Appointed as Vice Chancellor from 2005 until 2012​​​​

LEADING THE TRANSFORMATION

Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Kasim’s career had already stretched to nearly three decades when he agreed to become Rector (and later Vice Chancellor) of Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) – a role, he says, which he enjoyed the most throughout his entire career at the national oil corporation.

But when he was first approached, he was hesitant. “It meant moving to Tronoh, a town I had never heard of. Was it Tronoh or Trolak, I asked myself. At the time, I had never been separated from family and I was headed towards retirement, so I was not interested in the job. But I changed my mind within the same day. I like interacting with young people and to share my life experiences, so I thought why not give it a try.” This led to a seven-and-a-half year tenure (2005–2012), which was peppered with numerous challenges, highlights and memories, which the 64-year-old cherishes to this day. So meaningful were his years at UTP that each time he sets foot on the campus he feels a profound sense of nostalgia.

His affection for the university and its team appear to be reciprocated. At his farewell dinner in October 2012 there was a moving tribute from the then Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academic Professor Ir Dr Ahmad Fadzil Mohamad Hani. The outpouring of emotion from the staff and students was understandable given that it was under Dr Zainal’s tenure that UTP embarked on the journey that would transform the university from one focused on teaching and learning to one that emphasised research and development.

The university’s Transformation Plan was his brainchild, and among other things the plan refocused UTP’s research efforts and ensured that the research undertaken was aligned with PETRONAS and the country’s aspirations and directions. “I found that some of the research had been done for research sake. The challenge therefore was how to do research that would be of real use to the industry, and there was also the issue of creating a research culture.”

The Transformation Plan, which was completed in 2010, yielded impressive results. In 2007, 55% of the academic staff were principal investigators but by the time Dr Zainal left UTP in 2012, this had increased to almost 100%. Similarly, research publications grew from one publication per capita in 2007 to an average of 2.5 publications per capita in 2012. When Dr Zainal came on board, UTP did not have any patents registered under its name, but by his departure there were 12 patents granted and a further 11 already commercialised.

To ensure that UTP remained industry relevant, under Dr Zainal’s stewardship the university brought world class programmes through strategic partnership such as Heriott Watt (MSc Petroleum Engineering), University of Manchester (MSc Process Integration) and Institut Français du Pétrole (MSc Petroleum Geoscience). Deeper ties with the industry were forged during Dr Zainal’s tenure, among them the Professorial Chairs with Shell, Schlumberger and Mitsubishi, and MoUs on training and development, sponsorship of software technologies, to name a few.

Beyond these contributions, Dr Zainal is fondly remembered for his generosity, in particular the time spent with students, staff and alumni. In his speech at the farewell, Dr Ahamd Fadzil said: “The most notable and appreciated quality of Datuk Dr Zainal is his genuine warmth and concern over his people (which) springs from his sincere interest to develop his people, both the employees and the students.

“I am always, and still am, amazed by Datuk’s ability to motivate everyone around him, especially the students. As a lecturer myself, I find it an excruciating task to motivate them, but for Datuk, it seems a breeze. When you are with the students, you are at ease – you can sing, you can dance and you can even play music with them – and not many of us can do the same.”

On his last night at the university, Dr Zainal spent three hours talking to the students – offering advice and sharing his personal experiences. “I believe in setting a good example and I always tell students to have these three senses – sense of purpose, sense of urgency and common sense. With these you get a balanced life and life becomes meaningful,” says Dr Zainal who is now a board member of Yayasan UTP.

That the former Vice Chancellor left such an impact on the people at UTP stems from the fact that he made UTP his home – driving back to his wife and family in Kuala Lumpur on Friday nights and returning to UTP on Sunday afternoons, a routine he kept for the seven-plus years.

Dr Zainal began his career with PETRONAS in 1976, at the Laboratory Services Department, which would later become the Petroleum Research Institute, and subsequently renamed PETRONAS Research & Scientific Services Sdn Bhd (PRSS). In 2000, he was appointed the General Manager of PETRONAS Technology Resource Management Division (TRM), and in 2004, he became the General Manager of Group Technology and Capability Management.

Of all the roles, he has held, Dr Zainal maintains that his tenure in UTP remains the most memorable. “This was the best job and the one I enjoyed the most since I joined PETRONAS in 1976.”​​