Axiata Group named Ghazzali Sheikh Abdul Khalid (pictured), who was appointed interim chairman in August, as chairman of the Malaysia-based company effective today (2 November).

Khalid, who was appointed to the company’s board in 2008, will be replaced by David Lau Nai Pek as the independent non-executive director. Pek is chairman of the board’s audit committee and risk management committee.

The new chairman is a retired Malaysian diplomat with almost 40 years in the diplomatic services. He succeeds long-serving chairman Azman Mokhtar, who resigned in early August.

Khalid said in a statement: “I welcome the opportunity to further contribute to Axiata’s exciting future as the group takes on new challenges in the region, particularly in leading the digital transformation of economies and in strengthening our resilience and competitive edge as long-term and committed investors in our markets.”

Axiata Group has operations in 11 countries in Asia.