"Uniting Hearts, Building Futures"
YAM TUNKU ZAINAL-'ABIDIN IBNI TUANKU MUHRIZ
Tunku Zain Al-'Abidin is Founding President of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs; Pro-Chancellor of UCSI University and Islamic Science University Malaysia, a trustee of several educational and charitable foundations; an advisor or patron to numerous educational and cultural organisations; a committee member of several societies; a columnist in three newspapers and a Royal Fellow of the National University of Malaysia.
An advocate for constitutional restoration and institutional reform in Malaysia and a passion for the arts, Tunku Zain is Founding President of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), a think tank seeking public policy solutions based on the principles of rule of law, liberty and justice.
In the field of education, Tunku Zain is Pro-Chancellor of Islamic Science University Malaysia (USIM) and UCSI University, Trustee of the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, President of ICAN College, Royal Fellow at the National University of Malaysia (UKM), Associate Fellow at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Chairman of Excelerate Malaysia, a leading school for digital skills and External Advisory Board of Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Nottingham Malaysia.
In addition to trusteeships of Yayasan Chow Kit, Yayasan Munarah, Yayasan IDEAS and the Genovasi Foundation, Tunku Zain’s corporate roles include serving as Chairman of Omesti Berhad, Director of Prima Gading Corporation, Group Advisor to UCSI Group of Companies and previously, an Independent Non-Executive Director of Allianz Malaysia Berhad and Kian Joo Can Factory Berhad.
He was a Distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR) in Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and with the passion of the arts he is an advisor, patron or committee member of numerous arts and cultural organisations such as Arts for School in Negeri Sembilan, MAKEN, KLPAC, Chopin Society, Euroasia, Hands Percussion, Society of Malaysian Contemporary Composers.
He was educated at the Kuala Lumpur Alice Smith School, Marlborough College and the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he obtained his MSc in Comparative Politics. He then worked in the UK Houses of Parliament, the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, KRA Group and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
In 2006 he co-founded the Malaysia Think Tank which evolved into the IDEAS. Since 2008 he has maintained a newspaper column across five newspapers, currently #abidinideas in the Star, Sin Chew and Borneo Post. From these articles three books have been compiled. Tunku Zain also authored a book commemorating the Installation of the Eleventh Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan and led a major project to revitalise the State Anthem.