Paid the big bucks: Rohana well-heeled, even without Leissner

KUALA LUMPUR – Former Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Rohana Rozhan has been the subject of controversy lately after disgraced former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner alleged she blackmailed him out of a US$10 million (RM41.9 million) home in London.

But even with her former lover purportedly buying her silence on his involvement in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal, reports of Rohana’s income show the top executive is indeed deep-pocketed.

This is because previous reports have noted she is one of Malaysia’s highest-paid CEOs in recent memory, making the possibility of her owning property worth millions well within her reach.

In 2019 alone, Rohana made it to the top 10 list of Malaysia’s highest-paid CEOs, raking in a whopping RM13.17 million the year before. This means that Rohana, on average, earned upward of RM1.097 million a month prior to her departure from the media conglomerate in January 2019.

According to the New Straits Times, the Securities Commission’ Corporate Governance Monitor 2019 (CG Monitor 2019) – which tracks the remuneration of CEOs of the top 100 companies listed on Bursa Malaysia – listed Rohana alongside the likes of IOI Corp’s Datuk Lee Yeow Chor (RM39.1 million), and Maxis’ CEO Robert Nason (RM31.8 million).

Also on the list were Sapura Energy CEO Tan Sri Shahril Shamsuddin (RM71.92 million), AirAsia Group’s Tan Sri Tony Fernandes (RM23.5 million), and YTL Corp managing director Datuk Yeoh Seok Kian (RM13.67 million).

However, Genting Group’s Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay emerged tops on the list, earning a total of RM248.61 million.

Screenshots of Astro’s 2016 and 2017 annual reports shared by Twitter user Datuk Jahat Hensem in 2018 showed that Rohana was earning well within the same bracket for the corresponding years.

Rohana was Astro TV and MBNS Multimedia Technologies’ CEO since 2006, before she became Astro Malaysia Holding Bhd’s group CEO in 2016.

In 2016, she took home a total of RM10.6 million, and this increased by nearly 30%, or RM3.1 million, to RM13.826 million the following year.

By comparison, former CIMB Bhd group CEO Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz – who is now finance minister – was paid RM7.6mil in 2016 and RM9.8 mil in 2017.

2. Astro
Dato' Rohana Rozhan
Executive Director & GCEO
FY2016: RM10,683,000
FY2017: RM13,826,000
Increment: RM3,143,000 (29.42%) pic.twitter.com/bvEoQH1IkY

— Datuk Jahat Hensem (@datukhensem) March 30, 2018

3. CIMB
Tengku Dato’ Sri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz
GCEO
FY2016: RM7,611,000
FY2017: RM9,861,000
Increment: RM2,250,000 (29.56%) pic.twitter.com/YU1o9gqt5k

— Datuk Jahat Hensem (@datukhensem) March 30, 2018

According to Bloomberg, Rohana, a Harvard Business School and University of Kent alumnus, remains a board member of Astro Overseas Ltd and Media Innovations Pte Ltd Group.

She is also listed on Bloomberg as a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Cost & Management Accountants and as a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.

Meanwhile, independent news site Newsunzip reported Rohana’s current net worth to be approximately US$4 million to US$6 million, noting that the business executive was born into a “well-settled” family as her late father was Tan Sri Rozhan Kuntom, a former Public Service Department director-general.

For her professional achievements, Rohana has also been a recipient of numerous awards, including CNBC’s Asia Business Leaders award in 2016 and the Toastmasters’ Golden Gavel Award in 2014.

On Saturday, Rohana confirmed that she had given her statement to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission over the allegations, saying she had given them her full cooperation in their investigations.

On February 23, Leissner had revealed to the United States justice system his alleged affair with Rohana and how she allegedly blackmailed him for a US$10 million home in the United Kingdom.

Bloomberg had reported that the pair had a relationship between 2003 to 2013, after which Leissner called it off so he could be with his then future wife, Kimora Lee Simmons, a model and celebrity in the US.

He added that he disclosed his affair with Rohana to his then-boss, former Goldman Asia head Richard Gnodde.

Leissner claimed that it was a sensitive issue because the investment bank had businesses with Astro, and Gnodde told him to “be careful about relationships with clients”. – The Vibes, February 28, 2022