George Kent (Malaysia) Berhad announce the appointment of Datuk Thomas Leong Yew Hong as its Director, Strategy & Investments. He will be joining George Kent effective 1 August 2024 and will not be a member of the Board of Directors.
As the Director, Strategy & Investments, he will be working closely with Tan Sri Dato' Tan Kay Hock, the Executive Chairman of George Kent, on long term strategies, business development, investments including mergers & acquisitions for the Group. He will also be working on opportunities in complementary businesses in water infrastructure and rail transportation, which hitherto have been unexplored. George Kent to date has established itself as one of the largest System Integrators in rail transportation, having contributed to the expansion of Malaysia's urban rail networks projects, including the Ampang LRT line extension, the MRT2 and the LRT3 (which George Kent had exited from the joint venture in September 2021).
Datuk Thomas's role includes looking at opportunities in renewable energy, high technology, artificial intelligence and data centre solutions, all these collectively will take George Kent into areas which are "businesses of the future", diversifying away from its traditional businesses.
Datuk Thomas, age 52, an alumnus of Harvard Business School, brings with him a wealth of experience to the Group where he recently left a senior management position as Group Chief Strategy Officer of a large listed Malaysian conglomerate. He holds a Bachelor of Computer Science from Australian National University and a Master of Business Administration from University of Sydney. Datuk Thomas was the Executive Vice President of Group Strategy & Business Development of one of the largest financial institutions in Malaysia. With more than 30 years of strategy & management consulting experience in the industrial, automotive and financial services sectors, he has held various leadership roles in corporate strategy, mergers & acquisitions, business management, investor relations, innovation and digital transformation. His regional exposure includes Australia, China, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Tan Sri Dato' Tan Kay Hock said, "We are indeed delighted to have someone with such an accomplished background to join the George Kent family. We are confident that with George Kent's strong brand and more than 80 years of track record in the water infrastructure, metering and rail transportation businesses, Datuk Thomas's experience will make valuable contribution to the Group. We welcome Datuk Thomas to George Kent."