officer of Bank Simpanan Nasional from October 2004 till 2007 where he was instrumental in restructuring and transforming the company into a sustainable and profitable business entity, consistent with the Government's intention to inculcate an entrepreneurial approach. Dato' Tajuddin commenced his career with Bank Bumiputra Commerce Berhad where his 17-year tenure included a 4-year stint managing the bank's New York branch.
Tun Dzaiddin also thanked Dato' Yusli for his contributions during his tenure which spanned almost eight years since 2004. Dato' Yusli was key in driving the listing of Bursa Malaysia as a public listed company. Several milestones have been charted during his leadership at the Exchange which include the strategic partnership with CME Group for the derivatives business; adoption of FTSE global methodology in benchmark indices; listing of the Exchange's derivatives contracts on CME Globex® electronic trading platform; and the promotion of its capital market to Advanced Emerging Market status from its previous Secondary Emerging Market status.