RHB Bank has appointed former CelcomDigi CEO Datuk Mohamad Idham Nawawi as an independent non-executive director, effective 7 May 2026. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, the bank said the 58-year-old executive brings with him more than 30 years of experience across the telecommunications, technology, and corporate sectors. Apart from his new appointment at RHB Bank, Idham currently also serves as a director of RHB Islamic Bank.
Back in August 2025, CelcomDigi announced that Idham would be stepping down as CEO at the end of the month due to what the company described as “personal reasons”. The telco also confirmed at the time that he would remain as adviser to the board, marking the end of nearly three years at the helm following the merger between Celcom and Digi on 30 November 2022.
During his leadership, Idham was credited with spearheading Celcom’s transformation efforts and revitalising the company’s performance. He was also regarded as one of the key figures behind the completion of the merger, which ultimately led to the formation of CelcomDigi as it exists today.
Idham began his career as an engineer with Carl Zeiss in the early 1990s before joining IBM Malaysia as an account manager, a role he held until 1994. His foothold in the telecommunications industry began after joining Maxis as general manager, a position he held until 2005 before moving on to become head of corporate strategy, regulatory, and corporate communications at Indonesia’s AXIS Telekom.
In 2009, he joined Packet One Networks (P1) as COO, where he remained until 2011. He later served as managing consultant at Incite Consulting while also working as a senior consultant for Axiata Group in 2012, before eventually taking on the role of the group’s chief corporate officer until 2018 and later becoming CEO of Celcom Axiata.
Idham most recently served as adviser to the board of CelcomDigi from 1 September to 30 November 2025, following his tenure as CEO of the telco from 1 December 2022 to 31 August 2025. Prior to leading CelcomDigi, he was CEO of Celcom Axiata between September 2018 and November 2022, while also serving as group chief corporate officer at Axiata Group from 2012 to 2018.
(Source: The Edge Malaysia)
