Tan Sri Dr. Ismail Bakar is Senior Advisor at Vriens & Partners’ Malaysia office. An experienced policymaker, Tan Sri Dr. Ismail reached the apex of his 30-year career in the public sector serving as the number one ranking civil servant, the Chief Secretary to the Government (KSN).
Some of his achievements as KSN include introducing reform measures to improve the civil service’s accountability, governance, and delivery. He chaired the implementation committees of various large-scale strategic projects and national policy bodies.
Prior to his tenure as KSN, Tan Sri Dr. Ismail also held senior positions at other ministries. He was the Secretary General of the Treasury at the Ministry of Finance, as well as Secretary General of the Ministries of Agriculture & Agro-Based Industry and Transportation. He was also the Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense.
A fiscal policy specialist, Tan Sri Dr. Ismail was also attached to the Ministry of Finance (MOF) for more than 20 years, holding key positions such as the Deputy Head of the Government Procurement Division, the Director of the National Strategic Unit and Director of the National Budget. While at MOF, he was seconded as a Senior Advisor to the Executive Director at the World Bank in Washington DC between 2008 to 2010.
Tan Sri Dr. Ismail is an alumnus of the University of Malaya, holding a B. Econs. (Hons.) in Applied Economics. He also holds an MBA and a PhD from the University of Hull, United Kingdom. In recognition of his service, he was conferred various honors such as Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (PMN), Grand Commander of the Order of the Territorial Crown (SMW), Companion Class II of the Order of Malacca (DPSM), and Grand Knight of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP). In his spare time, he enjoys outdoor recreational activities such as horseback riding.