By Yantoultra Ngui and Rozanna LatiffThursday July 16, 2026
Chairman of DP World Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem wears his headphones during the UAE-India Business summit at the Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India January 10, 2024. REUTERS/Amit Dave Purchase Licensing Rights
Malaysia’s biggest port operator is set for an immediate leadership shake-up, with Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, the former chairman and CEO of logistics heavyweight DP World, taking direct charge of MMC Port Holdings after the group chief executive stepped down, according to a memo reviewed by Reuters.
The change hands control of the Malaysian operator to Emirati executive Bin Sulayem, MMC’s executive chairman. He left Dubai-based DP World in February following scrutiny of email exchanges with Jeffrey Epstein released by the U.S. Justice Department.
Bin Sulayem has not made public comments on the emails involving Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Reuters was unable to immediately reach Bin Sulayem for comment.
The July 12 MMC memo gave no explanation for the immediate exit of chief executive Azman Shah Mohd Yusof and did not indicate when the company would appoint a permanent successor.
Reuters could not establish when Bin Sulayem, a veteran of Dubai’s ports industry, became executive chairman of MMC Ports. MMC did not immediately reply to Reuters’ request for comment on the memo.
Azman did not immediately respond to a call or phone message seeking comment.
PORTS GIANT IN MALACCA STRAIT
MMC Ports operates seven facilities along or near the Strait of Malacca, making it Malaysia’s largest port operating group. The narrow waterway connects the Indian Ocean with the Pacific and serves as a critical artery for global commerce.
The strait ranks among the world’s key maritime chokepoints. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has identified it as one of the most important oil transit routes globally by volume.
MMC Ports had been expected to seek what could have been Malaysia’s largest IPO in more than a decade. However, Reuters reported in October that the company postponed the proposed listing.
Under the July 12 memo, sent to MMC Port management and the chief executives of its operating ports, matters previously directed to the group CEO must now go straight to Bin Sulayem’s office.
“Azman has ceased to serve as the Group Chief Executive Officer of MMC Port, effective immediately,” it said.
The memo said the temporary reporting arrangement was intended to preserve consistent leadership, governance and decision-making throughout the group.
Bin Sulayem said in the memo that operations and strategic projects should proceed without interruption, while MMC Ports maintained business momentum and ensured continuity and stability across the company.
DP World, among the world’s largest port and logistics companies, announced on February 13 that Bin Sulayem had resigned with immediate effect. It appointed Essa Kazim as chairman and Yuvraj Narayan as group CEO.
Reporting by Yantoultra Ngui in Singapore and Rozanna Latiff in Kuala Lumpur; Editing by Martin Petty and Sam Holmes
