SKYMIND Holdings Bhd, a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI), has today appointed former Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) CEO Datuk Yasmin Mahmood as its chairperson as the company embarks on its next growth chapter.
With a presence in 17 countries, including Germany, Japan and the UK, Skymind’s innovative technologies serve as a fundamental layer in AI and is deployed in 350 Fortune 500 companies, including Nvidia, IBM, Huawei and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
In 2020, London-based Skymind Global Ventures launched a US$800 mil fund to support promising new AI companies and academic research globally.
Malaysia-based Skymind Holdings was established in October 2019 to expand its footprint throughout Southeast Asia with Malaysia serving as the Group’s regional AI hub.
A well-respected and internationally recognised leader in the IT industry, Yasmin, 58, relinquished her position as CEO and all other positions within MDEC effective Jan 15, 2019 after helming the corporation for four years.
“Yasmin’s extensive experience, knowledge and insights will help guide the vision and strategic opportunities of Skymind as we march ahead with our scale and growth plans,” commented Skymind’s global CEO Shawn Tan on Yasmin’s appointment.
“For the last one year, when she served as our advisor, we saw how her leadership and passion has empowered Skymind to strengthen partnerships, develop strategic alliances, and expand our presence here in Malaysia as well as regionally and globally.”
Yasmin said she is honoured to be joining Skymind which she regarded as “one of the world’s most influential and impactful AI companies.”
“I am passionate about AI and how it can revolutionise and re-imagine anything and everything,” she enthused.
“With the company’s track record of AI innovations and a focused growth strategy, this is an exciting time to work with Shawn and his team. Skymind is in a unique position to catalyse an innovation ecosystem, thereby creating high-income and high-value jobs in Malaysia to serve the global markets.”
In a career that spanned over three decades, Yasmin had led and managed global technology companies including Dell, HP and was the managing director of Microsoft Malaysia.
She was also recently appointed as chairman of Heriot-Watt University Malaysia and sits on the Board of Directors of Malaysia Industrial Development Finance Bhd (MIDF) and Bintulu Port Holdings Bhd.
Most recently, she was re-appointed by Yayasan Peneraju Pendidikan Bumiputera, an agency under the Prime Minister’s Office as one of its Industry Advisory Board members. – April 14, 2021
