(Bernama Pix)
By Siti Hawa Othman
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 9 (Bernama) --Petronas is one brand that makes Malaysians proud. And for over a decade, one man has been the face of Petronas, the man we bid farewell today.
The mood was mixed with a tinge of sadness as he walked to the foyer of the Petronas Twin Towers, shaking hands with the staff and well-wishers. For Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican, who has helmed the corporation since 1995, his term as president and chief executive officer (CEO) ends today.
It was obvious that he was fighting back the tears as he smiled at the staff.
“I am okay,” he said, when asked by Bernama how he was doing.
The staff in their thousands had been waiting at four separate spots on their own free will from 4.30pm to wish Hassan, who was accompanied by his wife Puan Sri Noraini Mohd Yusoff from his office in the 81st floor, farewell.
Hassan was proud of his staff and always reminded them they were doing a national service.
He would always relate to the press how his men had struggled under the hot sun in the desert and drilled the deepest ocean. He wanted them to know that they were special and that Petronas had contributed to nation-building.
And today, they gathered to bid goodbye to a very special man with fond memories.
Some, unbashedly, cried. Others sang the Petronas anthem and applauded him as he walked by amid shouts “We love you Tan Sri”.
The staff held up notes and placards saying “U’re simply the best”, “You rock,” “TQ for the legacy” and “We are sad you are leaving”.
Shuzairin Shuib and Salwa Mohd Salleh, from the International Business Unit, said they were sad and touched as Hassan had given so much to the organisation.
“He is a good leader, bringing Petronas to greater heights,” they said.
Yugentharan, from Research & Technology Unit, said he was sad because Hassan was a good leader.
“He has done a lot of good things, looking into the sector of education, scholarships” he said.
Many were disappointed at him leaving Petronas and had wanted him to have a proper farewell.
It was understood that many cried over a two-page farewell note that he posted yesterday, thanking the entire Petronas family across the globe, on the platforms, sailing the oceans, in the desert, in the snow and service forecourt.
Never to take credit for himself, Hassan had always attributed the national oil company’s success to the wisdom and foresights of its founders.
He had said that Petronas had instilled in its people the resolve to deliver superior performance to leave a legacy for future generation.
Trained as accountant, Hassan, 57, had joined Petronas in February 1989 as senior vice president of finance. He was under the tutelage of yet another great man Tan Sri Azizan Zainul Abidin.
Azizan and Hassan had led a strong and committed management team which was responsible for the many successes of Petronas today.
Petronas, set up in 1974 to look after the country’s petroleum resources, made its first international venture at the turn of the 1990s, in line with its business integration, value-adding and globalisation strategy, and has never looked back.
Hassan was appointed president and CEO in 1995 and had assumed the post of acting chairman with the passing of Azizan in 2004 at age 69. Hassan was said to be visibly upset with by the latter’s demise.
Petronas then was already a strong company and ranked among Fortune Global 500’s largest corporations in the world, with a presence in more than 30 countries.
From its humble beginnings in 1974 with a paid-up capital of RM10 million, its shareholders’ capital had grown to RM232.1 billion as of March 2009 while total assets were valued at RM388.1 billion.
Petronas contributed more than 40 per cent to the federal government’s coffers and has since its inception, paid the government a total of RM471.3 billion.
It announced a pre-tax profit of RM89.1 billion for the year ended March 31, 2009 on a revenue of RM264.2 billion.
Petronas usually sets aside up to 35 per cent of its profits every year for investment.
For the year, it has made RM74.0 billion in payments to the federal government which accounted for 45 per cent of the government’s revenue and 71.4 per cent of its pre-tax profit.
Its international operations were now the biggest contributor to the group’s revenue.
Hassan has proven his mettle and the baton is now passed to yet another able man,
Datuk Shamsul Azhar Abbas, who will assume the president and CEO posts tomorrow.
Shamsul, who was MISC Bhd’s managing director prior to his retirement last year, has been with the company since 1974.
He has vast experience in the petroleum industry, having served in several senior positions including vice president of oil business, vice president petrochemicals, vice president exploration (upstream) and vice-president of maritime and logistics.
Some of the staff met by Bernama said they welcomed the new boss who was said to be another charismatic leader. — Bernama
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