Tan Sri Dr Nik Norzrul Thani Nik Hassan Thani

Tan Sri Dr Nik Norzrul Thani Nik Hassan Thani, 63, a Malaysian, is the Chairman and Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of Sime Darby Plantation Berhad (SD Plantation). He was appointed to the Board on 16 June 2022 and assumed Chairmanship effective 30 June 2023.

Tan Sri Dr Nik Norzrul Thani is a consultant at Messrs. Zaid Ibrahim & Co., the largest law firm in Malaysia and a member of KPMG's Global Legal Services network. His diverse area of expertise spans across Islamic and offshore finance, banking, debt restructuring, as well as international, corporate and commercial law. He provides invaluable legal counsel on mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance and issuance of private debt securities, including Islamic financial instruments.

Prior to his tenure at Messrs. Zaid Ibrahim & Co., he was attached to an international law firm Messrs Baker & McKenzie, Singapore. As a recognition of his capabilities and success, the Ministry of International Trade & Industry, Malaysia, appointed him as the Chairman of the Malaysia-Singapore Business Council in 2017.

Tan Sri Dr Nik Norzrul Thani is currently Chairman of the Malaysian Rating Corporation Berhad, T7 Global Berhad and Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) as well as an Interim Chairman of S P Setia Foundation. In addition to his Chairmanship roles, he also serves as a Director of four public companies, namely, Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad, Cagamas Holdings Berhad, Pertama Digital Berhad and MARC Ratings Berhad. He also sits on the Board of Trustees of Yayasan Guru Tun Hussein Onn.

Tan Sri Dr Nik Norzrul Thani holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law (Hons) from the University of Buckingham, a Master’s degree in Law from Queen Mary College, University of London and Doctorate degree in Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales in 1985 and subsequently to the Malaysian Bar in 1986, qualifying him as a Barrister of Lincoln’s Inn and an Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, respectively. In 1997, he was a Visiting Fulbright Scholar at Harvard Law School and in 2004, a Chevening Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, Oxford University.