KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 3): The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has named Sazaliza Zainuddin as its chief operation officer (COO), replacing Datuk Mohd Naim Daruwish who has retired.

Sazaliza, who assumed the position effective Sept 1, will oversee a broad portfolio of operational services and support functions, emphasising performance management, effective service delivery as well as contractual requirements, said the EPF in a statement today.

Prior to joining the retirement fund in 2006 as the head of accounts in the finance department, Sazaliza served with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) from 1997 to 2006. 

At the EPF, he served as the head of finance, head of procurement management and head of internal audit, before being appointed as the chief financial officer (CFO) in 2017.

Meanwhile, with the change in Sazaliza’s portfolio, Mohamad Hafiz Kassim has been made the new CFO effective Aug 1, according to the statement.

In this position, Mohamad Hafiz is responsible for ensuring the operations of the finance and services division are conducted effectively and efficiently. 

An accountant by training, Mohamad Hafiz was with PwC and Daiwa Capital prior to joining the EPF in 2008.  

“Mohamad Hafiz joins Sazaliza and the rest of the EPF senior management team, led by chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, together with chief investment officer Rohaya Mohammad Yusof, chief strategy officer Nurhisham Hussein and chief digital technology officer Muhammad Afhzal Abdul Rahman,” the statement noted.  

The EPF also said Mohd Naim, who served the fund for almost three decades, was instrumental in strengthening its operations, including during recent times under Covid-19 restrictions. 

He joined the EPF in 1992 as a manager in the prosecution/litigation division, and held several positions such as the head of enforcement, head of legal and head of contributions, before being appointed the COO in 2014. His career started in 1985 in the judiciary and legal services as a magistrate, the fund said.