KUALA LUMPUR: Yayasan Petronas chief executive officer Shariah Nelly Francis will step down on Oct 31 after six years at the helm, with Fifinaz Nareeman Faizal appointed as her successor effective Nov 1.

Fifinaz, currently general manager of Strategic Communications for Petronas' Gas & Maritime Business, has more than 25 years of experience in various roles within the group.

In a statement today, Yayasan Petronas said Shariah Nelly had strengthened the foundation's role as Petronas' social impact arm during her tenure by sharpening its strategic focus, improving governance and adopting a more outcome-driven approach to programme delivery.

She also led the development of the foundation's Theory of Change framework, aligning its programmes and partnerships with three core pillars: Education, Community Wellbeing and Development, and Environment.