Syed Zainal to join FGVH?

PETALING JAYA: Former head of Proton Holdings Bhd Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir may surface in a top management role in recently-listed Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd (FGVH), industry sources told StarBiz.

Sources said Syed Zainal may be brought into FGVH to play a supportive role to group president and chief executive officer Datuk Sabri Ahmad.


Syed Zainal
Sabri was appointed to FGVH's helm in July 2010 for a contractual period of two years. Sources also said that Sabri's contract was recently renewed.

When contacted by StarBiz, Syed Zainal declined to comment, but did say: “Nothing has been firmed up yet.”

He added: “I am taking a break and spending valuable time with my family and focusing on the fasting month. Nothing is firm for now and I am examining all my options before deciding what to do next. I want to use my knowledge to contribute to the growth of the nation.”

Syed Zainal had been helming Proton for the past six years but had left in May after the national car-maker was taken over by DRB-Hicom Bhd.

In January 2006, Syed Zainal was hand-picked to be the successor of Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Ariff as managing director in Proton.

Touted as a marketing whizz, Syed Zainal was brought in to help Proton arrest a slide in sales as it struggled to compete with local and foreign car-makers.

While Syed Zainal achieved success in the area of sales and helped Proton refresh its line of cars, Proton's financial performance was still a drag, largely due to the capital expenses incurred by its troubled subsidiary Lotus Group plc.

Syed Zainal's achievements in Proton include the development and launch of the Proton Preve on April 16, which had received more than 11,000 bookings just three months after the launch.

He has also been credited as the driving force behind the revamped Proton Saga that was launched in 2008.

Prior to his stint at Proton, Syed Zainal was with second national car company Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) as its deputy managing director.

Industry sources say Syed Zainal can contribute in many aspects to help manage the sprawling business of FGV although he does not have experience in the plantations sector.

“It is not unlike how MRT Co chief executive officer Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid had come from a background as head of plantations to run the country's most ambitious infrastructure project. It's about the ability to deliver,” quipped an insider.

FGVH successfully raised RM10.4bil in its initial public offering (IPO) recently, of which RM4.1bil was allocated for FGVH while the balance went to government-owned Federal Land Development Authority (Felda).

The commercial unit of Felda Global Group, FGVH is a highly-diversified entity focusing on palm oil, sugar, multicrop, logistics and supply chain as well as downstream operations.

With a plantation land-bank sprawling 880,000ha, the Felda Global Group produces about three million tonnes of crude palm oil (CPO) annually, accounting for some 8% of the world's CPO output.

Felda Global Group comprises FGVH and Felda Holdings Bhd, which are the commercial entities of Felda.

FGVH plans to utilise half of its RM4.1bil to expand its upstream business which include opening or buying either greenfield or brownfield plantations in Asean, and then in Africa by early 2013.

It employs 19,000 people and is a source of subsistence for 112,635 settlers and their families, with an estimated population of 1.6 million, and with its sheer size, it is one of the world's top three plantation companies and one of the world's top two refiners.

A graduate from the University of Maryland with a engineering degree, Syed Zainal started his career as a project engineer with Petronas Gas Sdn Bhd in 1987. In 1992, he joined Petroliam Nasional Bhd in as a senior executive for corporate planning and international business development.

He then left to join Hicom Holdings Bhd in 1995, where he assumed various senior positions in the company before joining Perodua in 1999.

this syed boleh pakai punya first class one , hopefully he can achieve more to come la