CEO of Malaysian oil company Petronas to resign after five years

Petronas CEO Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin. (Reuters)
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Updated 07 June 2020
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CEO of Malaysian oil company Petronas to resign after five years

  • Wan Zulkiflee championed an ambitious $27 billion oil refinery and petrochemical project with partner Saudi Aramco

KUALA LUMPUR: The CEO of Malaysian state energy firm Petroliam Nasional Bhd, or Petronas, will soon step down after five years at the helm, state media reported on Saturday.

Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin will resign as president and chief executive officer, and will be succeeded by an internal candidate, state news agency Bernama said, citing unidentified sources.

The reported resignation comes at a challenging time for Petronas as low oil prices, weak demand and the coronavirus pandemic lower profits. It also follows a string of changes at state agencies since a new government led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin came into power in March.

The CEO position at Petronas, fully owned by the Malaysian government, is a prime ministerial appointment. Wan Zulkiflee’s term as CEO was renewed in 2018 for three years.

Petronas declined to comment on “market rumor or speculation.”

The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wan Zul, as he is known, is a Petronas veteran, joining the company in 1983 as a process engineer and working his way up through the ranks. He took over as CEO in 2015 and led the company through a period of tumultuous oil prices.

Benchmark Brent crude plunged to near 12-year lows soon after he took over, forcing Petronas to cut $12 billion from costs and thousands of jobs for the first time.


Closing Bell: Saudi main index rises to close at 11,251 

Updated 12 February 2026
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Closing Bell: Saudi main index rises to close at 11,251 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index rose on Thursday, gaining 84.27 points, or 0.75 percent, to close at 11,251.81. 

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR5.38 billion ($1.43 billion), as 188 of the stocks advanced and 67 retreated.    

Similarly, the Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu gained 157.22 points, or 0.67 percent, to close at 23,643.74. This comes as 44 of the stocks advanced while 32 retreated.    

The MSCI Tadawul Index gained 10.88 points, or 0.72 percent, to close at 1,517.43.     

The best-performing stock of the day was Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co., whose share price surged 9.96 percent to SR5.30.   

Other top performers included Ataa Educational Co., whose share price rose 9.94 percent to SR57.50, as well as Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Co., whose share price surged 5.74 percent to SR7.55. 

Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Co. recorded the most significant drop, falling 5.93 percent to SR220.50. 

Abdullah Saad Mohammed Abo Moati for Bookstores Co. also saw its stock prices fall 2.77 percent to SR43.56. 

Zahrat Al Waha for Trading Co. also saw its stock prices decline 2.30 percent to SR2.55. 

On the announcement front, Multi Business Group Co. reported its annual financial results for the year ended Dec. 31. According to a Tadawul statement, the firm recorded a net profit of SR352,172 during the year, down 98 percent from the previous year. 

The company attributed the decline primarily to a 2 percent drop in building contracting revenues and a 73 percent decrease in gross profit.  

Multi Business Group Co. ended the session at SR9.90, down 1 percent. 

Hamad Mohammed Bin Saedan Real Estate Co. announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Awwal Bank to enhance collaboration in financing solutions, advance real estate development projects, and expand access to customer financing programs. 

Hamad Mohammed Bin Saedan Real Estate Co. ended the session at SR6.67, up 1.21 percent.