Dato’ Zainal, aged 80, a Malaysian, was appointed as Non-Independent Non-Executive Chairman of TM on 1 August 2023.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), as well as a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) and the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA).

Dato’ Zainal was formerly the Country Managing Partner of Messrs Hanafiah Raslan & Mohamad and later served as an Adviser at Messrs Ernst & Young Malaysia until his retirement in 2005. He has extensive experience in audit and assurance, having served as a practising accountant across a wide range of industries, including banking, insurance, energy, transportation, manufacturing, plantations, property, hospitality, investment companies, unit trusts and public sector agencies. He also possesses an expertise in taxation and management consultancy, particularly in mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring and public listings.

He is currently the Chairman of Yayasan Telekom Malaysia (YTM) and several other companies including Land & General Berhad and Tokio Marine Insurance (Malaysia) Berhad. He also sits on the boards of several private limited companies.

Dato’ Zainal also serves as a Trustee of MICPA Education Trust Fund and a Trustee of IJN Foundation. He was previously a Director of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, CIMB Bank Berhad, Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad, Pengurusan Danaharta Nasional Berhad, Petron Malaysia Refining & Marketing Berhad and Touch ‘n Go Sdn Bhd.