PETRONAS Elevates Strategic Storytelling as Arni Laily Takes the Helm

By The Malketeer

PETRONAS has named Arni Laily Anwarrudin as its senior general manager of strategic communications, effective 1 November 2025 — signalling a sharpened, more integrated communications agenda as Malaysia’s national energy company steps deeper into its PETRONAS 2.0 transformation era.

In her expanded remit, Arni now oversees enterprise-wide communications across one of the world’s most diversified energy portfolios — from upstream oil and gas and LNG shipping to downstream refining, petrochemicals, renewables, and future energy initiatives.

PETRONAS products and partnerships today reach more than 90 countries; its story spans oceans, supply chains, geopolitical realities, and energy transition commitments.

A New Chapter of Strategic Clarity

Reporting to Norafizal Mat Saad, vice president of group strategic relations and communications, Arni’s appointment consolidates brand management, media relations, sponsorships, internal and external communications, and social impact under a singular strategic lens.

It is a move that underscores PETRONAS’ ambition to tell its story with clarity, confidence, and cohesion — without oversimplifying the complexity of an integrated energy ecosystem.

“We’re a 50-year-young organisation delivering across the full energy value chain,” Arni said.

“Our task isn’t to simplify that story, but to tell it with clarity and conviction — so that every part of PETRONAS echoes the same vibration of passion for progress, grounded in our purpose under PETRONAS 2.0.”

That conviction matters.

The energy narrative is no longer fuel-focused — it is future-focused.

Stakeholders are not only asking what PETRONAS does, but why and how it does it. In this environment, coherence is credibility.

Bringing the Energy Transition Conversation Home to Asia

Arni will continue to lead Energy Asia — PETRONAS’ bi-annual thought leadership platform, already recognised as a key voice in shaping the region’s energy transition debate.

That continuity sends a clear signal: PETRONAS intends to remain a convenor of conversations, not simply a participant.

Energy is not a monologue. It is a dialogue across regulators, partners, investors, communities, and global markets.

And in Asia, where growth and climate goals intersect sharply, these conversations are only getting louder — and more nuanced.

From Ventures to Vision

Arni’s previous leadership roles — including head of PETRONAS Ventures and head of M&A within the same division — add a layer of strategic judgement to the mandate.

Having sat at the intersection of investment, innovation, and business transformation, she brings a forward-leaning perspective that aligns with PETRONAS’ longer-term pivot towards cleaner molecules, lower-carbon solutions, and technology-enabled value creation.

This is not just about managing a brand. It is about narrating a business model evolution — one with national significance and global scrutiny.

What Marketers Can Learn

1) Complexity is not the enemy — vagueness is.
Energy stories are multi-layered. The future belongs to communicators who can honour complexity without drowning audiences in jargon.

2) Thought leadership goes far beyond press releases.
To shape an industry, you must host the conversation — not just react to it. PETRONAS’ Energy Asia play is a masterclass in agenda-setting.

3) Trust now comes from inside-out.
When employees understand and believe the mission, the market follows. Internal alignment is the new brand equity.

4) Tech is now a comms superpower.
AI, platforms, data — they’re not tools, they’re levers for influence, clarity, and credibility.

5) Sustainability isn’t a campaign — it’s the business model.
Audiences can spot “green gloss”. What people want today is honesty, roadmap, and proof of progress.

6) Energy transition needs storytellers, not slogans.
Narratives that blend ambition with responsibility will carry more weight than punchlines.

7) Asia’s story deserves Asian voices.
Regional context matters. Global narratives don’t always fit local realities — leaders who anchor their storytelling in place will lead perception.

For Malaysia’s communications industry, Arni’s appointment is a reminder that the next wave of brand building sits at the intersection of policy, business, sustainability, and innovation.

Energy companies aren’t just managing perception — they’re shaping public understanding of the region’s economic trajectory.

This is a pivotal moment for PETRONAS as it navigates energy transition realities, diversified growth ambitions, and a fast-evolving stakeholder landscape.

Arni’s appointment reinforces a strategic truth: strong communications leadership is not optional when the stakes involve national energy security, global decarbonisation pathways, and industrial transformation.

The brand story is only getting bigger. And now, it has a stronger conductor.