KUALA LUMPUR (March 1): Tan Sri Vincent Tan has stepped down as non-independent and non-executive chairman while his son Datuk Seri Robin Tan has resigned as non-independent and non-executive deputy chairman of Berjaya Corp Bhd (BCorp) in the latest boardroom shuffle at the conglomerate, which has led to the formation of an all-women board of directors for the group.

Vincent, who is BCorp's founder and major shareholder, will serve as adviser of the group, while Robin resigned "due to other work commitments and responsibilities", according to filings on Bursa Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Chryseis Tan — daughter of Vincent Tan — was redesignated as the group's executive director. Prior to that, Chryseis was the group’s non-executive director.

The changes take effect immediately on Wednesday (March 1).  

In a separate filing, BCorp said several members who sat on the board have resigned from their posts, including the group’s joint chief executive officer Syed Ali Shahul Hameed, who also said he was resigning “due to other work commitments and responsibilities”.  

To replace Syed Ali, BCorp has appointed Nerine Tan Sheik Ping as the group’s joint CEO. Prior to that, Sheik Ping was BCorp’s executive director.

BCorp also named Tunku Tun Aminah Sultan Ibrahim Ismail as the group’s non-independent and non-executive chairman, succeeding Vincent Tan. Her Highness Tunku Tun Aminah, the daughter of Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, was a non-executive director in the company previously.

Additionally, BCorp also saw Norlela Baharudin redesignated as its executive director, from an independent director previously,

Meanwhile, another two board members, namely Tan Peng Lam and Datuk Robert Yong Kuen Loke, have resigned from their position as independent and non-executive director.

Both also said they resigned "due to other work commitments and responsibilities".

Commenting on the new board line-up, Vincent said the latest changes in the BCorp boardroom reflect the group’s commitment to promote women's empowerment in the workplace.

“I have every confidence in the leadership abilities of all the women on the board to effectively lead the group to greater heights,” he said in a separate statement.  

“In my adviser role, I will still be very much involved with the group and its business activities, but now I shall be able to devote more of my time to promote my charitable foundation, Yayasan MyFirst Home, which is almost one year old now.

"I am particularly passionate about finding solutions to assist the B40 group to be able to buy and own an affordable home, which is the reason I founded Yayasan MyFirst Home with a personal donation of RM5 million to fund its initial start-up and operating costs. I truly believe Yayasan MyFirst Home will be able to make a difference in its endeavours to help the B40 group to own their own homes.

"I strongly urge all Malaysians, especially the rich and powerful among us, to help the lower income B40s to buy their own affordable homes so that when they eventually retire and are no longer gainfully employed, they will have a roof over their head,” he added.

BCorp's share price closed up 0.5 sen or 1.61% to 31.5 sen, giving the group a market capitalisation of RM1.88 billion.