Sunway Berhad announced today that its long-serving Independent Non-Executive Co-Chairman, Dato’ Sri Idris Jala, has retired from the board effective June 30, 2026.
According to the group the 67-year-old corporate and transformation veteran retired by rotation pursuant to Clause 106(1) of the Company’s Constitution. He chose not to seek re-election as his tenure on the board was approaching the nine-year limit. His retirement officially took effect at the conclusion of Sunway’s 16th Annual General Meeting.
Idris was appointed to Sunway’s board as Co-Chairman on August 11, 2017. In its filing, the board expressed its deep appreciation to Idris for his invaluable insights and contributions over his near-decade of leadership.
Idris is widely recognised in both the corporate and public sectors as a renowned “transformation guru,” celebrated for turning around struggling entities through his proprietary “Big-Fast Results” methodology.
Before his tenure at Sunway, he spent three years as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), where he was brought on board to successfully engineer a comprehensive financial and operational turnaround during a prolonged fiscal crisis. Prior to that, his corporate foundation was built over 23 years at Shell Group, where he rose through the ranks to hold prominent global positions, including Vice President of Shell Retail International and Vice President of Business Development Consultancy based in the United Kingdom.
In the public sector, Idris served as a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for six years (2009–2015) and headed the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU), where he spearheaded Malaysia’s National Transformation Programme. His socio-economic reform strategies led Bloomberg to name him one of the top 10 most influential policymakers in the world in 2014.
