financialdaily, june 19, 2008...PKA’s new GM takes over from PKFZ’s OC Phang

PETALING JAYA: Port Klang Authority’s (PKA) new general manager Lim Thean Shiang has been made the executive chairman and chief executive officer of Port Klang Free Zone Sdn Bhd (PKFZ) with effect from June 11, taking over from Datin OC Phang.

PKA chairman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng said the decision was made at the PKA board meeting last Wednesday. The controversy-embroiled PKFZ is the 100% owned subsidiary of PKA. Meanwhile, Phang remains a director of PKFZ.

“He (Lim) will be spending more time in marketing PKFZ and will have to report to the PKA at the monthly board meeting,” said Lee, adding that PKA directors did not know much of the on-goings in PKFZ.

He said Lim would have time to focus on PKFZ as PKA’s port operations were privatised to both Westport and Northport. Lee said Lim would be given the authority to make decisions unlike in the past whereby decisions such as tenancy needed to be referred to the PKFZ board.

“We want to run PKFZ as a private concern,” Lee told The Edge Financial Daily when contacted yesterday. PKFZ held its board meeting last Monday.

He also said Transport Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat had been informed of Lim’s appointment and had consented to the decision made by the PKA board.

Lee said there had been attempts to engage a managing director for PKFZ without any success. He added that with Lim’s appointment, there was no longer a need to find a managing director.