Christoph Mueller may be Malaysia Airlines' best shot

MALAYSIA'S Khazanah Nasional has taken an unusual gambit by hiring German national Christoph Mueller to rescue sick and tragedy- struck Malaysia Airlines (MAS).

This is a radical shift in Malaysia Inc's corporate culture and marks the first time in the history of the country's government-linked companies (GLCs) that a foreigner has been picked as boss, a job almost always reserved for ethnic Malays.

But that's secondary to the fact that for Malaysia's state-controlled airline, this would be the first time in its long and chequered history that an industry veteran - one armed with battle-ready credentials, no less - will have a shot at resuscitating the weather-beaten carrier.