It said these new recruits have come in to reinvent and transform MDEC to better serve the people with “increased transparency, accountability, and integrity.”

“MDEC recognises and has taken action to bring in industry-focused talents and technocrats to help Malaysia make the digital leap into the 4IR towards the vision of Malaysia 5.0 to benefit the many,” MDEC chairman Rais Hussin said in a statement today.

This follows recent claims that 16 top executives had resigned en bloc from the agency but this has since been denied by Rais.

Yesterday, he told FMT while some had resigned, it was not en bloc and that those who resigned had done so on different dates and for various reasons.

In the statement today, MDEC also listed the names and titles of eight senior executives who have left or are due to leave the agency.

Three of them, including former chief operating officer Ng Wan Peng, left at the end of December. Two more left in October, while the remaining three resignations are effective this year – two this month and one in February.

Meanwhile, MDEC chief executive officer Surina Shukri said they are confident that its new leadership team will realise its vision of a people-first society in the age of the 4th Industrial Revolution.

She said MDEC is clear on its objective to grow the digital economy and navigate unprecedented disruption and opportunities in the new norm.

“We will not be distracted from our mission and I strongly reaffirm the executive leadership’s close and collaborative working relationship with our chairman and the board of directors to holistically reinvent MDEC for the future,” Surina said.

“As we institutionalise the recommendations from the holistic governance review and recalibrate our capability and capacity to deliver on our ‘Reinvent’ mission, MDEC has naturally seen movement at all levels, this is expected and warranted.”

MDEC said recent hires include executives from the private sector such as IBM, Microsoft, Celcom, Touch ‘n Go, Astro, Edelman, technology start-ups, Pemandu Associates, and Media Prima among others.