Director (Independent Non-Executive)

Date of Appointment: 1 May 2022 YBhg. Datuk Amar Jaul Samion is a retired civil servant who was the Sarawak State Secretary from August 2019 to June 2022. Having served more than 42 years as a career civil servant, he held many important positions in various capacities, including as Permanent Secretary of various ministries, and central bodies such as Sarawak Economic Planning Unit, State Financial Secretary’s Office and others. Prior to his retirement, he played a key role in the formulation of PCDS 2030, as Secretary of the Sarawak Economic Action Council (SEAC), cum Chairman, of Technical Working Group of Post COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS). Currently, he is the Chairman of Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak and Advisor in the Sarawak Premier’s Office.

Director (Independent Non-Executive)

Date of Appointment: 1 May 2022 YB Datuk Amar Haji Mohamad Abu Bakar Bin Marzuki is currently serves as the Director of Permodalan ASSAR Sdn Bhd, a position he has held since May 1, 2022. His academic qualifications include a Master of Science in Human Resource Development from Universiti Putra Malaysia, earned in 1999, and a Bachelor of Arts from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, completed in 1987. He also attended Tun Datuk Tuanku Hj Bujang College in Miri, Sarawak. In addition to his formal education, he has participated in advanced training programs, including the Senior Executive Fellows Leadership Programme at University of Harvard and professional certification training in Balanced Scorecard (BSCJ). With a robust career in public service, he began as an Assistant Director of Higher Education at the Sarawak Foundation from 1991 to 1995, before taking on the role of Secretary for the Tunku Abdul Rahman Scholarship at the same foundation until 1999. He then served as the Branch Head for the Sarawak Foundation’s Kuala Lumpur branch during the same period. From 2006 to 2016, he was the Director of the Sarawak Foundation, where he also held key roles as Secretary of the Board of Trustees and Treasurer of the Bakun Charitable Trust Fund. His expertise in state planning was further demonstrated during his tenure as the Director of the State Planning Unit in the Chief Minister’s Department from 2016 to 2018. Following this, he served as Deputy State Secretary for Socio-Economic Transformation at the Department of Premier of Sarawak until July 2022, when he was appointed as the present Sarawak State Secretary.

Director (Independent Non-Executive)

Date of Appointment: 1 May 2022 YBhg. Dato Sri Haji Mohd Naroden Bin Haji Majais has been the Director of Permodalan ASSAR Sdn Bhd since May 1, 2022. He began his higher education at Tanjung Lobang College in Miri and continued at Canberra Technical College in Australia. From 1975 to 1979, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Economics from the University of New England in Australia and later obtained a Master of Business Administration from Ohio University in 1997. His career began as a temporary teacher, followed by roles including Deputy State Election Officer at the State Election Commission of Sarawak, Project Officer, and Senior Project Officer at the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC). He then served as Assistant Director and Head of the Realty Development Division at SEDC until July 1992. In 2004, he became Chairman of Perbadanan Pembangunan Borneo Sarawak Sdn. Bhd. (BDC) and was a Board Member of BERNAS. Since the year 2018, he has been a Board Member of PUSAKA Negeri Sarawak, and has chaired PUSAKA Capital from 2019 onward. He also holds the position of Chairman of SARADEC Management Sdn. Bhd. since 2021 and is involved with various trusts and boards, including the Masjid Mutaqqin Bahagian Samarahan Trust Board and the Gedong Islamic Welfare Trust Board. In addition to his corporate roles, from July 2004 to 2021, he served as a Minister of State, with various portfolios including Assistant Minister of Entrepreneur & SME Development, Assistant Minister of E-Commerce, Assistant Minister of Land Development, and Assistant Minister of Resources Planning. On January 24, 2022, he was appointed as Advisor to the Ministry of International Trade, Industry, and Investment, Sarawak, a position he continues to hold following his reappointment on January 26, 2024. His extensive experience and leadership significantly impact both Permodalan ASSAR and the broader community.

Director (Non-Independent Non-Executive)

Date of appointment: 1 February 2012 YBhg. Datu Haji Soedirman Bin Haji Aini was appointed as a Director of Permodalan ASSAR Sdn Bhd since February 1, 2012. He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, United Kingdom (FCCA) and a member of Malaysian Institute of Accountants. He has attended the Macro Economic Policy and Management Program at Harvard University. He started his career with Petronas in 1982 where he had served in the Economic and Investment Evaluation Department, Corporate Planning Division and in its subsidiary company, ASEAN Bintulu Fertilizer Sdn Bhd. After serving 13 years with Petronas, he resigned in 1995 to join the Sarawak State Government. Prior to his retirement with the State Government in January 2019, he held the position of the General Manager of Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC). His previous employment in the Sarawak Civil Service includes being the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Social Development, Director of State Implementation Monitoring Unit, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industrial Development, Deputy State Financial Secretary and State Accountant-General. Between November 2002 and September 2003, he was seconded to Amanah Saham Sarawak Berhad as its Chief Executive Officer. During his tenure with the Sarawak Government, he served on the Boards of Malaysia LNG Tiga Sdn. Bhd. and Malaysia Investment Development Authority (MIDA). YBhg. Datu Haji Soedirman is currently a director of Permodalan Nasional Berhad and sits on the Board of various Government-Linked Companies and Non-Governmental Organisations.

Director (Independent Non-Executive)

Date of Appointment: 1 May 2020 YBhg. Datu Sr Haji Zaidi bin Haji Mahdi is the General Manager of Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA). Born on January 10, 1965, he has a distinguished educational background, holding a BSc. Hons in Property Valuation and Management from City University London (1988) and an Executive MBA from Universiti Institut Teknologi Mara (2003). He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia. Throughout his career, he has held various key positions in the Land & Survey Department, including Director from January 2017 to September 2019. Prior to his appointment as General Manager of LCDA, he served as Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Natural Resources & Urban Development from September 2019 to April 2023. His contributions to the state have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Darjah Jasa Bakti Sarawak (D.J.B.S) in 2019. Additionally, he serves on multiple boards of directors across various organizations, reflecting his significant role in the management of natural resources and urban planning in Sarawak.

Director (Independent Non-Executive)

Date of Appointment: 1 May 2020 YBhg. Datu Haji Abdullah Bin Julaihi holds a bachelor’s degree with Honours in Syariah Law, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur and a Master’s in policy science, Curtin University of Technology Australia. He also holds an Advanced Diploma in Land Administration from the Western University of Australia. He boasts an impressive career in civil service spanning 29 years in Land and Survey administration. He began his professional career in Land and Survey as an administrative officer in a few divisions namely Limbang, Kuching and Miri respectively. He was then appointed Land and Survey Superintendent of Miri and Kuching in 2003 and 2007. Subsequently, he was appointed Assistant Director in July 2011, and Deputy Director of Land and Survey in September 2017. He sits as a director/ member of multiple companies and corporations and held the position of Director of Land and Survey from 2019 to 2024 before becoming the current Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Urban Development.

Director (Non-Independent Non-Executive)

Date of appointment: 1 February 2019 YBhg. Datu Hasmawati Binti Sapawi, aged 58, female, Malaysian, was appointed as Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of ASSAR PASB on 1 February 2019. She holds Bachelor of Arts (Hons, Economics) Canada, a Master of Business Administration, Australia and a Master of Environmental Management (Development Planning), Malaysia. She started her career as an Economist in the Investment Division at Land Custody & Development Authority in November 1992 and as Senior Manager (Corporate Planning) in Pelita Holdings Sdn Bhd. in January 2002 before joining the State Financial Secretary's Office in January 2006. Presently she is holding the post of Deputy State Financial Secretary. Prior to that, she served as the Director of the Corporate Services & Investment Division at the State Financial Secretary Office (Sarawak) handling corporate finance and investment activities. She sits on the board of several state government-linked companies.

Director (Independent Non-Executive)

Date of Appointment: 1 May 2024 Encik Awang Zamhari Bin Awang Mahmood is the current Director of Land and Survey Sarawak, serving under the Department of Land and Survey Sarawak. He was appointed as a Director of Permodalan ASSAR Sdn Bhd since May 1, 2024. He earned his degree from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in Bangi Selangor between 1990 and 1994. He began his professional career as a Land Administrative Officer in Sibu from 1994 to 1998 and subsequently held various positions within the department, including roles at the headquarters and as Acting Land and Survey Authority in Kuching. He has served in significant capacities, including Land and Survey Authority positions in Limbang and Mukah, and advanced to Senior Administrative Officer (Land) at the headquarters. He was appointed Assistant Director in 2017 and later served as Deputy Director of Management before being appointed as Director on May 2, 2024. Throughout his career, Encik Awang Zamhari has been recognized with multiple awards for his exemplary service, including the Excellent Service Award (APC) on three occasions, the Integrity Officer Award in 2009, and the prestigious Gold Excellent Service Medal (P.P.C) in 2023, highlighting his commitment to excellence and integrity in public service.