Asia-Pacific Power List 2025: Abdul Sani Abdul Murad, RHB Banking Group

Abdul Sani Abdul Murad

Group chief marketing officer
RHB Banking Group
Malaysia
Member since 2023 

As group CMO, Abdul Sani Abdul Murad is behind RHB Banking Group’s standout results and reputation, blending sharp strategy with creative firepower.

2024 was record-breaking for RHB. The bank hit its highest-ever dividend payout—43 sen per share—posted an 11% year-on-year growth, and delivered a core net profit of RM3.12 billion ($749 million). Sani’s focus on meaningful financial products paid off, especially with the RHB MySiswa Debit Card-i, a collaboration with the Higher Education Ministry that generated RM3.8 billion ($912 million) in fixed deposits and RM436 million ($105 million ) in CASA, making banking more accessible for students.

Under his watch, the bank was crowned as the top preferred brand in its category at the local Putra Brand Awards. The 2024 Hari Raya ‘Forgiveness’ campaign swiped Gold at the YouTube Works Southeast Asia Awards and became Malaysia’s top brand campaign of the year. RHB’s creative spark also won Kantar BrandZ’s Best Creative for Festivity, and the bank landed on TIME’s 500 Best Companies in Asia-Pacific—a rare feat for Malaysia.

Partnerships with The Star Media Group, Taylor’s University and KidZania helped boost financial literacy and open doors for SMEs. The #JomSapot and #JomBiz drives spearheaded by the bank's marketing teams lend tangible support to small businesses and entrepreneurs. The RHB Empower Programme even put neurodiversity on the map with its Lunar New Year film ‘Acceptance.’

His vision stretches to a broader impact on businesses, communities, and the economy. Under his stewardship, RHB supported post-pandemic recovery for travel agencies via MATA, introduced a co-branded Shell credit card to ease financial strain, and pushed forward sustainability by subsidising EV charging costs with ChargeEV.

Sani’s dedication to marketing excellence shines through his commitment to developing talent both within RHB and across the wider industry in Malaysia. A regular speaker at industry forums and judge at the APAC and Malaysia Effie Awards, he is dedicated to raising standards and mentoring the next generation of marketers.