Celcom Axiata Berhad appoints Mohamad Idham Nawawi as it’s new chief executive officer effective September 1, 2018. He takes over the role from Michael Kuehner whose tenure as CEO ends August 31, 2018. The succession plan is part of the original plan two years ago to appoint an internal talent for the next phase of transformation.
As an internal talent with excellent management and operational experience within the group, as well as a member of the Celcom board, Idham is already well versed in Celcom’s strategic direction, operations and challenges. The board is confident Idham will be able to move quickly and efficiently to execute on the next phase of transformation.
An established telecommunications professional with over 25 years of business and operations experience within the telecoms industry in Malaysia and the region, Idham has held many senior management and directorship positions with several international and local organisations including multiple startups. With the group since 2012, Idham is currently the Group Chief Corporate Officer responsible for regulatory management, corporate communications, sustainability, corporate affairs and government relations for the group. He also manages the group CEO’s office as well as the Axiata program and governance office.
An engineer by training and a Chevening scholar, Idham was COO of Packet-One Networkds prior to joining Axiata. Having spent his early career with IBM and Carl Zeis Inc in the US, Idham also took on the role of Head of Strategy for Axis Telekom Indonesia and served at Maxis Communications Berhad.
Chairman of Celcom and President & Group CEO of Axiata, Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim comments, “We are pleased to welcome Idham as Celcom CEO. With his vast leadership and notable accomplishments in many roles, I am confident he will lead Celcom to the next level of transformation into a digital world as well as to pursue our profitable growth strategy. His decades of industry experience and familiarity with Celcom, being already a board member, will certainly help him to move quickly in the transition.”
