Malaysian Gas Association (MGA) Appoints New President

Malaysian Gas Association (MGA) wishes to announce that Abdul Aziz Othman will succeed Hazli Sham Kassim as it’s President effective 1st September 2021.

Abdul Aziz Othman will become the 7th MGA President since its establishment in 1986. He is currently the Vice President for Gas & Power at PETRONAS and brings with him over 33 years of experience in the energy sector.

“I am honoured to be entrusted to uphold MGA’s legacy as the nation’s voice for gas, especially on its 35th anniversary. Like the Presidents before me, I am committed to carry out MGA’s mission to promote the advancement and sustainability of Malaysia’s gas industry, together with the rest of MGA members” says Abdul Aziz in a statement.

“As the largest single fuel in the total primary energy supply in Malaysia for the past decades, natural gas has been the mainstay in driving the nation’s economic growth. Going forward, we expect gas to play a significant role in the clean energy transition towards a low carbon economy. With greater global emphasis on drastic reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG), the role of gas becomes more important in enabling rapid deployment of intermittent renewable energy”.

In congratulating his successor, Hazli Sham said, “With vast experience in the gas arena, Abdul Aziz is the right person to lead MGA into a new era of liberalised gas market and clean energy transition.  It is important that MGA continues to play its role as the bridge between policymakers and the industry. Proactive engagements can support to realise a successful gas market and position gas as the clean fuel today and in the future”.

Having led MGA for the past 5 years, Hazli Sham will be pursuing a different role in his company. Under his stewardship, MGA has strengthened its position as the nation’s lead advocate for the natural gas industry. It was during this period that the gas market was progressively being open to Third-Party Access (TPA) and is now expected to be fully liberalised by January 2022. Hazli Sham also led the call for drafting of the Natural Gas Roadmap that is expected to be launched within the second half of 2021. MGA’s international recognition was further enhanced when Hazli Sham was appointed as the Regional Coordinator for International Gas Union (IGU).

As the lead advocate for the Malaysian gas industry, MGA represents more than 130 corporate members that serve the entire gas value chain. As the cleanest burning fuel, natural gas plays an important role in providing clean, secure, reliable and flexible energy to drive Malaysia’s socio-economic growth, bringing over RM 135 billion per annum of economic impact and creates over 80,000 jobs in the wider economy.

Press Release Malaysian Gas Association (MGA) Appoints New President