New management makes over Malaysia Inc

A flurry of activity marked the first year of new management at Khazanah, Malaysia's state-owned investment arm. Tough decisions have been made and tougher rules set. But the job is far from complete and success may prove elusive. Chris Leahy reports from Kuala Lumpur

Azman: places the
emphasis on performance

The axe man cometh DATO’ AZMAN HJ MOKHTAR, managing director of Malaysia’s state investment company Khazanah Nasional Berhad, peers from the window of his office in the Petronas Twin Towers at the thick haze that has descended on Kuala Lumpur.

“So much for transparency!” he says with a laugh.

KL might have disappeared beneath the smog from forest fires but Khazanah is basking in the sunlight of a fresh management approach. Once secretive and opaque, the company has transformed its approach to the outside world since Azman was appointed in May 2004, with an emphasis on greater transparency and accountability.

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