Dato’ Zainal Abidin qualified as a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and is a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants and the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Dato’ Zainal Abidin sits on the Boards of CIMB Group, CIMB Investment Bank and Southeast Asia Special Asset Management Berhad. He is the Chairman of CIMB Bank and Touch ’n Go Sdn Bhd.

He has extensive experience in audit, management consulting and taxation, having been involved as a practicing accountant and consultant throughout his career. He was formerly the Country Managing Partner of Messrs Hanafiah Raslan and Mohamad which merged with Messrs Arthur Andersen in 1990 and was an Adviser with Messrs Ernst & Young Malaysia, until his retirement on 31 December 2004. Dato’ Zainal Abidin was the Chairman of Pengurusan Danaharta Nasional Berhad up to December 2005 when it ceased operations. He is also the Past President of the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Malaysian Accounting Standards Board and previously served as a member of the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission. He was also previously a member of the Investment Panel of the Employees Provident Fund.

Dato’ Zainal Abidin sits on the boards of other publicly listed companies and is currently the Chairman of Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad and Land & General Berhad. He also sits on the boards of Petron Malaysia Refining and Marketing Berhad (formerly known as ESSO Malaysia Berhad) and Tenaga Nasional Berhad. He holds directorships in a number of private companies including as Chairman of Mobile Money International Sdn Bhd. He is a Trustee of the National Heart Institute Foundation (IJNF) and the Perdana Leadership Foundation. Dato’ Zainal Abidin is also a member of Perbadanan Putrajaya.