BRITISH American Tobacco (M) Bhd (BAT Malaysia) has re-designated its independent non-executive director (INED) Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Nizom Sairi as chairman of its board effective Jan 1, 2026.
Nizom, 63, who assumed his INED post on Oct 1 last year will succeed Tan Sri Dr Aseh Che Mat, 74, who completed his nine-year tenure as INED of BAT Malaysia on Dec 31, 2025 in line with the group’s governance requirements.
Aseh was previously the Immigration director-general prior to his appointment as the Home Ministry’s secretary-general in February 2021 – a post he held until his retirement on Oct 22, 2007.
Nizom brings extensive experience across both government and corporate sectors, particularly in governance and taxation policies.
He began his career with the Inland Revenue Board Malaysia (IRB) in 1985 and served the organisation for 38 years, culminating in his appointment as CEO/ director-general in 2021. He retired from public service in December 2023.
Nizom held several senior leadership roles during his tenure at IRB and represented Malaysia internationally, including as the Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators chairman (2021-2024), Executive Council Association of Tax Authorities of Islamic Countries (2021-2023) and Study Group of Asia-Pacific Tax Administration and Research chairman (2022-2023).
Aside from BAT Malaysia, Nizom also serves as the Varia Bhd non-executive chairman and INED at Jati Tinggi Group Bhd.
He holds a Master’s Degree in Information System Management from the Lawrence Technological University, Michigan and a Bachelor of Science from Laurentian University, Ontario.
He is also an adjunct professor at UNITAR International University and an honorary professor at University of Cyberjaya.
“Nizom’s visionary leadership saw IRB recorded its highest revenue collection for two consecutive years (2022 and 2023),” revealed BAT Malaysia in a media statement.
“He’s also a strong advocate for digitalisation and governance initiatives – supporting real-time taxation processes to make tax compliance more seamless, introducing the Tax Corporate Governance Programme and driving the e-invoicing initiative.”
Added Malaysia’s only listed tobacco company with regard to what Nizom can contribute to the group:
“These initiatives aimed to improve tax administration, make compliance sustainable and reduce the size of the shadow economy.
His deep understanding of institutional governance and stakeholder engagement is expected to further strengthen the Board’s oversight and stewardship of BAT Malaysia.”
At 11.57am, BAT Malaysia was up 1 sen or 0.23% t RM4.44 with 5,500 shares traded, thus valuing the company at RM1.27 mil. – Jan 2, 2026
