Hajah Shariah Nelly has been with PETRONAS for 30 years where she has held various management positions and undertaken key roles across the organisation.

As the Chief Executive Officer of Yayasan PETRONAS, she has led a deliberate shift towards an outcome driven approach to creating lasting social impact through the implementation of the foundation’s Theory of Change framework, which has strengthened coherence across programmes and teams by ensuring that interventions are intentionally linked to sustainable societal outcomes rather than standalone outputs. More importantly, the development of the Theory of Change has facilitated in identifying white spaces where Yayasan PETRONAS can further strengthen its contributions across its three pillars: Education, Community Wellbeing and Development, and Environment.

Prior to her current role, Nelly served as Head of Human Capital Investment, where she drove PETRONAS’ Education Sponsorship Programme to create a sustainable pipeline of high calibre, well-rounded talents for the company and nation.

Her notable contributions include spearheading the construction of Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (MRSM) and Asrama Harian Luar Bandar (AHLB) facilities in Sabah and Sarawak. These initiatives expanded access to quality education for children in rural communities and fostered collaborative working relationships with federal and state authorities.