KUALA LUMPUR: Naza Group of companies joint executive chairman Datuk SM Faisal SM Nasimuddin is the inaugural recipient of The International Business Leadership Award for the Automotive Sector 2011- Faisal received the award from Abdulrahim Hassan Naqi, secretary-general of the Federation of GCC Chambers, at the second edition of the Middle East Business Leaders Summit and Awards (MEBLSA) on April 17 in Dubai- The award was given in recognition for Faisal's contribution for Malaysia as well as the regional automotive sector- As the joint group executive chairman and group chief executive officer Faisal has been successfully leading the Naza Group of companies, one of Malaysia's largest privately held diversi-fied conglomorates- He manages a portfolio of 43 companies, which spans from automotive and motorcycle businesses to diversified industries ranging from property, insurance, finance, retail, plantation, transport and logistics, construction as well as engineering- Under his stewartship, the Naza brand has solidified its mark as the preferred choice for Malaysians in providing premium lifestyle products and services- Faisal, the eldest son of the late Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin SM Amin, marked his first major contribution to the Naza Group in 2000 when he founded a partnership with Brabus to distribute its range of vehicles in Malaysia- This followed by the successful launching of the Kia vehicles under the Naza brand, Naza Ria multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in 2003 and Naza Citra MPV in 2005- In 2009, he secured the Ferrari and Maserati brands, which offer the largest and most complete 4S facility outside of Italy- Most recently, he also acquired the distributorship rights for the Chevrolet, Piaggo, Vespa, Aprilia and Gilera brands in Malaysia- MEBLSA 2011 recognises and honours the achievements of Mid-East Asia's niche business visionaries and their contributions towards Arab Gulf region's economic region and also globally, through 30 different award categories- This year's event recognised the outstanding contributions of key business figures and leaders that included Air Asia Bhd's Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes for International Best Brand Award - Aviation Sector and Pharmaniaga Bhd's Datuk Farshila Emran for International Business Leadership Award - Woman CEO Of The Year- Established in 2010, the event serves as a platform for the members of business community to interact with each other, share their valuable experiences and provide insights into the business world- ...
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