Rizal Abdullah Email and Phone Number

Legal adviser for a diverse range of clients. Engaged in various areas of the law, from dispute resolution to corporate structuring. Excellent network within the government and political machineries of Malaysia. Rizal.abdullah.n.co@gmail.com

Heading the Legal Counsel and Compliance Support of Group Treasury and Global Markets

Heads and manages the Legal function and services for the CIMB-Principal group of companies in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. Part of the legal team for both CIMB Group, Malaysia and Principal Financial Group, USA. Coordinator and Secretary for the Management Committees, Investment Committees and various task forces.

Heads and manages the Legal & Corporate Secretarial Department. In charge of all legal matters in the company including formulating and improving the policies of procedures for all legal matters. Assumed the role of Corporate Secretary for the company, a non-profit organisation under the auspice of the Central Bank of Malaysia, specialising in providing research and training in leadership and corporate governance to the financial and corporate sector.Participates, ensures the smooth running and taking down the minutes of Board of Directors, Board Committee and Management meetings. Advises the Board of Directors and the Management on their respective powers, responsibilities and limits as per the Company charter and Malaysian Company laws. Provides briefing to Board of Directors, management and staff of the company of any pertinent legal and regulatory issues.

Heads and manages the Legal Department. Established and drafted the policies & procedures, risk management profile and business continuity plan for the Legal Department. As department head, participates in management meetings and various committees. Provide legal advisory for all legal matters within the company and its subsidiaries in Thailand, Singapore and India. Legal reviews ranges from the drafting of unit trust deeds and prospectuses to joint venture agreements. Part of the legal team for Principal Financial Group based in the United States of America. Principal liaison officer for the Southeast Asia region with direct reporting line to the Asian Headquarters in Hong Kong and the Global Headquarters in Des Moines, United States. Involved in preparation and vetting of all legal documents with regard to the company and its subsidiaries. Responsible for liaising, monitoring & assessing external legal advisers.

Assists the management with all AmanahRaya Group of companies’ matters. Provides legal advisory support for AmanahRaya Group of companies. Indirectly oversees the Compliance function for AmanahRaya Group of companies. Part of the working groups for the business plan, corporate strategy and restructuring of AmanahRaya Group of companies. Member of the working groups for AmanahRaya Group of companies’ projects in Russia, Middle East, CIS States and Latin America. Assisting AmanahRaya Group of companies in liaising with stakeholders, which includes the Ministry of Finance and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, and other external parties.Was appointed as the Group Chief Compliance Officer in June 2011. Established the Group Compliance Department and drafted the Group Compliance framework, policies and procedures.

Heads and manages the Legal, Compliance & Secretarial department of the company. As a department head, participate in the Board of Directors and all Committee meeting and is the joint-secretary for all the Committees.As the head of legal, manages and advises all legal matters within the company. Involved in the negotiations with counterparties, local & overseas, for legal matters. Have travelled frequently to Singapore, Indonesia and the Middle East to attend to cross-judicial legal matters. Projects assisted in including the proposed listing of a Real Estate Investment Trust in Singapore comprising of properties in Indonesia and Malaysia and Joint Venture financing project with the Islamic Development Bank, Saudi Arabia. Involved in the preparation of various conventional and Syariah-compliant agreements. Responsible for liaising, monitoring & assessing external legal advisers. Involved in strengthening and implementing the company’s internal human resources and disciplinary policies & procedures. As the head of compliance, manages all compliance matters for the company, for both fund management and the real estate investment trust, listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia. As the registered compliance officer of the company, acts as liaison with the Securities Commission, Bursa Malaysia and Bank Negara Malaysia. Works closely with Risk Management to put into place procedures and process flows to ensure the company’s integrity and compliance.As the head of secretarial, manages the smooth running of Board and Committee meetings of the company. Tasks involve liaising closely with Directors and Committee members, preparation of board and committee papers, finalisation of minutes and records of meetings held and ensuring the smooth running of all scheduled meetings within the company. Assisting Amanah Raya Group in liaising with stakeholders which includes the Ministry of Finance and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.

Worked with Petronas Dagangan, the downstream Oil & Gas business of Petronas. Oversaw the legal aspects of the Retail and Conveyance part of the business. Responsibilities include vetting and preparing Commercial Contracts and Agreements, leading negotiations with stakeholders and providing legal advice to various Departments of Petronas Dagangan Berhad in relation to the legal aspect of the downstream oil & gas business. Played a key-role in the project to legalise the status and formalise the relationship of “white stations” in Malaysia in the nation’s effort to curb petrol & diesel smuggling while at the same time to ensure uninterrupted supply of petrol & diesel in the hinterlands of Malaysia. As part of the Petronas Group, was involved in attending and giving briefings to legal officers within the Petronas Group. Appointed as member of the Risk Management Awareness working group which required ongoing dialogues with stakeholders in addressing the risk management initiatives governing the business areas of the company.

Worked within the Enforcement Division, which discharges the enforcement powers of the Commission in addressing contravention of the securities laws. As an Investigation Officer investigated public listed corporations and their directors, as well as fund/asset management firms for contravention of Securities Laws. Offences include insider trading and stock market manipulation. Worked within investigation teams in successfully discharging role. Led and managed multi-disciplinary investigation teams made up of experienced accountants and lawyers in solving public interest cases using project management methods. Performed cash flow and company analysis, and evaluated company and asset valuations. Conducted 1:1 interviews with senior directors of large public listed corporations under investigation, drawing on high level negotiation and interpersonal skills. Managed relationships with bankers and auditors, and liaised closely with government departments and senior government officials. Developed the ability to be creative, logic minded and think out-of-the-box to address unexpected situations that arose during the course of the investigation.As Senior Prosecution Officer, undertook legal reviews of evidence gathered during the course of investigation and presented the findings to the Committee of Managers with the view to initiating legal action. Led and managed key work streams in numerous high profile criminal prosecutions on behalf of the Commission. This included conducting prosecution of criminal cases and submitting appeals at the Courts. This necessitated in-depth analysis of the evidential requirements and ascertaining key areas of focus and further work. Involved in working groups tasked with evaluating possible amendments and reforms of the Securities Laws.

Mentored and guided by Mr. Soo Thien Ming, the principal partner of the firm. Learned the practical aspects of legal practice and involved in litigation of cases before the Magistrate Court and Sessions Court. Involved in assisting the due diligence exercise of companies as well as the preparation of various agreements, both corporate and commercial. Actively involved in assisting Mr. Soo Thien Ming in networking and meeting clients of the firm. Completed chambering and was called to the Malaysian Bar in August 2000.