This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on June 19, 2017 - June 25, 2017

MARKET talk has it that Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir, formerly of Proton Holdings Bhd and Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua), could be appointed to a senior position at state-controlled Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas).

Two separate sources say Syed Zainal is set to join the national oil company in July as vice-president of marketing and downstream business.

What else Petronas may have in store for him is not known at press time.

“He took a break, did his own thing for a while, but he’s back. There is a dearth of talent in corporate Malaysia … it was a matter of time before he came back,” says one source.

Syed Zainal could not be contacted for comment. A check reveals that he has vast experience in various sectors, including oil and gas, automotive and health supplements.

His experience in the auto industry and familiarity with Perodua’s partners Daihatsu and Toyota, as well as his involvement in Lotus, could help in Petronas’ retail and lubricant business, and high-performance cars, among others.

He made a name as a capable leader in leading the team at Proton, and was able to get everyone on the same page to do what was best for the car maker.

Interestingly, Syed Zainal began his career as a project engineer with Petronas Gas Bhd in 1987, before moving on to parent Petronas as senior executive at the corporate planning and international business development unit.

After eight years in the oil and gas arena, his first stint in the automotive industry was with Hicom Holdings Bhd (now DRB-Hicom Bhd) in 1995, where he rose to become CEO of Hicom’s commercial vehicle unit.

After four years at Hicom, he moved on to Perodua where he rose to become deputy managing director in October 2005. A few months later, in early 2006, he was appointed managing director of Proton, a position he held for more than six years. He was also a director of Proton’s wholly-owned unit Group Lotus PLC and its units, Lotus Engineering and Lotus Cars Ltd.

“Two of the largest-selling Malaysian cars are the Myvi and the Saga, both built under Syed Zainal’s direction at the two car companies. He’s a good leader and has a sense of what will work — in the auto industry at least. He is a good fit in Petronas,” says the second source.

From 2013 to 2016, Syed Zainal was an executive director at Bioalpha Holdings Bhd, whose mainstay is the production of health supplements.

After his Proton stint, he generally kept a low profile. Among other things, he ran a business, CMS Consortium Sdn Bhd, dealing in electric and hybrid cars.

In 2015, he was appointed an independent non-executive director of RHB Bank Bhd and RHB Islamic Bank Bhd.

Syed Zainal holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Maryland in the US.

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