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SME Bank CEO Aria Putera to step down, Mohammad Hardee to take over
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SME Bank has announced that its President and Group CEO, Datuk Wira Aria Putera Ismailhe will resign at the end of his term to pursue new opportunities.
Dr Datuk Mohammad Hardee Ibrahim, currently Group Chief Corporate Strategy Officer, will take up the role effective 3 September 2024.
Aria drove Bank for SMEs over the last six years, focusing on redefining the bank’s vision and mission and introducing new core values.
Notably, in 2019, he led the two-year Accelerated Programme, a strategic initiative aimed at improving the bank’s business model, which delivered a profit before tax of RM213.9 million.
Under his leadership, SME Bank’s gross financing amount grew by 37.6% from RM6.47 billion in 2018 to RM8.9 billion by end-2023, while the gross impairment ratio was reduced from 22.9% to 12.5%.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Aria implemented relief programs benefiting over 5,000 SMEs with a total financing of RM9.12 billion.
It also introduced initiatives such as the “National Digital Platform for SMEs”, which included ScoreXcess and Odela, which earned recognition from the Association of Development Finance Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP).
Dr. Mohammad Hardee, with over 20 years of experience in financial services, has held various roles at SME Bank, including treasury, corporate finance and business banking positions.
SME Bank said in a statement:
“SME Bank expresses its gratitude to Datuk Wira (Dr.) Aria Putera Ismail for his outstanding leadership and welcomes Datuk Dr. Mohammad Hardee Ibrahim as Acting Group President/Chief Executive Officer to continue to lead the team to new heights and successfully deliver on SME Bank’s mandates.”
Featured image credit: edited by Free image