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Board of Directors
Dato’ Robert Fisher was appointed as Independent Non-Executive Director of Dagang NeXchange Berhad (“DNeX”) on 22 June 2021. He is also Chairman of Ping Petroleum Limited, a subsidiary of the Company.
Dato’ Robert Fisher possesses over 45 years of experience in the oil and gas industry.
Throughout his diverse career, he has held prominent senior leadership positions, successfully leading large, multi-functional organisations across various locations, cultures and operating environments. He has a proven track record in international commercial negotiations and is a strong advocate for achieving results through the systematic development of human capital.
He joined Esso UK, a subsidiary of the then Exxon Corporation, in 1976. Initially, he worked in the downstream sector in Esso UK and Esso Europe until 1989 in technical, operational and supply planning roles. He then spent the next 20 years working internationally for Exxon and later ExxonMobil Corporation in the upstream sector, including three assignments in Malaysia, four in the USA, and one in Saudi Arabia.
He was Chairman and Managing Director of the ExxonMobil Subsidiaries in Malaysia from 2003 until 2006, where he oversaw all aspects of ExxonMobil’s business, including managing relationships with the Government of Malaysia, joint venturers, Bursa Malaysia and stakeholders. His significant accomplishments include, on behalf of the ExxonMobil/PETRONAS Carigali joint venture, successfully developing the unprecedented Gas Production Sharing Contract, executed with PETRONAS in 1998, which anchors reliable natural gas supply for the nation until today.
He then became the Executive Assistant to the Chairman of Exxon Corporation. He later served as Vice President of New Business Development at ExxonMobil Gas Marketing Company, where he led negotiations that culminated in ExxonMobil securing operatorship positions in Core Ventures 1 and 2 in Saudi Arabia’s Natural Gas Initiative.
Subsequently, he became Executive Vice President of Upstream in Core Venture 1, based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
From 2006 to 2008, in his role as Vice President of ExxonMobil Development Company, responsible for the development of its global non-operated capital project portfolio, he led ExxonMobil’s participation in the settlement of the dispute between the Kashagan project partners and the Government of Kazakhstan. Simultaneously, he reignited and led the development of the successful Hebron project in Canada, which had remained undeveloped for many years, including ExxonMobil taking over operatorship.
Since then, he has served as a Senior Advisor to Bain and Company, a management consultancy based in Boston, USA. With extensive experience, he has advised various international projects in Malaysia, Russia, Australia, Thailand, the USA, Canada, South Africa and Saudi Arabia.
He is currently the Chairman of Ping Petroleum Limited, a subsidiary of the Company.
He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree (hons) in Chemical Engineering from Birmingham University, United Kingdom.
Paul Baltensperger serves as Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of Ping Petroleum UK Plc and Executive Vice President of Business Development of Ping Petroleum Limited.
With over 35 years of experience in various leadership roles, he has demonstrated expertise in managing independent oil and gas exploration and production (“E&P”) operations across Malaysia, the Gulf of Mexico, North Africa, and South America.
He has a distinguished track record of creating value through mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”) and asset operations in the oil and gas industry globally. As a co-founder and former Chief Operating Officer of Ping Petroleum Limited, he successfully managed the company’s business activities in Malaysia and the offshore United Kingdom.
His career includes significant roles such as Asset and New Ventures Manager for Newfield Exploration and Apache Corporation in Malaysia and Egypt. He has held the positions of Exploration Manager in Egypt and Algeria for Apache and Oryx Energy, respectively.
He holds Master of Science in Geology from University of Texas, United States of America and Bachelor of Science in Geophysics/Geology from New Mexico State University.
With over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, he specialises in reservoir engineering, production engineering, and project management.
He has held key positions such as Head of Planning, Commercial and Risk Management, and Asset Manager at Newfield Exploration in the UK and Malaysia.
He also previously served as the CEO of Ping Petroleum UK.
Muhammad Saifullah is responsible for driving growth across the Group by establishing strategic partnerships and ventures, setting overall corporate strategy, administering the Group’s international expansion and overseeing the Group’s technology focused investments through DNeX’s Innovation Fund.
He has over 14 years of experience in the financial services sector, specialising in capital markets and investment banking, and his last position prior to joining DNeX on October 2020, was with Corporate Finance Department of MIDF Amanah Investment Bank Berhad. He also served in the Corporate Finance Division of AmInvestment Bank Berhad and Corporate Banking Department of Malayan Banking Berhad.
In addition, he has experience in the fast-moving consumer goods and logistics industry, through his stint with Khazanah Nasional Berhad’s wholly owned investee company, Malaysian Agrifood Corporation Berhad, where he served in the Business Development division. He was also Securities Commissions’ Capital Markets Services Representative’s Licence holder during his stint in Investment Banking.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Accounting and Management from University of Nottingham.
Datuk Johar bin Che Mat has over 30 years of experience in the banking industry. He began his career in 1976 when he joined Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank).
Throughout his time at Maybank, he held several key positions, including Regional Manager for Selangor/Negeri Sembilan from 1993 to 1995, General Manager of the Commercial Banking Division from 1996 to 2000, Senior General Manager of the Corporate Banking and Enterprise Banking Division from 2000 to 2002; and Senior Executive Vice President of Retail Financial Services from 2002 to 2006.
Following these roles, Datuk Johar bin Che Mat was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Maybank Group, a position he held until his retirement in 2010. In addition to his banking career, he previously served as Chairman of MNRB Holdings Berhad, an investment holding company and Malaysian Reinsurance Berhad, which operates in the reinsurance business.
He was a Board Member of various organisations, including MBSB Bank Berhad, Bank Pertanian Malaysia Berhad, Amanah Raya Group, Proton Holdings Berhad, and several other public companies.
Currently, he serves as the Chairman of Takaful Ikhlas General Berhad and Takaful Ikhlas Family Berhad, where he oversees the Takaful business.
He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree of Economics from University Malaya, Malaysia.