• Capital A’s aircraft maintenance repair and overhaul company firmly on track to become leading MRO powerhouse in Asia 

• Over 100 jobs recruited recently to facilitate accelerated forecast growth

SEPANG, 25 April 2022 - Asia Digital Engineering (ADE), today announces its newly formed board of directors to oversee the future strategy of Capital A Group’s engineering company as it sets its sights on becoming the leading maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) powerhouse in South East Asia.  

The announcement of a new board of directors, including the new Independent Non-Executive Chairman, Dato’ Hisham Othman, is among one of a number of initiatives to reflect ADE’s commitment to deliver industry leading engineering solutions for AirAsia and other third party airlines in the region.

Mahesh Kumar, CEO of Asia Digital Engineering said: “We are honoured to have the support of such a distinguished group of board members as we embark on an exciting period of rapid expansion, at the same time putting Malaysia firmly on the map as a leading global provider for the very best engineering quality and service.

“Except for Bo Lingam, the Group CEO of AirAsia Aviation Group Limited (AAAGL), and myself, who hold executive roles within the Capital A Group (the holding company for ADE and AAAGL), the newly formed board comprises an independent non-executive chairman and three  independent non-executive directors, each bringing a wealth of relevant experience and the strategic oversight to take ADE’s growth aspirations to new heights.

“Recently we recruited over 100 engineering roles in Malaysia to facilitate strong forecast growth and we look forward to creating hundreds more employment opportunities in line with the huge surge in demand in aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul, as the world moves to an endemic phase.”

Mahesh continued: “Our digital capability is what sets us apart from our competitors. We also recently announced our plans to raise over RM400 million to build technologically advanced MRO facilities spanning over 20 acres at Kuala Lumpur's klia2 International Airport which is expected to commence development this year and be completed within two years. We also have sights on developing similar industry leading facilities in other core markets such as in Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia which will truly make ADE an industry leader in Asean and beyond.”

Bo Lingam, CEO of AirAsia Aviation Group Limited (AAAGL) said: “As the world continues to reopen and airlines are now returning to the skies, we are thrilled to announce the new chairman and board of directors today for ADE as we lay the foundations for significant future growth. AirAsia has always championed equality of all kinds - two of the independent board of directors are prominent females, both well qualified in this formerly male dominated field. 

“Furthermore, the Asean region, including Singapore, has historically always been a world leader in MRO services, but we strongly believe that ADE can take things to the next level, with technologically advanced innovations, driven by over 20 years of proven experience and huge data to serve all commercial airlines in the region. 

“MRO is a lucrative and burgeoning industry which South East Asia has historically had a stronghold on and we believe ADE will significantly contribute to the bottom line of Capital A moving forward.”

ADE’s New Independent Board of Directors:

Dato’ Hisham Othman - Independent Non-Executive Chairman, aged 60
Nationality: Malaysian

Dato’ Hisham Othman is highly regarded for his extensive senior management experience in numerous relevant fields including overarching business strategy, operations, project management, maintenance, financial and risk management, quality assurance, marketing and sales, corporate governance and compliance, government relations as well as sustainability and ESG, including climate change/action. He is also an independent non-executive director of Berjaya Corporation Bhd. He holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the University of West Australia and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA). He brings a wealth of experience in the fields of automotive, maintenance, automotive sales and aftersales, transportation, real estate, property development,  construction and infrastructure. 

Dato’ Sreesanthan Eliathamby - Independent Director, aged 62 
Nationality: Malaysian

Dato’ Sreesanthan is an industry leading legal expert and corporate advisor, as a partner of legal firm Messrs Sreesanthan &  Co.  He obtained his legal degree from the University of Malaya in 1987 and his postgraduate degree in law from the University of Oxford, UK in 1991. Specialising in the areas of corporate and commercial law, he was also formerly a director of Malayan Banking Berhad, An Binh Bank of Vietnam, Sime Darby Berhad, Kumpulan Guthrie Berhad, CCM Berhad and Guiness Anchor Berhad as well as Scomi Group Berhad. He currently serves on the Disciplinary Committee of the Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board.

Suhnylla Kler - Independent Director, aged 56
Nationality: Malaysian

Ms Suhnylla Kler brings extensive experience to ADE with her prior board experience in numerous publicly-listed agriculture, utilities and energy as well as consumer products and manufacturing companies. 

She is an Independent Non-Executive Director of Greenyield Berhad and was recently appointed as Audit Committee Member earlier this year after her original appointment to the board commencing 2019.  She is also a Capital Markets Services Representative Licence (CMSRL) holder and an Executive Director of SDB Asset Management Sdn. Bhd.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Economics) in Monetary Economics from the London School of Economics (LSE) and subsequently studied Japanese at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) also in London. 

Ms Suhnylla is a Fellow (FCCA) of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) as well as a member of the Global 100 women in Hedge Funds - an association of professional women who have built financial services careers in and around the hedge fund industry. She has previously worked with Rating Agency Malaysia Berhad (RAM) and FTC Kaplan Asia Pacific as Course Director in financial modelling.

Natasha Kamaluddin - Independent Director, aged 50
Nationality: Malaysian

Ms Natasha  has over 27 years of experience in leading consulting firms including Accenture,  and she has been a senior partner at Ethos Capital and EY Advisory as well as a senior advisor at McKinsey & Co in her recent past. Currently she remains a board member of FELDA. She holds a First Class BA in Economics from the University of Cambridge and brings a broad range of expertise in business transformation, innovation and strategic planning to ADE. 

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About Asia Engineering Company

Asia Digital Engineering (ADE): Founded in 2020, ADE is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Capital A, based in Klia2, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ADE is a cast from AirAsia’s Engineering Department best practices and experience. ADE offers a broad spectrum of aircraft services such as line maintenance, base maintenance, component repair and overhaul, warehouse management, technical and design organisation services along with digitally driven engineering solutions and engineering support services. With vast experience in airline engineering managing the world’s best low cost airlines, ADE aims to deliver the best value and customer experience by providing the highest standard of professional services in quality, reliability and safety.

About Capital A - capitala.airasia.com

Capital A is an investment holding company with a portfolio of synergistic travel and lifestyle businesses that leverage data and technology to deliver the best value at the lowest cost, supported by high quality data and one of Asia's leading brands that remains committed to serving the underserved.