Riad Asmat's career has been driven by a passion for
motorsports. Soon after graduating from Western Michigan
University, Riad 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 Riad developed a sponsorship
programme for several racing drivers.
His interest in motorsports reached its pinnacle when he joined
Proton in 2006. At Proton, Riad, 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.
Riad played a central role in Proton's motorsports programme which
included 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 A1 Grand Prix.
Riad'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, Riad 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.