Zarina Nalla
Director of Project Engagement at the GCEO’s office, TalentCorp Malaysia
short
biography
Moderator ZARINA NALLA is currently Director of Project Engagement at the GCEO’s office at TalentCorp Malaysia. She is former Chief Operating Officer & Acting Chief Executive Officer Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER). She is a highly accomplished professional with a wealth of experience in various fields.
She started her career as a research assistant to Dr Noordin Sopiee of Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS Malaysia), to whom she credits much of her early training and appreciation for policy work. Zarina was later tasked, to set up a think tank called the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS), Malaysia and became its Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer. She was also the Head of the Policy Unit, showcasing her expertise in research, publication, and policy development.
Zarina has also served as the Head of the UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies Anticipating Sustainability & Well-Being at IIUM, where she worked closely with international experts on mainstreaming the foresight framework.
Transitioning to the corporate sector, Zarina worked in public policy consulting, where she led a project on the economic development of the Halal industry in Malaysia, when she was attached to IA Consulting (iAC). She also led an economic project for Sabah for Booz Allen & Hamilton which later became Strategy &, part of the Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
She has spoken on D&I, interfaith relations, and education. She has also written several opinion pieces and articles in the press and academic journals. Zarina holds a B.A. with First Class Honours in Political Science from IIUM (1994) and an M.A. in Economics and International Relations from SOAS, University of London (1996). In 2002, she earned her M.B.A. from the University of Birmingham.