BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Tan Sri Dato' Ir. Hj. Zaini Bin Omar
Independent Non-Executive Chairman
Tan Sri Dato’ Ir. Hj. Zaini bin Omar, a Malaysian, aged 76, is our Independent Non- Executive Chairman and was appointed to our Board on 18 September 2017. He has vast experience in the electricity sector, the aviation sector, the water supply sector and the works sector.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering from James Cook University of North Queensland, Australia in November 1974 and holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of London awarded in July 1985. In November 1986, he obtained his Professional Engineer status from the Board of Engineers, Kuala Lumpur and in September 1988, he was admitted and enrolled as an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court in Malaya. In April 2003, he was conferred with a Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) by University Tun Hussein Onn, Malaysia. He was, from February 2000 to July 2005, the President of the Board of Engineers Malaysia and is currently the Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Malaysia and a fellow of the CIDB.
In April 1975, he began his career as an Electrical Engineer at the Public Works Department, Malaysia and was responsible for the electrical engineering works of project involved by the department. In October 1990, he was seconded to the Department of Electrical Supply as a Director of Operations and was responsible for overseeing the overall operations of the department. In October 1995, he joined the Department of Civil Aviation as the Director General where he was involved in the construction of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
In January 2000, he returned to the Public Works Department, Malaysia as the Deputy Director General 1 and was responsible for assisting the Director General in managing the department. In October 2000, he was promoted to Director General and was responsible for leading his team in implementing all government projects and served as the technical advisor to the Government. In July 2005, he retired from his position in the Public Works Department and was appointed as the Chairman of the National Water Services Commission and also the head of The Special Unit for Overseas Projects in the Economic Planning Unit, Malaysia until 2009.
Presently, he is an Independent Non-Executive Chairman of Digistar Corporation Berhad, a company listed on the Main Market of Bursa Securities and he also sits on the board of several private companies as disclosed in Section 7.2.4 of this Prospectus.
Cheah Ham Cheia
Group Managing Director
Mr. Cheah Ham Cheia, male, a Malaysian, aged 69, is our Group Managing Director. He is also a substantial shareholder of the Group. He was appointed to our Board on 28 February 2013 and was re-designated to his current position in October 2019. He is responsible for the overall guidance on our business direction and manages the strategic development of our Group. He is a member of the Risk Management Committee.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom in July 1985. He has spent his entire career in the construction industry with over 42 years of experience and held multiple positions, including Group Chief Executive Officer of Putrajaya Perdana Berhad where he was responsible for planning strategic business objectives and ensuring positive growth of revenue and profit margins of the Putrajaya Perdana group.
He was involved in numerous notable projects including The Intermark in Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak Energy Berhad Headquarters in Kuching, Light Rail Transit Infrastructure Works in Putrajaya, Government Administrative Offices in Putrajaya (namely Parcel C and Parcel D) and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, among others.
He attended all seven (7) Board of Directors’ Meetings held during the financial year ended 31 December 2022.
He is the father of Mr. Cheah Jun Kai, an Executive Director of GDB. He has no conflict of interest with the Group and does not hold directorship in any other public listed companies. He has no conviction of any offences in the past five (5) years other than traffic offences (if any). There were no public sanctions or penalties imposed on him by any regulatory bodies during the financial year.
Alexander Lo Tzone Leong
Group Executive Director
Mr. Alexander Lo Tzone Leong, male, a Malaysian, aged 53, is our Group Executive Director. He is also a substantial shareholder of the Group. He was appointed to our Board on 3 August 2016 as our Executive Director and subsequently re-designated to his current position in October 2019. He is responsible for assisting our Group Managing Director in the overall management and operation of our Group as well as overseeing the overall operations of our construction projects. He is a member of the Risk Management Committee and also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building (“FCIOB”).
Mr Lo graduated with a Certificate in Technology (Building) from Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia in May 1992. In November 2022, he was awarded the Master of Business Administration in Construction Management by Wawasan Open University. He has spent more than 29 years in the construction industry and has served in various capacities, including Chief Operating Officer of Putra Perdana Construction Sdn Bhd where he was responsible for all daily operations of the company.
He was involved in several reputable projects, including Bangsar Shopping Centre, the Government Administrative Offices in Putrajaya (“Parcel D”), Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Felda Tower Platinum Park, The Intermark in Kuala Lumpur, Menara PJH in Putrajaya, and the Ara Green Wellness & Healthcare City in Kuala Lumpur.
In GDB, he is also instrumental in implementing executive orders for works at 8 Conlay in Kuala Lumpur City Centre, AIRA Residence in Damansara Heights, Menara Hap Seng 3 in Kuala Lumpur, Etiqa Office Tower in Kuala Lumpur, Perla Ara Sentral in Ara Damansara, Hyatt Centric Hotel in Kota Kinabalu, Hap Seng Star Mercedes-Benz Autohaus in Setia Alam, KL Eco City (Sections 1, 2A and 2B, and for office tower A) in Kuala Lumpur, Bukit Bintang City Centre (BBCC) Show Units in Kuala Lumpur, and One Central Park, as well as Westside III and Park Regent in Desa ParkCity.
He attended all seven (7) Board of Directors’ Meetings held during the financial year ended 31 December 2022.
He has no family relationship with any Director and/or any major shareholder of GDB and has no conflict of interest with the Group. He does not hold directorship in any other public listed companies. He has no conviction of any offences in the past five (5) years other than traffic offences (if any). There were no public sanctions or penalties imposed on him by any regulatory bodies during the financial year.
Kow Poh Gek
Independent Non-Executive Director
Kow Poh Gek, a Malaysian, aged 68, is our Independent Non-Executive Director and was appointed to our Board on 14 December 2017. She has 36 years of experience in accounting and finance.
In May 1982, she graduated with a Diploma in Commerce (Cost & Management Accounting) from Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia. She also completed the examinations of The Institute of Cost and Management Accountants (now known as The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) in May 1982. She was admitted an Associate of The Institute of Cost and Management Accountants in March 1986. She has been a Chartered Accountant of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants since June 1988 and a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants since March 1993.
Prior to her graduation in May 1982, she started her career, in April 1982, as a Financial Assistant at Aspatra Managements Sendirian Berhad and was involved in assisting the general accounting matters for the company, including preparation of management accounts and tax filling. In December 1984, she was promoted to Manager, Corporate Planning and was responsible for leading the feasibility studies for the company’s business planning. She left the company in June 1986.
In July 1986, she joined United Malayan Banking Corporation Berhad (now known as RHB Bank Berhad after the banking merger in 1999) as a Trainee Officer, Class I at the Corporate Investments Department and was involved in conducting financial feasibility studies for the bank’s business planning. In January 1990, she was promoted to Assistant Manager and was leading the budget reporting activities of the Finance & Accounts Division.
In September 1990, she left the financial institution to join KDE Recreation Berhad as a Finance Manager and was responsible for the company’s overall finance and accounts. In February 1993, she was transferred to Berjaya Singer Berhad as a Finance Manager and was responsible for the overall finance and accounts for the Hotels and Resorts division of the company. In September 1994, she was transferred to Berjaya Cosway (Overseas) Sdn Bhd as an Operations Manager and was responsible for conducting feasibility studies for the company’s business planning. She left the company in June 1995.
In June 1995, she joined TA Securities Sdn Bhd as a remisier. As a remisier, she was responsible for executing equity trades on behalf of clients. She left the company in April 2001.
In May 2001, she joined Kinetics PGS Sdn Bhd (then known as Kinetics Process Systems Sdn Bhd) as a Finance Manager. She was responsible for the company’s overall finance, accounts, human resources and administrative functions. Further to the acquisition of Kinetics Process Systems Sdn Bhd by Celerity, Inc., she was offered an employment as Finance and Administration Manager at Celerity Fluid Systems Malaysia Sdn Bhd in February 2006. She was responsible for the company’s overall finance, accounts, human resources and administrative functions. Upon the acquisition of the operating assets of the systems integration business of Celerity, Inc. by Ichor Systems, Inc. in 2009, she was offered an employment as Finance and Administration Manager at Ichor Systems Malaysia Sdn Bhd in October 2009. She was responsible for the company’s overall finance, accounts, human resources and administrative functions. She left the company in December 2009.
In January 2010, she joined EITA Holdings Sdn Bhd (now known as EITA Resources Berhad) as Finance cum Investor Relations Manager. She was responsible for overseeing the finance department and investor relation activities in the company. In January 2012, she was promoted to Chief Financial Officer and was responsible for the Group’s finance and accounts, investor relations functions and risk management. She retired from her position in EITA Resources Berhad on 31 December 2017.
Cheah Jun Kai
Executive Director and General Manager - Finance, Risk Management, IT & Business Development
Mr. Cheah Jun Kai, male, a Malaysian, aged 38, is our Executive Director and the General Manager for the Finance, Risk Management, Information Technology and Business Development divisions. He was appointed to our Board on 28 February 2013.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom in July 2011. He started his career as a Management Trainee at AmInvestment Bank Berhad before joining WorleyParsons Business Service Sdn Bhd and working his way up to Senior Business Analyst where he was responsible for the account payable stream of the company by developing, managing and monitoring the key performance indexes and developing key controls upon high risk functions.
He attended all seven (7) Board of Directors’ Meetings held during the financial year ended 31 December 2022.
He is the son of Mr. Cheah Ham Cheia, Group Managing Director of GDB. He has no conflict of interest with the Group and does not hold directorship in any other public listed companies. He has no conviction of any offences in the past five (5) years other than traffic offences (if any). There were no public sanctions or penalties imposed on him by any regulatory bodies during the financial year.
Datuk Chia Lui Meng
Independent Non-Executive Director
Datuk Chia Lui Meng, a Malaysian, aged 70, is our Independent Non-Executive Director and was appointed to our Board on 18 September 2017. He has 40 years of experience in the property development and construction industry and has worked in both the public and private sectors.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Quantity Surveying (Hons) from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in December 1978. He also holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) Degree from the University of London awarded in August 1994 and completed the Certificate of Legal Practice awarded by the Legal Qualifying Board Malaysia in December 1995. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Surveyors, Malaysia since August 2005, a Member of the Society of Construction Law (Kuala Lumpur and Selangor) since July 2006 and a Professional Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors since November 2007. He was admitted to the Malaysian Bar in May 2017.
In May 1978, he began his career as a Quantity Surveyor in the Public Works Department, Malaysia and was responsible for contract administration, recommendation of progress payments and variation orders. In November 1983, he was promoted to Assistant Director and was responsible for Pahang State Public Works Department contract administration. In September 1986, he was promoted to Senior Quantity Surveyor and was responsible for the project and contract administration of all turnkey projects. He took an optional retirement in August 1995.
In September 1995, he joined Hiap Aik Construction Berhad as the General Manager and was responsible for all contractual administration, tendering and payments. In April 1997, he joined United Malayan Land Berhad as a Personal Assistant to the Group Chief Executive Officer and was responsible for assisting the Group Chief Executive Officer in the technical and project management. In July 2003, he was promoted to General Manager and was responsible for the development of all high rise projects within the United Malayan Land Berhad group. He also headed the Contract Division and the Construction Subsidiary of United Malayan Land Berhad.
In March 2008, he joined Viet Hung Urban Development & Investment J.S.C Land Berhad as the Chief Operating Officer and was based in Hanoi, Vietnam. He was responsible for the development of a 1,200 acres township called ECOPARK. In April 2009, he joined Naza TTDI Sdn Bhd as the Director and Advisor to the Group Managing Director and was responsible for assisting and advising the Group Managing Director in the marketing and sales of all developments. In October 2011, he joined Malton Berhad as the Chief Executive Officer and was responsible for overall administration of the company. In June 2012, he returned to United Malayan Land Berhad as the Group Chief Executive Officer and was responsible for the overall administration of the company. In June 2016, he retired from his position in United Malayan Land Berhad but remained as a Non-Executive Director of certain subsidiaries under the United Malayan Land Berhad group. He is currently the Secretary of the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Wilayah Persekutuan (Kuala Lumpur).
Currently, he is now practising as an Advocate & Solicitor in Soh Hayati & Co specialising in the area of construction law.