SD Guthrie Berhad has redesignated Encik Mohd Haris Mohd Arshad from Group Managing Director to President and Group Chief Executive Officer, effective May 16, 2026.
The company said the redesignation forms part of its leadership structure update, with Haris continuing to serve as an executive director of the group.
Haris, 53, joined the group in 2014 and has played a key role in expanding its downstream operations into a major earnings contributor. He served as Managing Director of Sime Darby Oils, now known as SD Guthrie International, from March 2019 until August 2024 before being promoted to Group Chief Operating Officer. In September 2025, he was elevated to Deputy Group Managing Director.
More recently, Haris broadened his responsibilities to oversee the upstream segment of the palm oil business, leading transformation initiatives across the group’s operations in Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
Beyond the group, Haris holds several leadership roles within Malaysia’s palm oil industry ecosystem. He currently serves as chairman of the Palm Oil Refiners Association of Malaysia and the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil Board, while also sitting on the Board of Trustees of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council.
Prior to joining SD Guthrie, Haris held senior positions at multinational companies including Cargill, Nestlé and Unilever, where he specialised in procurement, commodity trading and price risk strategy across Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Haris graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2019.
According to the filing, Haris has no family relationship with any director or major shareholder of the company, no conflicts of interest and no direct interest in the securities of SD Guthrie or its subsidiaries.
