With almost 20 years of professional writing experience, Faizal Zakaria is a highly skilled and accomplished writer. His career began as a cadet journalist at Kosmo!, one of the leading Bahasa Malaysia newspapers, in 2004. Throughout his tenure at the Utusan Group, Faizal gained invaluable exposure to various desks, including the Special Reports Desk, News, Economics, Foreign, and the Sunday Desk. His last position at the organisation was Sub Editor, which he held until December 2018. Faizal also co-hosted a live television program called “Sila Duduk Jangan Lari” for one season.
Faizal’s contributions to journalism were recognised in 2004 when he received the Kajai Award, a prestigious journalism award presented by the Malaysian Press Institute and Petronas. He is also licensed by the Ministry of Higher Education to teach at universities and has lectured at prestigious institutions such as Mara University of Technology, University Selangor, SEGI University, Curtin University, and Upper Iowa University.
In addition to his writing and editing work, Faizal serves as a media consultant for several government departments. He is also involved in the Skills Development Department (JPK) programmes under the Ministry of Human Resources as an Industry Expert (Writing), primarily on the National Dual Training Scheme (SLDN) programme. Faizal is an accomplished trainer and holds a Train-The-Trainer (TTT) certificate. He has trained many professionals from within and outside the country.
Faizal holds a Master of Mass Communications degree from Mara University of Technology, as well as a Bachelor of Communications and a Diploma in Microbiology. He is currently pursuing a DBA (Doctor of Business Administration)