Malaysia appoints new digital economy chair

The Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation has appointed a new chairman, Tan Sri Sidek Hassan, it announced today.

He is currently chairman of the state-owned oil company Petronas. He was Chief Secretary to the Government from 2006 to 2012, and Secretary-General of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.

Tan Sri Sidek starts in the new role on 1 May, taking over from Tan Sri Abdul Halim who was in the role for 13 years. Tan Sri Halim led MDEC in developing its digital economy strategy.

Before MDEC, he was chairman of the Employees’ Provident Fund Board, and also a former civil service head. MDEC this month announced new priorities for the years ahead: to help local businesses scale up; attract foreign investments; build talent; and help citizens launch online businesses.

At the same time, it renamed itself to better reflect this new digital economy mandate.