RHB group CMO departs

RHB Banking Group's group chief marketing officer Abdul Sani Abdul Murad (pictured) has stepped down from his role after nine years with the financial services group.

Sani announced his departure in a LinkedIn post, where he reflected on his time at RHB and thanked colleagues, agency partners and the wider marketing community.

Speaking to A+M, Sani said the decision to step down came after feeling it was the right time to close one chapter and embrace new experiences.

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"Nine years feels like a good chapter to conclude. Every organisation benefits from fresh perspectives, and I believe careers benefit from the same principle," he said.

He added that the move was not about walking away from the organisation, but about creating space for new ideas and new ways of contributing. Drawing a parallel with the marketing profession, Sani said the strongest brands evolve before they are forced to, and he believes careers deserve the same discipline.

Reflecting on his tenure, Sani said he was most proud of helping position marketing as a strategic business function rather than simply a communications discipline.

According to Sani, the team demonstrated that marketing could influence customer behaviour, shape organisational culture and create commercial value, while also building an environment where curiosity, creativity and challenging convention were encouraged. He added: 

What I'm most proud of is helping build a marketing function that earned a seat at the strategic table.

In his LinkedIn post, Sani also paid tribute to his marketing team, describing them as challengers of convention who believed creativity was a way of solving problems rather than simply a function within the business. He added that the team's achievements were the result of a collective effort, while thanking agency and media partners for encouraging work that pushed beyond conventional briefs and benchmarks.

Reflecting on his legacy, Sani said he hopes to be remembered for fostering curiosity within the organisation, encouraging colleagues to ask better questions rather than simply seeking quicker answers.

He added that helping develop marketers who go on to surpass his own achievements would be among the most meaningful legacies he could leave behind.

Looking ahead, Sani said he intends to take time to reset before deciding on his next move.

"I'm giving myself the luxury of a reset," he said. "After nearly a decade in one organisation, it's healthy to pause, reflect, learn and have conversations without rushing towards a predefined destination."

Sani joined RHB Banking Group as group chief marketing officer in 2017 after spending nearly a decade as head of marketing at HSBC Malaysia. Before HSBC, he spent 14 years at Unilever, where he held a number of marketing leadership positions including brand manager and senior marketing manager.

Addressing the transition, Sani confirmed that a successor has already been identified as part of RHB Banking Group's succession planning. He added that he is confident the marketing function is in capable hands, expressing confidence that the team will continue to build on the foundations established over the past nine years.

During his tenure, Sani oversaw a number of the bank's purpose-led marketing campaigns. Earlier this year, RHB continued its run of socially driven festive storytelling with its Chinese New Year film "Dignity", inspired by the true story of Komuniti Tukang Jahit and its work empowering women from Malaysia's B40 community through sewing skills and sustainable income opportunities.

The bank later followed with its Hari Raya campaign, "Ruang Harapan (Hope)", created with THE SHOUT GROUP. Inspired by the true story of Buku Jalanan Chow Kit founder Siti Rahayu Baharin, the film highlighted the importance of inclusive education and compassion through the experiences of an alternative learning centre supporting marginalised children in Kuala Lumpur.

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