Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the former chairman and chief executive of Dubai's DP World, has taken direct charge of MMC Port Holdings, Malaysia's largest port operator, in his capacity as its executive chairman. The move follows the departure of group chief executive Azman Shah Mohd Yusof, who left the post with immediate effect.
According to an internal company memo dated 12 July 2026 and reported by Reuters, all matters previously handled by the group chief executive are to be referred directly to bin Sulayem's office until a permanent successor is appointed. The memo did not give a reason for Azman Shah's departure or indicate when a permanent replacement would be named, describing the temporary reporting structure as a measure to ensure continuity in leadership, governance and decision-making while strategic projects and day-to-day operations continue without disruption.
bin Sulayem is one of the best-known figures in the global ports industry. He spent years at the helm of DP World, building the Dubai-based group into one of the world's largest operators of ports, terminals and logistics infrastructure, with a network spanning multiple continents. DP World is majority owned by the government of Dubai and ranks among the emirate's most prominent state-linked enterprises, and bin Sulayem was closely identified with its expansion over that period.
He resigned as chairman and chief executive of DP World in February 2026, following scrutiny over email exchanges with Jeffrey Epstein that were released by the United States Justice Department, according to reporting by Reuters and other news organisations. He has not held an executive role at DP World since that resignation.
MMC Port Holdings, part of the wider MMC group, is Malaysia's largest port operator and a central part of the country's maritime and trade infrastructure, overseeing major container and cargo gateways that handle a significant share of the country's seaborne trade. Placing direct control of that network with bin Sulayem, even on an interim basis, gives an experienced global ports operator immediate authority over a strategically important national asset.
The appointment drew political attention in Malaysia. The country's transport minister, Anthony Loke, said there had been no government interference in the company's management or in the appointment, according to Free Malaysia Today. MMC Port Holdings has not said when it expects to name a permanent group chief executive. For now, bin Sulayem holds the reins of the operator while the search for a permanent successor continues.
