KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — Lembaga Tabung Haji has appointed former Securities Commission executive chairman Tan Sri Mohammed Nor Md Yusof as its new chairman.

The Haj pilgrims fund board has also named former BIMB Holdings Bhd CEO Datuk Seri Zukri Samat as its new CEO.

Both appointments take effect today, Mohammed Nor told Bernama today.

“It is a big task but most importantly coming from the Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, I think it is a big honour. The nature of the task is something very noble and for people like me and Zukri we think it is a very honourable task,” he said.

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He said the appointment as chairman of Tabung Haji was effective July 10 but Dr Mahathir wants to personally meet them first, hence it is effective today.

“I think Dr Mahathir was holding the letter and wanted to have the opportunity to meet both me and Zukri. I think he personally wanted to give me the letter himself,” Mohammed Nor said.

To recap, Mohammed Nor was appointed as managing director of Malaysia Airlines System from February 2001 to March 2004.

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He said upon accepting the appointments, both of them will see challenges in handling their respective task but being related to Islam makes the task more meaningful.

Asked on his plans to bring changes to the organisation moving forward, Mohammed Nor said: “Give me some chance, certainly we will have to come up with what we have found out and what we think we can do. There is no such thing as a warm-up period.”

The qualified chartered accountant, 71, succeeds Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, who had served as Tabung Haji Chairman from July 1, 2013 until end-May 2018.

Meanwhile, Zukri, 60, thanked the government for the confidence and trust given to him through the appointment.

“It is a privileged to serve this noble organisation. Insyallah I will do my best to deliver the mandate and hope of the government,” he added.

Zukri assumes the Group MD cum CEO position from Datuk Seri Johan Abdullah, who had completed his two-year contract service at the pilgrims’ fund on June 30.

Zukri is one of Malaysia’s most experienced business leaders in the field of banking and finance. — Bernama