Yayasan PETRONAS today announced a planned leadership change, with its Chief Executive Officer Hajah Shariah Nelly Francis concluding her tenure on 31 Oct 2026, after leading the Foundation for the past six years.
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- Foundation CEO Hajah Shariah Nelly Francis concludes tenure on 31 Oct 2026
- PETRONAS Gas & Maritime Business, General Manager for Strategic Communications Fifinaz Nareeman Faizal to succeed Shariah Nelly as CEO
Yayasan PETRONAS today announced a planned leadership change, with its Chief Executive Officer Hajah Shariah Nelly Francis concluding her tenure on 31 Oct 2026, after leading the Foundation for the past six years.
During her tenure, Shariah Nelly strengthened Yayasan PETRONAS’ role as PETRONAS’ social impact arm, guiding the Foundation through a period of sharper strategic focus, stronger governance and more outcome-driven delivery. She led the development of the Foundation’s Theory of Change framework, which helped align programmes and partnerships around its three core pillars—Education, Community Wellbeing and Development, and Environment—while reinforcing the Foundation’s commitment to creating positive and sustainable outcomes for communities in Malaysia.
Under Shariah Nelly’s leadership, Yayasan PETRONAS reached close to 787,000 community members across Malaysia through programmes that addressed learning needs, community resilience, environmental stewardship and disaster response. Her leadership also helped deepen collaboration with strategic partners, broaden the Foundation’s reach and strengthen its ability to deliver initiatives with clear purpose, accountability and measurable impact.
Fifinaz Nareeman Faizal, General Manager, Strategic Communications, Gas & Maritime Business, PETRONAS, will succeed Shariah Nelly as CEO effective 1 Nov 2026.
Tan Sri Mohd Bakke Salleh, Chairman of Yayasan PETRONAS’ Board of Trustees said “Shariah Nelly’s leadership has been instrumental in strengthening Yayasan PETRONAS’ ability to create meaningful and lasting impact for communities across Malaysia. Her commitment to outcomes-driven initiatives has helped shape the Foundation’s strategic direction and strengthened its efforts to deliver sustainable social impact. We wish her every success in the next chapter of her journey.”
Fifinaz brings more than 25 years of experience across marketing, strategic communications, business development, people strategy and enterprise-level transformation within the PETRONAS Group, bringing a well-rounded perspective to support the Foundation’s strategic priorities and organisational development.
“I have the utmost confidence in Fifinaz’s ability to build on Yayasan PETRONAS’ strong foundations, deepen collaboration with our partners and communities, and steer its efforts towards meaningful, measurable and sustainable social impact across Malaysia,” he said.
In her current role, Fifinaz leads communications, brand and reputation positioning, and stakeholder engagement for a dynamic and globally connected business. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing & International Business from Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business in the United States. She brings with her a leadership perspective grounded in purpose, collaboration, and disciplined delivery of impactful outcomes.
Release ID: 89207952
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