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Nik Rizal Kamil
Axiata Group Berhad, Group Chief Executive Officer
Speaker Bio
Nik Rizal Kamil is the Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Axiata Group Berhad, one of Asia's leading telecommunications and digital infrastructure groups. He is responsible for driving the Group's strategic direction, performance and long-term value creation across multiple high-growth markets in ASEAN and South Asia.
Nik Rizal brings more than three decades of experience spanning telecommunications, digital infrastructure, investments, capital markets, banking and corporate finance. His career uniquely combines leadership experience across a telecommunications group, a major regional financial institution, a national sovereign wealth fund and global multinational organisations.
Nik Rizal's combination of telecommunications leadership, sovereign investment expertise, capital markets experience and board governance credentials enables him to contribute a broad strategic perspective on the opportunities and challenges facing the global mobile and digital connectivity industry.
His experience spans connectivity, infrastructure investment, digital transformation, financial inclusion, sustainability and long-term value creation across emerging and developed markets alike.
In addition to serving as Group CEO and Managing Director of Axiata, Nik Rizal currently sits on the boards of several listed and operating companies across the Group, including CelcomDigi Berhad, PT XLSMART Telecom Sejahtera Tbk, Robi Axiata PLC, EDOTCO Group Sdn Bhd, PT Link Net Tbk and Boost Holdings Sdn Bhd.
Through these appointments, he brings extensive board-level experience across telecommunications, digital infrastructure and digital financial services in diverse regulatory and market environments.
Prior to his appointment as Group Chief Executive Officer, he served as Group Chief Financial Officer of Axiata. The role provided extensive exposure to strategic investment, infrastructure financing, digital transformation, capital markets, regulatory engagement and cross-border business operations, equipping him with a holistic view of the issues shaping the future of the mobile and digital connectivity industry.
Before joining Axiata, Nik Rizal was Group Chief Financial Officer of RHB Banking Group, one of ASEAN's leading financial services groups, where he oversaw financial strategy, capital management, performance management and regulatory engagement across multiple markets.
Earlier, he spent a decade with Khazanah Nasional Berhad, Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund, holding senior investment leadership positions including Executive Director, Investments. He was responsible for investment and portfolio strategies across a broad range of sectors, including telecommunications, media and technology, and worked closely with leading regional companies on growth, transformation and value creation initiatives.
As part of his governance responsibilities, he served on the boards of Telekom Malaysia Berhad, Malaysia's national digital connectivity and fixed broadband provider, and Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad, one of Southeast Asia's leading media and content companies. These appointments provided valuable experience across the broader digital ecosystem, including telecommunications infrastructure, connectivity, digital services and content platforms.
Prior to Khazanah, Nik Rizal spent ten years with the Royal Dutch Shell Group in finance and strategy roles across Malaysia, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
Nik Rizal holds an MSc in Finance from London Business School and a BSc in Economics and Accounting from the University of Bristol. He is a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), and a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA).
