Saturday, 25 October 2008, Kuching: CMS Group Deputy Chairman, Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib, was honoured by the Sarawak State Government as the sole recipient of the prestigious “Panglima Negara Bintang Sarawak (PNBS)” award in conjunction with the 87 th birthday of the Governor of Sarawak today. The award carries the title “Dato Sri”.

The ceremony in which Sarawak 's Head of State, Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Muhammad Salahuddin, presented the new Dato Sri Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib with his award was held in Kuching earlier today. The event was attended by the Sarawak Chief Minister and local dignitaries.

Dato Sri Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib, aged 44 years, has been a Board Member of CMS since 1995. Instrumental in the founding of Sarawak 's first stock-broking company, Dato Sri Mahmud has also played a pivotal role in the construction and construction materials operations of CMS. He assumed the position of Group Deputy Chairman of CMS in 2002.

More recently, Dato Sri Mahmud was appointed as Group Chairman of UBG Berhad where he plays an active role in the evolution of the former financial services group into a diversified group of companies. UBG is today pursuing new business interests both in Sarawak and beyond. These include potential deals in Peninsula Malaysia and the Middle East .