(From left) MDEC head of digital transformation Datuk Fadzli Abdul Wahit, Xsolla Funding Club vice-president strategy and general manager Justin Berenbaum with Anuar, Syed Ibrahim and Gobind officiating the event in Kuala Lumpur today (Oct 3). — KAMARUL ARIFFIN/TheStar
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s TikTok head of public policy, Anuar Fariz Fadzil, has been appointed as the new CEO of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).
The appointment was announced by MDEC chairman Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, who introduced Anuar at the Malaysia Digital Content Festival 2024 Biz Day event in Kuala Lumpur today (Oct 3).
"First day today as the new CEO of MDEC," said Syed Ibrahim.
When asked to comment about his new role, Anuar said that his appointment to MDEC offers him a fascinating opportunity to be in the digital economy.
Anuar Fariz Fadzil has been appointed as the new CEO of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). — KAMARUL ARIFFIN/TheStar
"I'm very proud that the government has offered the opportunity for me to take on the role," he said, adding that he is no longer with TikTok Malaysia following the new appointment.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said Anuar officially begins his new role today.
“There's a lot of work for him to do moving ahead. Once he is ready with the direction that he proposes to take and after discussions with everyone at MDEC, we wish him all the best," he said.
Gobind, who launched the Malaysia Digital Content Festival 2024 Biz Day, said Malaysia has established a solid foundation in the digital creative sector.
"Malaysia is home to over 300 digital content studios and we have created more than 180 original intellectual properties in animation. In the year 2022, this industry generated some RM6.3bil in revenue," he said, adding that the industry has also supported more than 11,000 jobs.
He called for more efforts to foster innovation in order for the industry to reach new heights.
Yesterday, Oracle announced that it plans to invest more than US$6.5bil (RM27.34bil) to open a public cloud region in Malaysia to meet the demands of AI and cloud services.
This follows Google’s Sept 30 announcement of a planned investment of US$2bil (RM8.41bil) into the construction of a new data centre in Malaysia.
Gobind said he believes that political stability has attracted and convinced major tech companies in Malaysia's potential as an investment hub.
"I'm confident that we can expect to see more announcements, not just for data centres," he said.
