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| © Lotus |
| Group CEO, Caterham |
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| Nationality |
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Malaysian |
| Date of Birth |
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17th November, 1971 |
| Place of Birth |
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Petaling Jaya, Malaysia |
Riad Asmat’s career has been driven by a passion for motorsports. Soon after graduating from Western Michigan University, Asmat joined the world’s premier sportswear company, Nike. Based in Malaysia, he joined the public relations division. It was at Nike where he cultivated his deep passion and love for sports.
As part of his role with Nike, he had to work closely with the various government agencies, sports associations and sports officials. While his personal interest was sports, he was equally committed to achieving the objectives of his company and enhancing Nike’s image and position in the Malaysian sports market.
His obsession for sports has been a major factor throughout his career. While he enjoyed sports, from football and karting to golf, his keen interest in motorsports developed further when he joined the Sepang International Circuit. This became evident when he was with the courier company UPS where Asmat developed a sponsorship programme for several race car drivers.
His interest in motorsports reached its pinnacle when he joined Proton in 2006. At Proton, Asmat with his vast experience in running the operations in global companies (like at UPS) combined with the personal keenness in motorsports, was soon able to help the national car company further develop its motorsports programme.
Asmat played a central role in Proton’s motorsports programme which includes R3 and the Proton Axle Team. He was in charge of overseeing the various motorsports programmes and managed, from Proton’s end, the company’s involvement in the A1 Grand Prix.
Asmat's expertise and vast experience in operations has resulted in Proton’s motorsports programmes being developed to a fairly successful level. Under his belt, new Malaysian-managed motor racing teams have been created and young potential Malaysian drivers have been given the opportunity to race.
As Caterham group CEO Asmat provides the sort of dynamic and success-oriented leadership that the parent company and the Anglo-Malaysian team requires. His knowledge of motorsports coupled with his vast experience contributes daily to the success of the team.