In a press statement today, BLand said Voo will serve as an independent non-executive director of both subsidiaries, effective Dec 1 this year.
The redesignation is part of a strategic transition that underscores the group’s commitment to optimise his extensive experience and expertise, the statement read.
Voo, the group explained, will provide guidance to enhance the governance and structure of the aviation businesses for both the subsidiaries, whose collective mission is to deliver secure, compliant and sustainable travel experiences.
Voo had served as the CEO of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) from June 2020 to December 2022. He was also appointed as CAAM’s board member on June 10.
Berjaya Air and Asia Jet are both subsidiaries of Berjaya Corporation Bhd, the parent company of BLand.
Past controversial appointment
On June 10, Voo’s appointment as a board member of CAAM had raised controversy due to allegations of conflict of interest.
At that time, Voo had already been appointed as the CEO of group aviation in BLand since Feb 2.
His appointment to the regulatory body had raised concerns due to Berjaya Group’s participation in the aviation industry and its now-abandoned proposal to build a new international airport on Pulau Tioman.
The proposal involved the development of an area encompassing 186.36ha, with about 76% of the area to be reclaimed from the sea.
The project’s tentative developer was Tioman Infra Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tioman Hill Resort Sdn Bhd, which in turn is 50%-owned by Berjaya Corporation.
The government announced the termination of the proposal on Aug 9.
Former MP Wee Choo Keong said Voo’s appointment to CAAM was a conflict of interest and violated the CAAM Act which states that “no person shall be a member of the authority if he currently holds office or employment in or relating to aviation”.
On June 26, it was reported that CAAM was looking into the allegations of conflict of interest in Voo’s appointment as its board member. However, there have been no updates on the matter till now.
At market close today, BLand’s share price was down by 0.5 sen (1.82%) at 27 sen, giving it a market capitalisation of RM1.35 billion.