KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 27): Malaysia’s corporate community is mourning the loss of Anwar Syahrin Abdul Ajib, former chief executive officer of Malakoff Corporation Berhad and UEM Sunrise Berhad, who passed away in the early hours of Friday. He was 53.
Born in Kuala Lumpur, Anwar Syahrin will be laid to rest at the Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery following funeral prayers at the Saidina Umar Al-Khattab Mosque in Bukit Damansara. He is survived by his wife and four children.
The son of the late Datuk Abdul Ajib Ahmad, Anwar spent part of his early years in Johor when his father served as the state’s chief minister. He received his secondary education at the prestigious Malay College Kuala Kangsar before pursuing engineering studies at Imperial College London.
Upon returning to Malaysia, he began his professional journey in the oil and gas sector with Shell plc, where he worked briefly in transport operations. He later accompanied his wife back to the United Kingdom and qualified as a chartered accountant, marking the beginning of a distinguished career in finance and corporate leadership.
His accounting path started with the former global audit firm Arthur Andersen. In 2006, he was appointed chief financial officer of Port of Tanjung Pelepas, strengthening his credentials in infrastructure and logistics. By 2014, he had assumed the CFO role at MMC Corporation Berhad, a major utilities and infrastructure group.
That same year, he took on the leadership of UEM Sunrise shortly after the merger between UEM Land Holdings and Sunrise Berhad, guiding the enlarged property developer for six years. During his tenure, UEM Sunrise was actively involved in large-scale township developments and commercial property in KL, contributing to the broader real estate ecosystem that includes office space in Bukit Jalil, industrial land in Selangor, and mixed-use developments across key growth corridors.
In December 2020, Anwar Syahrin was appointed CEO of Malakoff Corporation Berhad, one of Malaysia’s leading independent power producers. He stepped down in September 2025 to pursue new opportunities. In a statement, the company expressed its appreciation for his leadership and significant contributions.
His passing marks the loss of a seasoned corporate figure whose experience spanned infrastructure, utilities, and property development — sectors that remain closely linked to Malaysia’s evolving real estate landscape, including demand for industrial property in Subang area, factory in Puchong, and strategically located office assets throughout Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
Malaysia