Datuk Zainal Abidin has had a distinguished career in public service, highlighted by his roles as Secretary General in various ministries. Most recently, he served as Secretary General of the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation from October 2021 to August 2022, and before that, as Secretary General of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government from March 2020 to October 2021.

Datuk Zainal Abidin's tenure as Secretary General included significant contributions to national policies and development initiatives. He also served as Deputy Secretary General (Security) at the Ministry of Home Affairs from March 2019 to March 2020 and as Deputy Secretary General (Finance & Development) in the Prime Minister's Department from June 2016 to March 2019.

His leadership roles extend to Senior Division Secretary (Management) at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Deputy Director General at the National Civics Bureau, and Division Secretary at the Inspectorate Division of the Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing, and Local Government. In the Ministry of Higher Education, he held key positions, including Division Secretary of the Human Resource Management and Scholarship Divisions.

Datuk Zainal Abidin has been actively involved in governance, serving on the boards of MIMOS Berhad, MRANTI, Malaysian Technology Development Corporation Sdn Bhd, CIDB, MAVCAP, MIGHT, SKMM, and PKNS. His dedication to public service has been recognised with awards such as the Commander of the Order of the Territorial Crown (P.M.W) and the Honorary Medal from the Fire Department. Currently, Datuk Zainal Abidin is a Trustee at Yayasan Inovasi Malaysia (YIM).

Yayasan Inovasi Malaysia

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