PNB at 40 – Chairman's Message

Forty years after its establishment, PNB is today the largest fund manager in Malaysia with funds worth RM279 billion.

Out of this, 98 percent of our funds are invested locally to create business and economic opportunities for Malaysians. This includes providing equal opportunities to Bumiputera professionals in the corporate sector. It is heartening to note that 70 percent of the fund is invested in the stock market/public equity. PNB’s investments in Bursa Malaysia are worth RM200 billion, which makes up more than 10% of Bursa Malaysia’s total market capitalisation.

This includes stakes in 10 strategic companies namely Maybank, Sime Darby Plantation, Sime Darby Berhad, Sime Darby Property, SP Setia, UMW Holdings, UMW Oil & Gas, CCM, CCM Duopharma and MNRB. PNB also has stakes in more than 40 core companies such as TM, Axiata, MMC, TNB and BIMB Holdings where PNB owns more than 10% equity or investment worth more than RM1 billion in those companies.

PNB is a large family. At PNB and ASNB level we have more than 1,500 employees. Half of them are young talent, 40 years and below. If we were to include all employees across strategic companies, the fund’s talent pool would exceed 179,000.

Half of this number is in Malaysia and the remaining across the globe. It is important to note that 50,000 of PNB’s talent pool are Malaysians. From a gender diversity perspective, a majority of the fund’s talent are women.

PNB’s strategic companies comply with the requirement of having 30% women on our Boards. In fact, three out of 10 of our strategic companies have ladies as its Chairman. These are Datuk Mohaiyani Shamsuddin for Maybank, YB Dato' Normala Abdul Samad for CCM and Tan Sri Siti Sa'adiah for CCM Duopharma. Datin Paduka Kartini is another example of a leading lady at PNB as one out of the three Deputy Presidents at PNB. Additionally, PNB also have a lady CEO, Puan Nik Fazila of CCM.

In November 2016, Dato’ Abdul Rahman Ahmad and I announced the strategic plan for PNB 2017-2022 called STRIVE-15, with a vision for PNB to become a distinctive world-class investment house. The PNB workforce has worked tirelessly to implement all 15 strategic initiatives under the three pillars to enhance sustainable returns, effective investment management, and drive operational excellence.

Alhamdulillah it has progressed smoothly and has generated much success including the increase in income which enabled PNB to distribute dividend and bonus of 7.25 sen, including a special bonus of 1.00 sen for the first 10,000 units to Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) unit holders in conjunction with our 40th anniversary.

The dividend and bonus distribution for ASB as well as other ASNB unit trusts amounted to a payout of RM14.4 billion for the year 2017 and more than RM172 billion cumulative dividends paid out to unit holders since PNB was established.

As we celebrate PNB’s 40th anniversary, we acknowledge and honour the contribution and sacrifices of our previous leadership, starting with the very first Chairman, YABhg Allahyarham Tun Ismail Ali, who would have been 100 years old if he was still with us today.

Tun Ismail was also the first Malaysian to be appointed as Bank Negara Governor and served as the first Chairman when PNB was set up on 17 March 1978 till 17 October 1996. Allahyarham Tun Ismail stayed on as PNB advisor until he passed away on 6 July 1998. We also appreciate the contributions of our second Chairman, YABhg Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid and all the previous Chief Executive Officers, Tan Sri Desa Pachi, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, Dato' Sri Mohd Hilmey and Tan Sri Hamad Kama Piah, all of whom played integral roles in shaping PNB as a national institution of integrity.

Heartfelt appreciation must also be offered to the Prime Minister Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, who is also the Chairman of Yayasan Pelaburan Bumiputra (YPB), Deputy Prime Minister and members of YPB Board of Trustees for their guidance and support. The fund would also thank the Ministers, Chief Secretary to the Government and all civil servants as well as the Board of Directors, management and staff of PNB, ASNB and PNB Group of companies for their continued support.