Far from being a stranger to the motorsports world, Sepang Circuit today welcomed Mr. Azhan Shafriman Hanif as its new Cheif Executive Officer following the completion of Dato’ Razlan Razali’s tenure as CEO on 7 April 2020. Prior to this new role, Shafriman was the head of Strategic Alliance in Petronas Brand Development and has been part of the Petronas team for more than 13 years.
Having learnt a lot about motorsports and spearheading the sponsorship unit at Petronas over the past decade, the man has a vast experience in activating motorsports sponsorships and strategic partnerships with OEMs, monitoring and evaluating talent development performance, and creating brand exposure through motorsports platforms. Petronas has gained global recognition as the title sponsor for the dominating Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, and is also now the official fuel supplier for Moto2 and Moto3 in the MotoGP World Championship.
“It is a great honour to be entrusted with this job. Dato’ Razlan has left big shoes to fill, but I believe I can offer a unique perspective in this role, following my years at Petronas”, said Shafriman.
It is going to be tough times ahead, but Shafriman already has plans to tackle the business shortfall in the short term, strategising the way forward amidst the current economic uncertainties. In the mid-term, he targets to focus on operation excellence, governance and process control, with sustainability efforts and new partnerships being long-term focus areas.
Since 8 October 2008, Dato’ Razlan has been on the helm of Sepang Circuit for just over 11 years and now will be focusing full time on his role as Team Principal of Petronas Sepang Racing Team in MotoGP.
“It has been an amazing journey leading the Sepang International Circuit team”, said Dato’ Razlan. “Although I will still be around as the Team Principal of Petronas Sepang Racing Team, I am definitely going to miss working alongside the SIC team. I wish them and the new CEO great success”, he added.
