HEINEKEN Malaysia Berhad (HEINEKEN Malaysia) has officially appointed Datuk Iain John Lo as Chairman of the Board, succeeding Dato’ Sri Idris Jala, effective 15 August 2026.
Dato’ Sri Idris will step down as Chairman and Director following the recommended nine-year limit for independent directors set by the Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance. He will still support the Group as an Advisor starting on the same date.
The Board and Management want to express their heartfelt thanks to Dato’ Sri Idris for his leadership and significant contributions over the last nine years. Since joining the Board in January 2017, he has provided strong guidance, helping the Group through changes and challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his leadership, the Board focused on important goals like digital transformation, improving customer access, and major upgrades to the brewery.
Datuk Iain John Lo is an experienced Malaysian business leader with over 30 years in the energy, banking, and telecommunications fields. He worked at Shell for more than three decades, and from 2012 until his retirement in March 2021, he was the Country Chairman of Shell Malaysia Limited. Throughout his career, he held various leadership positions in exploration, production, gas, and downstream businesses in Malaysia and around the world. He was also the Chairman of Shell Refining Company (Federation of Malaya) Berhad until its sale in 2016. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Guardians for the Sarawak Sovereign Wealth Future Fund, an Independent Non-Executive Director at RHB Bank Berhad and RHB Investment Bank Berhad, and a board member of Sepang International Circuit Sdn Bhd. Datuk Iain has both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles.
The Board is confident that Datuk Iain’s vast leadership experience will help guide the business through a changing and complex environment, strengthening the Group’s strategic direction. As Chairman, he will lead the Board in supporting HEINEKEN Malaysia’s long-term growth plans, driven by its EverGreen 2030 strategy. This strategy focuses on boosting growth, increasing productivity, and creating a future-ready organization through digital transformation, sustainability, and a culture that values high performance and people.