Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir previously held the position of Vice President, Downstream Marketing, Petroliam Nasional Berhad (“PETRONAS”) and also served as Managing Director of PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad. He began his career as a Project Engineer with PETRONAS Gas Sdn Bhd in 1987, before joining PETRONAS in 1992 as Senior Executive of the company’s Corporate Planning & International Business Development unit.

He then left to join HICOM Holdings Berhad in 1995, where he assumed various senior positions in the company. In 1999, he lent his expertise to PERODUA when appointed Senior General Manager. Subsequently, he was appointed Executive Director of PERODUA Auto Corporation Sdn Bhd in 2002 and later promoted to Deputy Managing Director of PERODUA in October 2005.

Thereafter, he also held various key positions in established corporations including Proton Holdings Berhad as Group Managing Director, RHB Bank Berhad and RHB Islamic Bank Berhad as Independent Non-Executive Director. In July 2018, he was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Universiti Teknologi MARA until January 2021.

He is currently the Chairman of PAA Digital Trade Alliance, the first global alliance that aims to promote and provide secure and value-adding IT infrastructure and facilities for efficient global trade and logistics. Additionally, he serves as a Director at Cahya Mata Oiltools Sdn. Bhd. and Cahya Mata Cement Sdn. Bhd. He is also the Chairman of PUSRAWI Heritage Sdn. Bhd., and a Council Member of the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan – MAIWP).

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from University of Maryland, United States of America.