Cyberview Sdn Bhd (Cyberview) has appointed Kamarul Ariffin Abdul Samad as its new Chief Executive Officer.
A seasoned corporate leader, Kamarul brings with him over 30 years of experience in a variety of fields, in and outside Malaysia. Prior to stepping in as the CEO for Cyberview, Kamarul spent several years with Sime Darby Property Berhad (SDPB) in various key capacities, from business development, strategic planning, and corporate investment to leading business units. In his most recent position prior to this appointment, he was a General Manager of Sime Darby Property Selatan Sdn Bhd, and was previously responsible for the Malaysian Vision Valley project.
Also, while with SDPB, he gained valuable international experience serving as the Chief Strategic Relations Officer in London for the Battersea Power Station Development Company Ltd, representing the Malaysian consortium comprising of Sime Darby Property Berhad, SP Setia Berhad and the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) in the GBP9.2 billion Battersea Power Station development project. In his role, he was responsible in ensuring that the consortium’s investments in one of the largest property regeneration projects in Europe were protected and able to generate the desired returns. At SDPB, he was also appointed as a director in more than 25 companies, including public limited companies, in various countries and jurisdictions, among which are Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Australia and Vietnam.
Notably, in 2012, Kamarul played a pivotal role in successfully securing Private Financing Initiative (PFI) project for Sime Darby Property Selatan Sdn Bhd consisting of four concession agreements for the Pagoh Education Hub with an aggregate development value of more than RM1bil, one of the biggest education PFI project in Malaysia.
Kamarul began his career in 1990 as an operations officer with Public Bank before subsequently joining the Sapura Group of Companies, a tenure which saw him in various roles in finance, business development, international business and strategic development throughout the organisation with stints in Sapura Defence Sdn Bhd, Sapura Technology Berhad and Uniphone Sdn Bhd including a 2-year assignment based in Vietnam for the payphone project in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
He was also part of the UEM Group Berhad team, responsible for group strategy and business development as well as corporate development. During his stint with Zelan Berhad, he was involved in various engineering and construction projects in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Mr. Kamarul’s academic background includes a Bachelor of Science with honours in Accounting and an MBA in Financial Management, both obtained from the University of Hull in the United Kingdom in 1997 and 1998, respectively. He also holds a Diploma in Accountancy from the Universiti Teknologi Mara.
His appointment as the Tech Hub Developer’s new CEO, with his vast experience and exposure in areas such as property, asset management, engineering & construction, ICT, defence, banking, and logistics for the past 30 years, will strengthen Cyberview’s role in helping shape Malaysia’s innovative future, through Cyberjaya – the preferred tech investment location and a Global Technology Hub.
“I look forward to contributing to Cyberview’s future success. I am honoured by the opportunity to share my experience with the team as we work to vigorously operationalise the Cyberjaya masterplan which was launched in 2019. While there has been progress, and we are seeing results from various efforts made to attract both tech FDIs and DDIs, there remains a huge potential to further the development of Cyberjaya. I am also looking forward to connect and work with various stakeholders, industry leaders and government agencies in pushing the Malaysia Madani aspiration through innovation together,” said Kamarul.
In 2019, Cyberview launched a new Cyberjaya masterplan with a focus on three technology clusters – smart mobility, smart healthcare and digital creative. Through the Cyberjaya masterplan, the Global Technology Hub is expected to contribute RM250 billion in gross domestic product, create 87,000 jobs for the Malaysian economy and attract 1,200 companies by 2045.