KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 17): Having high-profile predecessors at CIMB Group Holdings Bhd — one now the country’s finance minister, another the younger brother of a former prime minister — may have made the job a tad harder for Datuk Abdul Rahman Ahmad.

Taking on the position of group chief executive officer (CEO)/executive director of CIMB in the midst of a weak economy made worse by the relentless Covid-19 pandemic, how will he steer the country’s second largest banking group through this perfect storm?

In his first media interview as CIMB's group CEO, Abdul Rahman, who is new to banking, believes he will bring a fresh perspective to CIMB by “looking at the bank with different lens”.

He is quick to admit that the learning curve is steep, yet he feels privileged to be given the opportunity to head the banking group. 

His key focus over the next four years is to deliver and create value for shareholders. For a financial institution like CIMB, he believes that if there is a metric that determines shareholder value, it would be the return on equity (ROE).

Abdul Rahman also sheds light on CIMB’s refined medium-term plan, now labelled Forward23+. He is a strong believer in having continuity within an organisation.

Part of the plan includes eyeing opportunities amid the crisis, such as in the wealth management segment and technology. 

With so many things at play and clouded by prolonged uncertainty, how will Abdul Rahman lead CIMB through these times?

Read more about it in The Edge Malaysia weekly’s Oct 19 edition.

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