KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 26): RHB Banking Group’s managing director/group chief executive officer Datuk Khairussaleh Ramli has tendered his resignation, effective March 25, RHB Bank Bhd told Bursa Malaysia on Wednesday (Jan 26).
Khairussaleh, 54, has held the post since 2015.
The group said it has initiated its transition plan and the selection process is currently ongoing.
“In the interim, Mohd Rashid Mohamad, who is the managing director, group wholesale banking, has been appointed as the officer-in-charge/principal officer of the group.
“The board and management of RHB Banking Group wish to put on record their sincere appreciation to Dato’ Khairussaleh for his invaluable contributions during his tenure with the group and wish him success in his future endeavours,” it said in a filing.
Previously on Jan 21, the group announced that Khairussaleh will be taking his leave of absence with effect from Jan 24.
The announcement was made as Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank), where Khairussaleh used to work, is searching for a successor to its current group president and CEO Datuk Seri Abdul Farid Alias, who will leave on Aug 1.
In a response to a Bloomberg report saying Maybank was hiring Khairussaleh as its new CEO, it said the search for a new group president and CEO was ongoing.
"Any announcement pertaining to this impending appointment will be made at the appropriate time,” it added.
Khairussaleh has spent roughly eight years in RHB Bank. He joined the banking group as the managing director of RHB Bank and deputy group managing director of RHB Banking Group in mid-December 2013.
He subsequently became the group managing director and group chief executive officer of RHB Banking Group in May 2015.
Before joining RHB, he was the president-director of PT Bank Internasional Indonesia Tbk, a unit owned by Maybank.
During his tenure in RHB, he undertook an internal restructuring exercise involving a rights issue to recapitalise the banking group and to transfer the listing status of RHB Capital Bhd to its wholly-owned subsidiary RHB Bank in 2016.
Shares in RHB settled two sen or 0.36% higher to RM5.54 on Wednesday, valuing the group at RM22.95 billion.