Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) Deputy Director-General (Management Services) Azhar Abdul Manaf has been appointed as the agency's new Director-General, effective this Monday.

Azhar will replace Datuk Ibrahim Ahmad, who is going on leave for one month, beginning the same day, prior to his retirement.

Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, when announcing Azhar's appointment at the handing-over ceremony today, thanked Ibrahim for his significant contributions towards the development of the Bumiputera socio-economic agenda and also for the country in general.

"Under Ibrahim's leadership over the past seven years, Mara has gone through several phases of transformation, including setting up a new direction for the agency to face new challenges," he said in a brief speech before handing over the appointment letter to Azhar .

Ismail Sabri said Azhar, who joined Mara in 1988 and had served the agency as Mara's Melaka director and its Entrepreneur Development Division director, was appointed due to his extensive experiences and excellent services over the years. --Bernama