Zeti wants to ‘discover the new frontiers of property development’

KUALA LUMPUR (March 23): As the first female chairperson of Sime Darby Property Bhd, Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz (pictured) wants to steer away from conventional products and “to discover the new frontiers of property development”, she said in an interview with The Edge Malaysia.

“There is a role for property companies, and it should not be [just] to build high-rise condominiums and commercial spaces,” she said.

Zeti also wants to take on “legacy challenges” such as unsold properties, “some of which are more than a decade old”.

“While they may look at me as a regulator, as I said, my two or three years with Danaharta [had] dealt with this [inventory] issue and ways to resolve it, and what strategies are needed while minimising the adverse implications for the organisation,” she told the weekly.

The ex-governor of Bank Negara Malaysia also wants to “whip Sime Darby Property into better operational shape” – to make the developer “achieve much more with less”.

Zeti also told the business publication that taking a leadership spot was “was not originally part of her plans”.

“I was asked whether I would chair more than one of these companies. At first, I did not consider taking on any of the other companies, and finally, I decided to lead Sime Darby Property,” she said.

“I want to achieve these three things that I mentioned. Once they have been achieved, I will hand it over to somebody with expertise in property and just focus on PNB (Permodalan Nasional Bhd).”