Prasarana Malaysia Berhad (Prasarana) has announced Muhammad Nizam Alias as the new president and chief executive officer of the company effective yesterday.

The announcement was made by Prasarana chairman Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman in a ceremony last night.

Tajuddin said the promotion of Muhammad Nizam, who previously served as the group’s chief operating officer, was also to fill the vacancy following Datuk Mohamed Hazlan Mohamed Hussain’s resignation in January.

"The appointment of Muhammad Nizam was unanimously agreed by the Board of Directors of Prasarana, which met recently. All members of the Board have full confidence in his leadership since his appointment as Group Chief Operating Officer (Operations) two years ago.

"With his in-depth knowledge of the management and operations of the Prasarana group and its subsidiaries, Muhammad Nizam is the most qualified figure to lead the organisation which is highly trusted by the government to bring transformation to the country's public transport system," he said.

He said this during a press the conference held in conjunction with the launching ceremony of the Light Rail Transit 3 (LRT3) U-Girder project and the Prasarana Group chairman's dinner with the media, here.

Tajuddin said Muhammad Nizam had extensive experience in the public transport industry, while also having served with the Renong Group and Pos Malaysia.

"He is also no stranger to Prasarana because he served as the General Manager at the Group CEO's office in 2008 when Prasarana was known as Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad," he said.