In a move to strengthen its governance structure, Climate Governance Malaysia (CGM) has appointed palm oil industry veteran Henry Barlow the new chairperson of its newly-established independent, non-executive board.
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Barlow, who has over 50 years of experience in the plantations industry, transitions to the board from his previous position as founding member and director on CGM’s council. He was previously a director at palm oil company Sime Darby Plantations, now SD Guthrie.
CGM is the Malaysia chapter of the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s initiative on climate governance by indendent directors. Its founder and independent non-executive director Sunita Rajakumar said that as the scale of the organisation’s efforts and ambitions expand, it believed it timely to “layer on stronger governance”.
“This newly-appointed board of independent non-executive directors would help ensure the best interests of CGM continue to be aligned with key stakeholders,” she told Eco-Business.
CGM said the council will serve as the organisation’s “operational backbone” supported by dedicated volunteers, while the independent, non-executive board ensures robust oversight. “As CGM grows and secures larger funding streams, the balance between the Council’s dynamism and the Board’s governance will be key to sustaining its mission,” it said in a statement.
Sunita will step down from her position as council chair while retaining her position as non-independent director on the board, and will continue to be actively involved in the organisation as a council member.
Joining Barlow and Sunita on CGM’s board are three independent non-executive directors, including Joseph D’Cruz, chief executive officer for the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), and Malaysia’s former attorney general Tommy Thomas. The other new member is Tunku Jaafar Laksamana Tunku Nong, who has chaired the board of a local asset management firm and has experience in the social impact and philanthropic sectors.
Climate negotiator and policy development expert Dr Gary Theseira was unanimously elected as the new chair of CGM’s council. He will step down from the organisation’s board of directors to focus on the council’s activities.
Theseira said that amid extreme weather events, the piloting of climate strategies by the corporate sector is more important than ever. “I believe that the global journey to climate resilience will favour the boldest and most persistent corporate movers. Where no single party has all the answers, resources, or experience, those who test the most will be rewarded with the largest suite of winning climate solutions,” he said.
CGM organisation was established in 2019, making Malaysia the second country to establish a local chapter of WEF’s Climate Governance Initiative.
Barlow said: “CGM’s new arrangements will put the organisation in a stronger position to face the challenges of the future, (which) are immense and increasing geometrically. They require whole-of-society efforts at the very least to mitigate the inexorable and other environmental disasters which are bearing down on us.”
