KUALA LUMPUR: DiGi.Com Bhd yesterday announced that it had appointed its current chief operating officer (COO) Albern Murty as the company’s new chief executive officer (CEO), effective April 1, 2015.

In a statement, DiGi.Com (fundamental: 1.55; valuation 2.1) said Murty will replace outgoing CEO Lars-Åke Norling, who will assume the role as CEO of Total Access Communication Pcl (Dtac), Telenor Group’s business unit in Thailand. Telenor Group is a 49% shareholder of DiGi.Com.

Murty was appointed COO on Jan 1, 2014. He is also known as a “DiGi veteran” who has been with the company since 2002. Prior to taking on the COO mantle, Murty was the company’s chief marketing officer, responsible for driving the company’s overall revenue growth.

Other previous management roles he had held include the head of strategy and new business, and co-chief marketing officer. “Heading DiGi in Malaysia is both an honour and a true privilege for me,” said Murty on his new appointment.

DiGi.Com also noted that Norling has resigned from the company as he is to take up the new role in Telenor’s affiliated Thai company. Norling’s resignation will be effective from April 1, it noted in a filing with Bursa Malaysia.

DiGi.Com’s counter closed RM6.36 yesterday, up 40 sen, giving it a market capitalisation of RM49.45 billion.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on February 13, 2015.