Capital A Berhad has officially appointed Effendy Shahul Hamid as Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Deputy CEO), effective 6 April 2026. This move follows Capital A’s divestment of its aviation business to AirAsia X Berhad in January 2026, which formally separates the AirAsia name from Capital A’s core portfolio after years of being its primary identity.
Following the divestment, Capital A is now focusing all its energy on developing an integrated digital ecosystem in Southeast Asia. Capital A CEO Tony Fernandes described this moment as a new acceleration point for the company.
“At this point, we want to go further and faster in all our businesses on the back of digital innovation,” he said during a press conference (30 March).
Five Business Pillars Driving Capital A’s Growth
Interestingly, the company—originally built in the aviation industry—is now moving away from that core business and transforming itself into a developer of an integrated digital ecosystem.
Post-divestment, Capital A is concentrating on five key business lines: Asia Digital Engineering, which operates in aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO); Teleport for logistics services; AirAsia MOVE as a digital mobility and travel platform; AirAsia Next, which manages brand and intellectual property; and Santan in the food and beverage sector.
This transformation positions Capital A as a rare case in Southeast Asia, a company rebuilding its identity from an airline operator into a technology-driven, ecosystem-based enterprise, similar to a super app model that integrates travel, logistics, and lifestyle services within a single platform.
The Figure Behind the Appointment
Effendy Shahul Hamid brings more than two decades of experience in banking and digital transformation, all built over 21 years at CIMB Group. One of his most notable achievements was his role in transforming Touch ‘n Go into a leading digital payments platform in the region through collaboration with Ant Group.
He is also a graduate of Electronic Engineering from University College London on a full scholarship, and has completed executive programs at Harvard Business School, INSEAD, and Columbia Business School.
Fernandes believes this track record is highly relevant for Capital A’s next phase. “Effendy understands how ecosystems create value and is able to rally teams around clear goals and deliver real results. I expect him to hit the ground running and add value very quickly,” he said.
Effendy himself described the opportunity as hard to pass up. “This is a rare opportunity and one that is too good to pass up. The ability to derive value anchored on superior technology use and ecosystem expansion is what I believe the best companies of the future will need to possess,” he said.
In his role as Deputy CEO, Effendy will focus on strengthening strategic decision-making and orchestrating the ecosystem across Capital A’s entities in line with its regional expansion ambitions.
