By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Jan 18: Petroliam Nasional Bhd (PETRONAS) has strengthened its top leadership with the appointment of Mohd Jukris Abdul Wahab as its new chief operating officer (COO) effective Feb 1, amid an escalating legal dispute over gas distribution rights in Sarawak that is now before the Federal Court.
In a statement, PETRONAS president and group chief executive officer (PGCEO) Tan Sri Tengku Muhammad Taufik said the reestablishment of the COO role is aimed at enhancing the company’s senior leadership structure and ensuring more unified and coherent engagement with both federal and State governments.
Under the revised structure, the group’s health, safety and environment (HSE) function will report to the COO, while the security function will report directly to the PGCEO, reflecting the increasing scale and frequency of geopolitical risks domestically and internationally.
“These refinements are designed to provide the PGCEO with greater strategic focus to steer the PETRONAS Group in delivering enterprise-wide transformation and policy advocacy, while ensuring sharper and more disciplined execution across the organisation,” Tengku Taufik said, as reported by The Edge.
Jukris is currently the executive vice-president and chief executive officer of PETRONAS’ Upstream division, a role he assumed on July 1, 2024. He began his career with PETRONAS in 1990 as a reservoir engineer and has since accumulated more than 30 years of experience in the upstream oil and gas business.
Throughout his career, he has held several senior leadership positions, including vice-president of International Assets and vice-president of Malaysia Assets. He has also served as an independent board director for PETRONAS Carigali Sdn Bhd and PC International Ventures Sdn Bhd.
Among his notable achievements throughout 30 years of experience in PETRONAS including leading the negotiation and conclusion of two production sharing contract (PSC) deals, namely the 2008 PSC and Baram Delta Oil enhanced oil recovery (EOR) PSC.
Internationally, Jukris was involved in safeguarding PETRONAS’ interest in Sudan during the pre- and post-separation of the country, driving the resolution of contractual issues with both Sudan and South Sudan authorities.
The leadership reshuffle comes as PETRONAS seeks legal clarity on its operations in Sarawak. On Jan 10, the national oil company filed an originating motion at the Federal Court, naming both the federal and Sarawak governments as respondents.
The application aims to determine the legal position and potential conflict between the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA) and Sarawak’s Distribution of Gas Ordinance 2016 (DGO), a long-standing issue at the heart of the State’s assertion of greater control over gas distribution.
Additionally, PETRONAS said it will also advance a more focused and strategic Project, Engineering and Technology (PE&T) division that will anchor consistent project and asset delivery, while accelerating growth and new business opportunities through technology, innovation and research differentiation. — DayakDaily
