Nik Azli bin Abu Zahar, Group General Counsel at Telekom Malaysia Berhad
Nik Azli, age 53, was appointed as the Group General Counsel effective 1 October 2022. He holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom. He has attained the Certificate of Legal Practice, Malaysia and was called to the High Court of Malaya as an Advocate and Solicitor.
Nik has extensive experience as an in-house counsel and has been part of the leadership team of several prominent organisations. Prior to joining TM, he was the Group General Counsel of Sapura Energy Berhad. During his time there, he successfully negotiated and completed the Global Multi-Currency Facility financing exercise involving 13 local and foreign banks. Whilst at Malaysia Airline Berhad (MAB), as the Group Chief Corporate Services Officer, he re-negotiated an aircraft purchase contract to reduce MAB’s liability exposure, among other achievements.
Nik was responsible in leading the Legal team that saw through the merger exercise between SapuraCrest Petroleum Berhad and Kencana Petroleum Berhad and the start of SapuraKecana Petroleum Berhad, as a new merged and listed entity. In addition to that, as the Head of Legal at Energy & Utilities Division, Sime Darby, he successfully negotiated and concluded a Settlement Agreement resulting in a significant write-back to the Division.
Nik and his team were the recipients of the Energy and Resources in-House Legal Team Award at the prestigious Asia Legal Business (ALB) Malaysia Law Awards in 2015.
Nik has also served at reputable legal firms in Malaysia including Zul Rafique & Partners and Zaid Ibrahim & Co. Whilst in practice, Nik advised several multinational companies in commercial transactions and energy & utility projects, including overseas transactions and projects spanning from China to the Middle East.
