By DayakDaily Team
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30: Yayasan PETRONAS today announced a planned leadership change, with its chief executive officer (CEO), Shariah Nelly Francis, set to conclude her tenure on Oct 31, 2026, after leading the foundation for the past six years.
According to a media release, Shariah Nelly strengthened Yayasan PETRONAS’ role as PETRONAS’ social impact arm, guiding the foundation through a period of sharper strategic focus, stronger governance and more outcome-driven delivery.
She led the development of the foundation’s Theory of Change framework, which aligned programmes and partnerships around its three core pillars—education, community wellbeing and development, and environment—while reinforcing the foundation’s commitment to creating positive, sustainable outcomes for communities in Malaysia.
Under Shariah Nelly’s leadership, Yayasan PETRONAS reached nearly 787,000 community members across Malaysia through programmes that addressed learning needs, community resilience, environmental stewardship, and disaster response.
Her leadership also deepened collaboration with strategic partners, broadened thefoundation’ss reach, and strengthened its ability to deliver initiatives with clear purpose, accountability, and measurable impact.
Fifinaz Nareeman Faizal, general manager of Strategic Communications, Gas, and Maritime Business under PETRONAS, will succeed Shariah Nelly as CEO effective Nov 1, 2026.
Tan Sri Mohd Bakke Salleh, chairman of Yayasan PETRONAS’ Board of Trustees, said, “Shariah Nelly’s leadership has been instrumental in strengthening Yayasan PETRONAS’ ability to create meaningful and lasting impact for communities across Malaysia. Her commitment to outcomes-driven initiatives has helped shape thefoundation’ss strategic direction and strengthened its efforts to deliver sustainable social impact. We wish her every success in the next chapter of her journey.”
Fifinaz brings more than 25 years of experience across marketing, strategic communications, business development, people strategy, and enterprise-level transformation within the PETRONAS Group, bringing a well-rounded perspective to support thefoundation’ss strategic priorities and organisational development.
“I have the utmost confidence in Fifinaz’s ability to build on Yayasan PETRONAS’ strong foundations, deepen collaboration with our partners and communities, and steer its efforts towards meaningful, measurable and sustainable social impact across Malaysia,” he said.
In her current role, Fifinaz leads communications, brand and reputation positioning, and stakeholder engagement for a dynamic and globally connected business.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and International Business from Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business in the United States. She brings with her a leadership perspective grounded in purpose, collaboration, and disciplined delivery of impactful outcomes. — DayakDaily
