KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 23): Aeon Co (M) Bhd’s 64-year-old managing director Shinobu Washizawa is retiring from his position come Dec 31.

In a statement today, the group said Aeon Asia Sdn Bhd's chief strategy officer Shafie Shamsuddin, 49, will be succeeding Washizawa on Jan 1, 2020. On the same date, he will also assume the role of director at Aeon Big (M) Sdn Bhd.

Washizawa has spent 40 years with the AEON Group of Companies, he was appointed as the Non-Independent Non-Executive Vice Chairman of the Company on Apr 22, 2015 before his appointment as MD on Oct 25, 2016.

Aeon Co’s chairman Datuk Iskandar Sarudin said Washizawa had contributed immensely to the growth and success of Aeon Co to be a leading retailer in the country.

Iskandar also expressed his confidence in Shafie, saying the latter’s experience in the retail industry will further contribute to the success of Aeon in Malaysia.

Shafie is also the independent non-executive director of Petronas Dagangan Bhd and a board member of JTC Corporation, a Singaporean State-owned real estate company and statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Prior to joining Aeon, Shafie was the chief executive officer and president of the board of directors of PT Trans Retail Indonesia from 2013 to 2019.

Shafie has also served French retailer Carrefour Group for over 16 years, and was the MD of Carrefour Singapore, Carrefour Malaysia and Carrefour Indonesia between 2005 and 2011, before he was appointed the executive director of Global Talent Management & Organizational Development of Carrefour Group based in Paris, between 2011 and 2012.

Aeon Co's share price gained one sen or 0.7% to settle at RM1.42 today, giving it a market capitalisation of RM1.99 billion.