Miri: The plane hummed steadily as it descended towards Miri. Shalby Reduan gazed out the window at the familiar coastline - oil platforms dotting the horizon, fishing boats rocking gently, and the streets where he had grown up. After decades of travelling and leading across Malaysia and beyond, he was finally returning home - not as a boy, but as the Senior General Manager of PETRONAS Carigali Sdn Bhd - Sarawak Asset.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Shalby was born on March 19, 1972, in Miri, an oil town where he spent his formative years. His roots, however, stretched to Kuching, as his late father hailed from Kampung Muda Hashim and his late mother from Kampung Tanjung. As the youngest child in the family, Shalby was quiet and observant, preferring to watch rather than speak.
His father, among the few Bumiputera senior staff at an oil and gas company at the time, instilled discipline, professionalism, and integrity. His mother brought warmth and empathy to the household with her charming personality. Shalby attributes his balanced leadership style to the influence of both parents.
Educational pursuits took him far from home during his teenage years. After primary and secondary schooling at St. Joseph's, he moved to MARA Junior Science College (MRSM) Balik Pulau in Penang. He completed matriculation in Kuching and Kuala Pilah before earning an honours degree in Mechanical and Materials Engineering from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).
Despite his aspiration to join the oil and gas industry, the 1990s recession limited opportunities. He began his career at contractor companies serving both oil and gas and non-oil and gas projects in Malaysia and Thailand. In January 2002, he joined an oil and gas company as an Instrument Engineer but soon transitioned to operations, a move that aligned with his passion for people and processes, marking the beginning of his true career journey with PETRONAS.
Shalby's career with PETRONAS involved extensive offshore work in Sarawak and Sabah as Offshore Installation Manager, focusing on production, safety, and team welfare. His leadership journey took him across Malaysia and beyond, including leading gas production operations in Peninsular Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic and overseeing PETRONAS' exit from South Sudan in 2024.
In June 2025, Shalby returned to Miri as the Senior General Manager of PETRONAS Carigali Sdn Bhd - Sarawak Asset. As the 19th head of the asset, he carries the responsibility of guiding local talents and balancing operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability. His vision is to deliver efficient, sustainable operations while nurturing local talent, ensuring growth for Sarawak and the nation.
Shalby's leadership reflects the traits of his late parents: disciplined and focused like his father, warm and friendly like his mother. Looking ahead, he envisions Sarawak Asset as a benchmark for excellence, aiming to be the best, deliver value, and create sustainable growth. His journey illustrates PETRONAS' role in transforming local talent into global leaders who return to uplift their communities, embodying the company's mission to power progress for Sarawak and Malaysia.