KUALA LUMPUR: Former finance minister II Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani has been appointed as the new Minister of Plantation and Commodities following a Cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday.

The appointment was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim this morning at the Prime Minister's Office.

He served as the minister of finance II in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak from June 2016 until the change in government in May 2018.

Johari has served as chairman of a task force to resolve 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB)-related issues since March 2023. He was also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Titiwangsa from May 2013 to May 2018 and has been the Titiwangsa MP again since November 2022.

Moreover, Johari sits on the Malaysia Economic Council. The council, which is chaired by the Prime Minister, is responsible, among others, for formulating strategies to ensure economic growth for the country through foreign and domestic investments as well as by monitoring and analysing trends in the development of both global and domestic economies.

Johari is a qualified chartered accountant and he is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Johari has been active in the corporate world for more than 25 years and held several senior positions, including group managing director and chairman in several companies, both listed on the Bursa Malaysia and unlisted.

He held positions as managing director of companies involved in the fast food industries, manufacturing and agriculture.

In the 2022 general election, Johari was renominated by BN to contest for the seat. He regained the seat and was reelected as Titiwangsa MP for the second term after defeating his closest opponent Khalid Abdul Samad of Pakatan Harapan by a 4,632-vote majority.

He also defeated Rosni Adam of Perikatan Nasional and Khairuddin Abu Hassan of Pejuang.

-- BERNAMA