Malakoff Corporation Berhad (MALAKOFF), Malaysia’s largest independent power producer has appointed Zainal Abidin Jalil, 52, as its Chief Executive Officer, effective March 15, 2011.

Having spent over 28 years with ExxonMobil, in significant leadership positions across North America, West Africa and the Asia Pacific regions, Zainal brings with him international experience and expertise in strategic planning, new business development, operations, capital project engineering and talent management. His leadership experience in the high-technology capital-intensive industry will support Malakoff’s aspiration to become a leading power industry player in the region.

The appointment marks a return to Malaysia for Zainal, who was based in Houston, Texas, United States as the Global Lead for the deployment of joint venture best practices for the international petroleum company’s global operations. Prior to this functional assignment in the ExxonMobil Headquarters, Zainal was the Vice-President, Esso Exploration Angola and the General Manager of Operations for ExxonMobil Malaysia.

“As a Malaysian who was based overseas, I am excited to be home after having worked abroad for many years. The power sector is a dynamic industry and it demands both the business acumen and technical expertise to be a successful operator of scale,” commented Zainal.

“I am keen to bring global best practices in execution excellence and operating discipline to capture sustainable value from the power projects, both new and existing assets. Our focus is on profitable growth with a strong global presence.”

Zainal holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering from the University of Queensland, Australia.