Malaysian telco CelcomDigi has confirmed that its CEO, Datuk Idham Nawawi, will step down at the end of this month.

Nawawi will leave the carrier on August 31, bringing an end to his three-year spell as CEO of the company.

CelcomDigi revealed that Nawawi will leave the company due to personal reasons after three years in charge of the telco. He led the business following the merger of Celcom and Digi in November 2022, when Axiata Group and Telenor combined their two Malaysian units.

Deputy CEO Albern Murty will take up the role of acting CEO from September 1, in addition to his current role.

Nawawi, who joined Celcom Axiata Berhad in 2018, will continue as an advisor to the board until November 30, supporting Murty and the leadership team during this transition period.

“It has been an honour to lead CelcomDigi as the founding CEO, including the historic merger of Celcom and Digi—creating the largest telecommunications company in Malaysia and commemorating a landmark moment in our corporate history," said Nawawi.

"I firmly believe that CelcomDigi is now on a strong footing to propel further as a market leader. Personally, this role has been one of the greatest and most unexpected privileges of my career, and I wish CelcomDigi continued success.”

Celcom said that it will kick off its search for Nawawi's successor.

The telco is the largest in Malaysia with around 20 million mobile subscribers.