The folks at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) welcomed their new CEO, Mr Azhan Shafriman Hanif today. He will be taking over the role from Dato’ Razlan Razali, who completed his resignation tenure yesterday (7 April 2020) after 11 years of excellent service to not only the country but the overall growth of the motorsports scene in Asia.
Why the surprise (not so surprised) change? Looking at the success of the Petronas Sepang Racing Team (SRT) during its maiden season in 2019, Dato’ Razlan Razali will be focusing his role there full-time with the goal to collect victories and championship crowns in MotoGP as well as Moto2 and Moto3.
As for Mr Azhan Shafriman Hanif, moving forward to this gigantic position is nothing new as he was the Head of Strategic Alliance in Petronas Brand Department. After spending 13 years with Petronas (and also the person who spearheaded Petronas motorsports sponsorship unit for over a decade), his experience will hopefully bring a lot of prosper and further development to the Malaysian motorsports scene.
According to Mr Azhan Shafriman, “It is a great honour to be entrusted with this job. Dato’ Razlan has left big shoes to fill, but I believe I can offer a unique perspective in this role, following my years at Petronas. With the world facing an unprecedented challenge due to the COVID-19 pandemic, having a strong footing in the commercial side of motorsports will be a good launching point for my tenure at SIC, while I gain a firmer grasp of the operations side of things. Nevertheless, in my previous role in Petronas, I have had the privilege to provide feedback to SIC on its facilities and amenities – thus offering another starting point for me at SIC while I familiarise myself with a hands-on role as CEO.”
The Chairman of SIC, Tan Sri Azman Yahya, also commented “Shafriman is someone capable and passionate, and well-versed in the ins and outs of the motorsports world. We will use the foundation laid by Dato’ Razlan Razali during his tenure as CEO to further develop the circuit from strength to strength. Across more than 11 years, Dato’ Razlan made a tremendous impact on the circuit with his deep and unrelenting enthusiasm for motorsports and his unflagging passion and dedication to always doing more. We are grateful for his contributions.”
As for Dato’ Razlan, “It has been an amazing journey leading the Sepang International Circuit team. What we have achieved in the past decade is truly a team effort – it would not have been possible without the full support and commitment of not just the team at SIC, but also from our partners and stakeholders. Although I will still be around as the Team Principal of Petronas Sepang Racing Team, I am definitely going to miss working alongside the SIC team. I wish them and the new CEO great success.”
