Board of Directors

Datuk Nursiah Arshad
Chairman

Datuk Nursiah Arshad was appointed as the Chairman and the Board member of Prokhas on 21 December 2023. She previously sat on the Board of Majlis Amanah Rakyat, Amanah Raya Berhad, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor, Perbadanan Kemajuan Pertanian Negeri Perak, Perbadanan Kemajuan Pertanian Negeri Selangor, Lembaga Kemajuan Kelantan Selatan, Anak Syarikat Lembaga Kemajuan Wilayah Kedah and Anak Syarikat Lembaga Kemajuan Johor Tenggara.

She started her career in 1981 as the Assistant Director with the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). She was transferred to the Ministry of Finance in 1992 holding the Principal Assistant Secretary position and later in 2003, she was promoted as the Deputy Undersecretary of the Economic Division. She further expanded her career as the Alternate Executive Director at the World Bank, USA from 2004 until 2007. Upon her return, she was assigned back to EPU as the Director with the Services Industry Section before her appointment as the Deputy Secretary General (Policy) under the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development in 2008. Thereafter, she assumed the position of the Director General of Legal Affairs Division under the PMO until her retirement in 2015.

Datuk Nursiah holds a Master’s Degree in Economy from University of Wisconsin, USA, a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from Universiti Putra Malaysia and a Diploma in Islamic Studies from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. She also holds a Diploma in Public Administration from the National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN).

Ariff Riza Abdullah
Director

Ariff Riza Abdullah was appointed as a Board Member of Prokhas Sdn Bhd on 11 April 2023. With over two decades of experience spanning corporate and investment banking, strategic advisory, and policy development, Ariff brings a wealth of expertise to the board.

Previously, Ariff was a Director, Investments at Khazanah Nasional Berhad. Prior to that, Ariff spent 18 years in corporate and investment banking, including nearly a decade as Director, Head of Public Sector at Citibank Berhad Malaysia, managing key relationships with Malaysian government-linked companies (GLCs).

Ariff began his career at CIMB Investment Bank in Equity Capital Markets before moving to AmResearch as a Research Analyst covering the transportation sector. He later held roles at Maybank Investment Bank and BNP Paribas Malaysia, where he served as Vice President in the Corporate and Investment Banking Division.

He holds a Master’s Degree in Financial Decision Analysis from the University of Portsmouth and a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of Central Lancashire. He has also completed the Global Banking Leaders Programme at the Bayes Business School, University of London. Ariff is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (ACMA) and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA).

Norlela Baharudin
Director

Norlela Baharudin was appointed as the Board member of Prokhas on 22 May 2023. She currently serves on the Board of Berjaya Corporation Berhad as an Executive Director. She has also served on Perkeso Malaysia Investment Panel as an Independent Director.

Equipped with her expertise in the areas of strategic transformation, investment, financial reporting and business continuity, Norlela brings with her over 30 years of working experience in various industries locally and abroad holding senior leadership positions such as Finance Director, Managing Director, Executive Director and Senior Management Team member. Among the companies she served were WPP Business Services Sdn Bhd, BASF Asia Pacific, Shell Shared Service and Shell Regional Asia Pacific, Australian Government Analytical Laboratory, Bureau Veritas, Avis Car Rental and Leasing Sdn Bhd and The Bank of Nova Scotia.

Norlela is a Chartered Accountant and a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA), a member of Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia (ICDM) and a Fellow of the Certified Practicing Accountant of Australia (FCPA Aus). She holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Commerce in Accounting (Hons) from York University, Canada and Teaching of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate from ELS Institute, Kuala Lumpur.

She is a volunteer of the Yayasan My First Home and the 30% Club Malaysian Chapter.

Mohd Fariszan Ahmad
Director

Mohd Fariszan Ahmad was appointed as the Board member of Prokhas on 31 August 2023. He is currently the Deputy Undersecretary of the Strategic and Generic Sector under the Government Investment Companies Division (GIC), Ministry of Finance (MOF). Presently, he sits on the Board of DanaInfra Nasional Berhad, Medini Leisure and Entertainment Sdn Bhd, Twin Eagles Ventures Sdn Bhd and Suria Strategic Energy Resources Sdn Bhd.

He started his career with the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development as the Assistant Secretary in October 2000. He further continued his service in the public sector with the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board Sabah in 2002 before commencing his career at the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs in 2004. During his tenure at the Ministry of Domestic Trade he holds various positions such as Senior Assistant Secretary and Principal Assistant Secretary until 2009. He ventures into private sector with Malaysia Airlines System (MAS) under the Cross Fertilization Program where he was attached to the Risk and Policy Advisory Division for a year until September 2010. He returned to the same Ministry and continued serving for another five years and his final position was the Deputy Director. Thereafter he was assigned as the Head of Indirect Taxes Section with the MOF until 2017.

He begins a new chapter with the Ministry of Rural Development as the Deputy Undersecretary with the Strategic Planning Division before being assigned to a new position as the Undersecretary of the Corporate and Skills Development Division from February 2021 until June 2023.

Mohd Fariszan holds a Diploma in Business Studies from Universiti Teknologi MARA, a Bachelor’s Degree with Honors and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. He also holds a Diploma in Public Administration from the National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN) and has attended Advanced Leadership Development Programme (INTAN – Harvard). He is also active in non-governmental organisations and is currently the Yang Dipertua Alumni SMK Gunung Rapat, Ipoh, Perak (ASGURA) and the Advisor of the Pertubuhan Amal Ehsan Malaysia.

Nor Yati Ahmad
Director

Nor Yati Ahmad was appointed as the Board Member of Prokhas on 27 November 2023.

She is the Accountant General of Malaysia, effective on 18 September 2023. Prior to that, she was the Deputy Accountant General (Corporate) and has served in various departments in state and federal level in the last 28 years of service.

Nor Yati is a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) and a Certified Practicing Accountant of CPA Australia. She is a board member of International Public Sector Accounting Standard Board (IPSASB). She is also a member of Malaysian Accounting Standard Board (MASB). She is the Chairman of Government Accounting Standard Advisory Committee and the Chairman of Islamic Accounting Standards Advisory Committee and also a board of director in several Statutory Bodies and Malaysia’s Government Link Company.

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Universiti Putra Malaysia and a Master’s Degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Adelaide, Australia.

Datuk Siti Zainab Omar
Director

Datuk Siti Zainab Omar was appointed as a Board member of Prokhas on 12 January 2024. She served as the Solicitor General II of Malaysia prior to her retirement in May 2023.

During her tenure of thirty-six (36) years in public service she served on the Boards of several governmental statutory bodies and companies such as KWAP (Pensions Trust Fund Incorporated), Malaysia Rail Link (MRL) Sdn. Bhd., Indah Water Konsortium, Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad, Sepang International Circuit Sdn. Bhd., Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Melaka, Yayasan Melaka, Syarikat Air Melaka and several other organisations. Notably, she served as the Chairman of the Labuan Financial Services Authority for two (2) years. She was also appointed as one of the committee members in the Law Harmonization Committee in Islamic Finance established by the Central Bank of Malaysia.

In public service, she started her career in the Judicial and Legal Service of Malaysia in 1987 as a Deputy Public Prosecutor in the Prosecution Division of the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC). Since then, she held various positions in the AGC such as Federal Counsel and Head of Unit of Advisory Division, Deputy Head of Advisory Division, Director of Inspectorate and Supervisory and Head of Advisory Division of the AGC.

She has also served as the State Legal Advisor of Malacca, Treasury Solicitor and Deputy Treasury Solicitor in the Ministry of Finance and legal adviser in the Ministry of Energy, Telecommunications and Posts and the Ministry of Works. She was also the Deputy Director (Legal) in Putrajaya Corporation.

In these capacities, Datuk Siti Zainab has also gained wide experience not only in domestic laws but also in international matters, having chaired, led or participated in many international forums, negotiations, and disputes involving the Federal Government.

Datuk Siti Zainab holds a Bachelor of Law (LLB Hons) from the University of Essex, United Kingdom and was admitted to the Bar of England & Wales (Grays’s Inn) in 1986. In 1998 she was admitted to the Malaysian Bar as an Advocate & Solicitor.