KEYNOTE II
SATURDAY 6TH  JULY 2018

Name: TAN SRI DATO' ACADEMICIAN IR (DR) HJ AHMAD ZAIDEE LAIDIN, P.S.M., P.J.N., D.P.M.P., K.M.N., FASc

Education and Qualifications
In 1961, he won a scholarship from Central Electricity Board (now Tenaga Nasional) while studying in Upper Sixth Science in Victoria Institution Kuala Lumpur.

Ahmad Zaidee graduated in Electrical Engineering from Brighton College of Technology (now University of Brighton) in 1966. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Technological Economies (Management & Industrial Science), University of Stirling (1974) and is a registered Professional Engineer with the Board of Engineers Malaysia.

Subsequently he attended several international courses. Among them, at the International Training Centre of the ILO in Turin, 1977, Electricite de France S.A.,1978, Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) Course on Total Quality Control 1980, INSEAD Course on "Transfer of Technology",1980, and Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe (an IAEA Nuclear Research Centre, now part of Karlruhe Institute of Technology),1983.

Professional Work Experience
Zaidee was a Student Apprentice for 12 months in General Electric Company Birmingham, in 1964, and a Graduate Apprentice in NORWEB Macclesfield for six months in 1966 before completing his pupillage in Malaysia in August 1967.

He joined National Electricity Board (NEB) (now known as Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) as a Pupil Engineer in 1966 and appointed as Assistant District Engineer,  covering consumers and electricity distribution (11/33kV) in 1967. He held several positions in NEB. Zaidee helped set up the Institut Latihan Sultan Ahmad Shah (ILSAS) and was its first Director upon completion in 1976 He was Senior Engineer (Headquarters) from 1983-1989 and served as Personal Assistant to the General Manager and CEO, Tan Sri Abu Zarim, and his successor, Tan Sri Jalaluddin Zainuddin.

Zaidee led the NEB transformation team under the late Tan Sri Ani Arope, for the formation of Tenaga Nasional Berhad, from the inception to its establishment in 1990. Zaidee's last post in TNB in 1993 was Deputy General Manager Corporate Services (Management Development Services) TNB. 

In 1994, the Minister of Education Malaysia, appointed him as a Director and CEO of Institut Teknologi MARA (ITM), (now known as University Teknologi MARA or UiTM), and two years later, became the first and only Rector of Institut Teknologi MARA.   In 1999, upon its elevation in status to a university, Datuk Ahmad Zaidee was appointed the first Vice-Chancellor of UiTM.

Professional Affiliation, National, Regional and Global
Datuk Ir Ahmad Zaidee was President of the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) from 1999 to 2001.

He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (1991), as well as Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) (1999) and is currently serving on the councils of both bodies.  He was elected as a Senior Fellow of the Academy (2011) that entitled him to be called an "Academician". He is the current Secretary General of the ASM up to 2017.

He is a Past President of the Federation of Engineering Institutions of Southeast Asia and the Pacific (FEISEAP) (2000-2003) as well as the Honorary Fellow of the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organizations (AFEO). He also served in the Council of World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) from 2003 to 2005.

Zaidee was the first to be a Member of ASEAN Engineers Register. (1999).

Contribution to National Development
In 2000, Datuk Zaidee was appointed by the Prime Minister and was elected chairman of Science and Technology Sub-Committee of MAPEN ll, under the overall Chairmanship of Tun Ahmad Sarji.

He was appointed Chairman of SIRIM Bhd (2001-2004), by the Minister of Finance.

The Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs appointed Datuk Ir Zaidee to be Chairman of Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) (2005-2007).

In 2009 he was appointed to the Advisory Board of Akademi Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi (AKEPT) by the Minister of Higher education. His appointment on the Board has been extended until 2018.

He was appointed as Chairman of Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (2010-2015) by the Minister of Education, and Chairman of UiTM (2015-2018) and made a Member of Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) (2015-2017) by the Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water.

In 2015 he was appointed as the first President of the Malaysia Board of Technologists by the Minister of Science Technology and Innovation.

He was elected Chairman of Chairmen of Lembaga Pengerusi -Pengerusi Lembaga Pengerusi Universiti for two years from Jan 2016 to Dec 2017.

Academically, he is a member of the International Academic Advisory Committee to Universiti Teknologi Petronas,(from 2010 till now), a Board Member of Open University Malaysia and Meteor Learning Sdn. Bhd. ( 2006 to now). He also serves on the Board of Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) from 2004 to now.

In 2017 he was appointed as PNB Research Institute Sdn. Bhd. Research Advisory Panel which wholly owned subsidiary of PNB.

Contribution to Technical Development of the Country
Datuk Ir Zaidee was appointed Councillor for Majlis Perbandaran Shah Alam by the Menteri Besar Selangor, from 1999 to 2002.

Upon retirement from UiTM and TNB, Datuk Ir Ahmad Zaidee was made a Member of the MMC Berhad Board, Chairman of MMC Engineering Berhad and Co-Chairman and Board Member of the MMC-GAMUDA JV for the building of the SMART TUNNEL (2001-2007).

As Chairman of MMC Oil & Gas SDN Bhd., he was involved in the laying of oil pipeline from Khartoum to Port Sudan (2007) a PETRODAR project, an example of exporting of Malaysia's services abroad.

He is a practising electrical engineer and Chairman of ERINCO Sdn. Bhd, an Environmental Engineering Consultancy (2001-now).

He also sits as an Independent Director on the Board of YLI Holdings Bhd (2009-now), a company that produces ductile iron pipes and fittings for waterworks and sewerage industries.

Datuk Zaidee was appointed as a Member of the Board of Engineers by the Minister of Works (1996-2000). He was appointed by Sri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong to be a member of the Appeal Board of the Board of Engineers from 2011 till now.

Contribution to Charitable and Voluntary Services
He was elected to the Council of the Selangor Malay Chamber of Commerce served as Chairman for the IT Bureau. (2002-2013).

He was elected Chairman and Director of Malay Education and Development Research Institute (2010-now), a registered Non-Governmental Organisation.

Contributions to Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM)
Datuk Ir Zaidee was selected to be a Fellow of the Academy in 1999. He served in several elected positions beginning with Council Member (2001-2004), Honorary Treasurer (2005-2007), Vice President (2008-2012), and currently, Secretary General 2015-2017. He was elected as a Senior Fellow in 2011.

Apart from executing the functions of the various posts, he successfully chaired the 22nd Pacific Science Congress in Kuala Lumpur, June 22-18, 2011 in conjunction with Pacific Science Association, an International Science Organisation.

Similarly in 2015, Zaidee chaired the organizing committee for Southeast Asia Regional Workshop in 2015 on "Smart Villages" together with the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Cambridge Malaysian Education and Development Trust and European Academies Science Advisory Council.

As Vice President he represented the President (Tan Sri Dr. Yusoff Basiron) of ASM on a number of occasions at International Meetings in Santiago Chile, Toronto, New Mexico, and London. Malaysia was in the Governing Council of the Inter Academy Panel (now known as Inter Academy Partnership-the Global Network of Science Academies). Zaidee has a strong passion to develop the Network of ASEAN Science Academies (NETASA).

As a Fellow of the Academy, he led several studies.  Three worthy of mention were: first, the adoption of "Industrial PhD" by Malaysian Government as a policy for Malaysian Universities, adapted from the Danish Innovation Fund model. Secondly, the "Rare Earths Industries:Moving Malaysia's Green Economy Forward"initially led by Dato' Lee Yee Cheong (and Zaidee took over to complete the subsequent initiatives). The Report was tabled to the Economic Council and subsequently to members of Parliament. Universiti Malaysia Pahang was engaged by ASM in the successful Town Hall meetings on the subject and the Parliamentary Select Committee Recommendations on Rare Earths.
Thirdly, Tan Sri Zaidee is currently chairing the ASM Committee on the "Science of Halal".

In 2015 Zaidee was one of the five international reviewers of ICSU, (International Council for Science) Regional Office in Kuala Lumpur, representing ASM.

Awards Received
Kesatria Mangku Negara K.M.N. (1982) awarded by Sri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Dato' Paduka Mahkota Perak D.P.M.P. (1995) State Award given by Paduka Sri Sultan of Perak entitled him to be called a "Dato' "
Panglima Jasa Negara P.J.N. (1999) awarded by Sri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, entitled him to be called "Datuk".
Panglima Setia Mahkota P.S.M. (2014) awarded by Sri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, entitled him to be called "Tan Sri".
Dato’ Paduka Mahkota Selangor D.P.M.S. (2016) awarded by DYMM Sultan Selangor entitled him to be called "Datuk".

Academically, Zaidee was awarded the Degree of Doctor of the University by University of Stirling (1996), the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Technology by Oxford Brookes University (1996), and the Honorary Doctor of Letters by the Manchester Metropolitan University (1999) as well as Honorary Professor of Napier University, United Kingdom (1999).  He was honoured with the Honorary Doctorate in Electrical Engineering given by His Majesty the Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi MARA (2010).

Personal Note
Born on 1 April 1943, he is married to Rusila Abdul Razak and has three boys and one daughter, and five grandchildren.