FWD Takaful Berhad (“FWD Takaful”) has appointed Adil Ahmad as its new Chairman effective 16 January 2021. Adil succeeds James Loh who has been serving as chair of the board since November 2019. James will remain as an independent non-executive director.

The Hon. Ronald Arculli, GBM, CVO, GBS, OBE, JP, Chairman of the Board of FWD Group, said, "First and foremost, I’d like to thank our outgoing FWD Takaful Chairman, James, for his leadership and support, and I’m pleased that he’ll continue to provide us with his wisdom and insight in his new role. I also look forward to welcoming and working with Adil to build an even stronger foundation for the future of FWD Takaful, leveraging on his vast experience and accomplishments.”

Adil Ahmad, FWD Takaful’s Chairman,said, "I’m honoured to be appointed as the Chairman of the Board for FWD Takaful. I strongly believe FWD Takaful has its strategic initiatives in place and will continue to innovate offerings for Malaysia’s Takaful industry.  I’ll be working closely with the Board and our management team to grow FWD Takaful through to the next phase of its journey.” 

Salim Majid Zain, FWD Takaful’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) added, "We’re delighted to welcome Adil as our new Chairman. We’re confident that his valuable perspectives and expertise will greatly complement our efforts in changing the way people feel about Takaful. We look forward to his contributions and benefiting from his extensive global experience and financial services industry knowledge.”

Adil holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (Finance & Accounting) and a BA in Economics, both from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. He has more than three decades of experience in the senior international financial sector. His financial career began at ANZ Grindlays Bank Pakistan, where he held several positions including Director and Head of Global Islamic Finance of ANZ Investment Bank in London, and Executive, Group Strategy of ANZ Banking Group Ltd in Melbourne. He then assumed the position of CEO of ANZ Banking Group Ltd Vietnam and led it to become one of the country’s leading retail and foreign banks. 

His final executive role was as the CEO of Kuwait International Bank, Kuwait, where he led a very successful two-dimensional conversion of the bank from conventional to Islamic, and from a limited licence real estate bank to a full commercial bank.

Adil is currently an Independent Director at HSBC Amanah Bank Berhad and FIDE Forum. Since retiring to Malaysia, he has been providing consultancy and financial training to institutions in ASEAN and the Middle East.