KUALA LUMPUR (April 27): Former Proton Holdings Bhd group managing director Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir has been appointed as managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Petronas Dagangan Bhd (PetDag) effective June 1.

He will take over the role after the company's MD and CEO Datuk Mohd Ibrahimnuddin Mohd Yunus steps down on the same day.

In a filing with Bursa Malaysia today, PetDag said Syed Zainal, 55, will also be redesignated from non-executive director to executive director.

Syed Zainal began his career with Petronas Gas Sdn Bhd in 1987 as a project engineer, prior to joining Petronas in 1992 as the senior executive of the group's corporate planning and international business development unit.

He served at Petronas for about three years before leaving to join Hicom Holdings Bhd in 1995. In 1999, Syed Zainal was appointed as Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) senior general manager, and later in 2002 as Perodua Auto Corp Sdn Bhd executive director. He was promoted to Perodua deputy MD in October 2005.

He was appointed as group MD of Proton from 2006 to 2012.

Syed Zainal joined the board of PetDag on July 31, 2017. He is currently vice president of marketing, downstream business at Petronas Nasional Bhd (Petronas). He is also chairman and director of various subsidiaries within Petronas Group.

In a separate filing, PetDag said Mohd Ibrahimnuddin, 54, has resigned, citing "staff mobility within Petronas Group".

According to PetDag's Annual Report 2017, Mohd Ibrahimnuddin was appointed to his current role at the marketing arm of Petronas on Feb 1, 2014. Prior to that, he was CEO of Petronas LNG Sdn Bhd.

PetDag shares ended the morning session 4 sen or 0.15% higher at RM27, with 32,600 shares done, bringing a market capitalisation of RM26.92 billion.