KUALA LUMPUR: Capital A Bhd has appointed Surina Shukri as an independent non-executive director on the board and member of the nomination and remuneration committee, effective January 31, 2022.
In a statement today, the low-cost carrier said Surina's appointment underscored Capital A's commitment and strategic focus on increasing the market competitiveness of its new businesses, including airasia Super App and its e-commerce ventures.
She has over two decades of experience working across a diverse range of companies and industries in both the private and public sectors.
Surina was also the former chief executive officer (CEO) of Malaysia Digital Economy Corp (MDEC), leading the government agency for digital economy development.
She was recently named among the World's 50 Most Influential People Revolutionising Governance in the inaugural Agile 50 list by Apolitical & World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Agile Governance.
Surina admired AirAsia for its resilience, entrepreneurial and innovative spirit.
"The last two years have been the most difficult and disrupted years in the history of commercial aviation, yet AirAsia has continued to innovate and transform from an airline into a one-stop digital travel and lifestyle services group.
"With a strong leadership team in place, bolstered by a strong group of new independent directors, I'm excited to help build the company into a global champion.
"This is the most exciting time to join AirAsia as it embarks on its next revolution embracing the digital era," she said.
Capital A CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said the company is delighted to welcome Surina onboard, who brings a wealth of experience and is a recognised and respected thought leader in the areas of digital transformation, innovation, diversity and inclusion.
"She is also a strong advocate of women empowerment, speaking at over 150 high-level engagements to date. It's fantastic to see like-minded industry leaders such as Surina joining Capital A.
"Bringing strategic knowledge and expertise as we expand and charter exponential growth as a globally recognised tech company with a mission to bring greater value to people's lives."
Surina spent the bulk of her professional career in New York City, including 17 years of experience as an investment banker, strategist and leader at JPMorgan Chase & Co, serving as the head of strategy, innovation and business management for middle-market banking, head of strategy for commercial banking, chief staff to the CEO of commercial banking and executive director in Natural Resources Investment Banking.
In 2018, she left JP Morgan Chase to start SheNovation Ventures, a transformation and growth venture studio where she advised financial technology and blockchain start-ups on growth strategy and capital raising and consulted business leaders on culture change and transformation.
Surina graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's prestigious Management & Technology dual degree program with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School and a Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Systems Engineering from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
She is an alumnus of Mara Junior Science College, Taiping, Malaysia and was inducted into her alma mater's Hall of Fame.
She is currently also an independent director and a member of the Board Risk and Compliance Committee of CIMB Investment Bank Bhd.
