Ahmad Jauhari is MAS MD

Mohammed Rashdan Mohd Yusof remains as the executive director and reports to Ahmad Jauhari.

Read more: Ahmad Jauhari is MAS MD http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/ajyy/Article/#ixzz1YMax1zO2

Kuala Lumpur: After weeks of speculation, the country's national carrier has picked Ahmad Jauhari Yahya as its new managing director (MD). On August 26, Business Times reported that Ahmad Jauhari, the former Malakoff Bhd MD, was offered the job to lead the embattled national airline. Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) told Bursa Malaysia yesterday that he will start work on Monday, September 19. The company added that Mohammed Rashdan Mohd Yusof remains as the executive director and reports to Ahmad Jauhari. Last month, MAS said it did not expect to make money this year after higher fuel costs kept it in the red for the second straight quarter. It made a net loss of RM526.6 million for the quarter to June 30 2011, up from the first quarter loss of RM242.3 million. It was also in August that MAS and AirAsia unveiled a share-swap deal between their major shareholders in a bid to collaborate as the airline industry in Asean nears free-for-all competition come 2015. Ahmad Jauhari, 56, is an electrical and electronic engineering graduate from University of Nottingham and from 1994 to 2010, he was the chief at Malaysia's independent power producer, Malakoff. Prior to that, he was the MD at Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd in 1993 and MD of Time Engineering Bhd in 1992. Ahmad Jauhari started his career in Esso Malaysia Bhd in 1977 until 1979 and in 1990 was the senior group general manager for production and circulation at the New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Bhd. It is understood that Rashdan was also on the shortlist for the MAS top job. Sources also said that Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, the co-founder of budget carrier AirAsia Bhd, and Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly, chief executive officer of mobile operator Celcom Axiata Bhd, were considered too.