KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — The Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) board has appointed Datuk Mohd Zarif Mohd Hashim as its chief executive effective July 15.

MRT Corp in a statement said Mohd Zarif’s appointment was to replace Abdul Yazid Kassim whose service ended on June 30.

Mohd Zarif, 49, who was before this Sapura Group chief operations officer, said his focus would be on ensuring that the MRT Putrajaya Line (previously known as the MRT Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya Line) would be completed on time and be within the cost.

He said he would also focus on ensuring that the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System project could commence as soon as possible.

MRT Corp’s subsidiary company, Malaysia Rapid Transit System Sdn Bhd, is the developer and owner of the Rapid Transit System’s project infrastructure.

Mohd Zarif has a Master’s degree in business administration from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, both in the United States. — Bernama