Interview with COO Zukarnine – Scaling New Heights in Halal World
Halal International Selangor is a forward-thinking initiative under the Selangor state government tasked with finding the untapped demand surrounding halal products and services; towards creating a compelling strategy that will catapult Selangor as the leader in this parallel industry.
Zukarnine (second from the right) envisions that innovation and the will of industry players would be the lynch-pin that is the key to attaining the vision for Halal International Selangor
It goes without saying then, that the newly appointed Chief Operating Officer, Zukarnine Shah Zainal Abidin has to be someone with the right caliber to steer it in that direction.
No stranger to challenges, Zukarnine dived straight into the property market during the crash of 1997. A baptism of fire would indeed be putting it mildly but he thrived under this steep learning curve and soaked up the experience of international business under dire economic circumstances.
The adrenaline rush of conquering new challenges is what drives him and coupled with the opportunity of serving his home-state of Selangor, he couldn’t say no to serving as COO of Halal International Selangor.
While the scope is large in this parallel industry, Zukarnine’s focus at the moment is on training, certification and education; the lower hanging fruits to build engagement and awareness in an industry that is largely unknown beyond the surface understanding of what constitutes halal.
Entrepreneur development is also at the forefront according to Zukarnine as before markets beyond our borders are tapped, priority needs to be given to local producers to ensure that they are export-ready and have the necessary certifications and meet basic export standards.
Going forward in this industry, Zukarnine envisions that innovation and the will of industry players would be the lynch-pin that is the key to attaining the vision for Halal International Selangor. However, until that is achieved, Zukarnine’s unwavering focus is to work closely with stakeholders in the industry to ensure that Halal International Selangor is able to make a significant contribution to the bottom-line of the state.
