Former Malaysia Airlines CEO sworn in as senator

Former chief executive officer and managing director of MAS, Datuk Seri Idris Jala has been appointed as a senator in front of Dewan Negara president Datuk Wong Foon Meng at Parliament House, Tuesday.

This video was made by thestaronline

Datuk Seri Idris Jala, who is from the Kelabit ancestry, is the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Malaysia Airlines.

Before that, Idris used to work for Shell. In 2005, the Malaysian government elected him as CEO of Malaysia Airlines due to massive losses of the company. In February 2006, he announced the airline’s business turnaround plan from a 9-month loss of USD400 million in 2005 to achieving a record profit of USD260 million in 2007.

In May 2008, Idris appeared on national television announcing the airline’s first ever ‘zero fare’ for domestic and a selection of international flights, a move that raised his spat between him and AirAsia’s boss, Tony Fernandes to a new level.

Idris Jala is a Kelabit from Sarawak and is a Christian. He was the first non-Malay non-Muslim to be appointed to head a GLC, as part of new government reforms.