IS Malaysia lacking in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) expertise?
This was the pertinent point asked by industry observer Khalid Karim (@khalidkarim) of Arise Malaysia on the X platform.
Comparing the top tech and petroleum companies, he noted that Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Aziz who is the head honcho of national oil corporation PETRONAS holds a finance and accounting first degree from University of Strathclyde, Scotland.
In contrast, the Shell Malaysia CEO Siti Hurrairah Sulaiman was a first-class degree holder in mechanical engineering from the Imperial College of London, UK.
Comparing Petronas & Shell Malaysia CEO ;
Siti Hurrairah Sulaiman has a background in mechanical engineering, while Tengku Muhammad Taufik specializes in finance and accounting. pic.twitter.com/0OcWF8u8qS
— khalid karim ARISE MALAYSIA (@khalidkarim) November 11, 2024
Karim went on to point out that the majority of top tech and petroleum companies globally and regionally have STEM leaders at the helm.
He further argued that individuals with a STEM background tend to have critical analytical skills which allow them to “frame and ask the right questions”.
Karim also shared that among the top five petroleum companies in ASEAN, only PETRONAS has a CEO with a non-technical academic background. He asked why is Malaysia persistent in being different?
This is when some netizens begged to differ, reasoning that top CEOs are appointed for reasons other than their technical know-how, including the ability to manoeuvre the geo-political landscape.
One commenter contended that PETRONAS as a business entity has appointed someone with the relevant financial background to oversee strategies,
Another commented that accounting and finance are both math-related. Hence, this was a not an issue.
However, another agreed with the poster saying that STEM leaders were needed if a company aspires to see long term growth.
Some recalled that previous PETRONAS CEO Tan Sri Wan Zuklifee Wan Ariffin (Tengku Taufik’s predecessor) was a chemical engineer by training. Whether finance/accounting background is preferred or otherwise boils down to the stakeholder after having weighed the political expediency at the time of hiring.
Even before Wan Zuklifee, Tan Sri Hassan Marican who helmed PETRONAS from 1995 to 2010 has a distinguished accounting background.
However, the poster clarified that he was not insinuating that the current PETRONAS CEO was unqualified but was merely pointing out that the national oil firm seems to be in the minority by appointing CEOs with non-technical academic background.
He also made it clear that the question he is posing is why Malaysia cannot seem to find leaders with STEM background.
However, some still thought that the activist was barking up the wrong tree.
One cited Tan Sri Tony Fernandes as a perfect example as a CEO who did not have the necessary technical expertise to run an airline.
Whether you or disagree with the poster’s comments, it does make for interesting discussion. – Nov 15, 2024
Main image credit: Careta.my
