KUALA LUMPUR (July 31): Sime Darby Bhd has appointed Tan Sri Dr Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Abdullah as its deputy chairman, replacing Tan Sri Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman who has resigned.

In a filing with Bursa Malaysia today, Sime Darby said Wan Abdul Aziz, 63, has been redesignated from his role as non-independent and non-executive director in the group, a position he has held since December 2012, to deputy chairman.

Wan Abdul Aziz was formerly the assistant director of the Economic Planning Unit in the Prime Minister’s Department. He is also the current chairman of Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd and Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Bhd.

Meanwhile, Hamad Kama Piah, 64, has also relinquished his position as chairman of Sime Darby's property arm, Sime Darby Property Bhd.

Hamad Kama Piah has been the deputy chairman of the group since November 2010, and is currently the president and group chief executive officer of Permodalan Nasional Bhd, a major shareholder of Sime Darby with a 47.53% stake.

Sime Darby (fundamental: 0.8; valuation: 1.4) shares closed up 1.4% today to RM8.72, bringing a market capitalisation of RM53.79 billion.

(Note: The Edge Research's fundamental score reflects a company’s profitability and balance sheet strength, calculated based on historical numbers. The valuation score determines if a stock is attractively valued or not, also based on historical numbers. A score of 3 suggests strong fundamentals and attractive valuations.)