Dato’ Ir. Ts. Dr. Zahari Hj. Dollah has been appointed Principal Fellow at Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), marking another significant milestone in a distinguished career spanning more than 33 years of leadership, innovation, and transformation within Malaysia’s energy and utilities sector. Widely recognised as one of the nation’s foremost energy leaders, his appointment reflects decades of expertise in utility modernisation, smart grid development, asset management best practice, and sustainable energy solutions.
A Professional Engineer (Ir.), Professional Technologist (Ts.), Competent Engineer, and PhD holder specialising in Sustainable Microgrid Systems, Dato’ Dr. Zahari has consistently driven initiatives that have strengthened Malaysia’s energy infrastructure while advancing the country’s Energy Transition Agenda. Alongside his new advisory role at UNITEN, he continues to serve as Adjunct Professor at UNITEN, Industry Advisory Panel Member at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Principal Advisor at MIMOS Services, and Advisory Board Member at ENLIT Asia.
Earlier, Dato’ Dr. Zahari was Senior General Manager/ Head Asset Management DN at Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Chairman of TNB Energy Services Sdn. Bhd., Member of the Board of Directors at TNB Research Sdn. Bhd. and Malaysia Transformer Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd., and a member of the Industrial Expert Fellow at Universiti Malaysa Sabah (UMS).
Throughout his career, Dato’ Dr. Zahari has led numerous landmark projects that have transformed Malaysia’s electricity sector. He played a pivotal role in developing Putrajaya’s world-class electricity infrastructure, achieving a System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) of less than one minute per customer annually—placing it among the world’s most reliable power systems. He also helped elevate Malaysia’s Smart Grid Index (SGI) from 50% in 2019 to 80.2% in 2024, positioning the nation among the Global Top 11 Utilities while contributing to the Smart Utility Masterplan 2030.
His visionary leadership has earned widespread international recognition, including the Green Finance Asia 2026 Leadership Excellence Award, ESG & Sustainable Finance Innovation Leader Award, Enlit Asia 2024 Male Executive of the Year, Solar Quarter Malaysia 2025 Sustainable Leadership Award, and multiple honours from Enlit Asia, Asian Power Awards, CEPSI, and other prestigious industry organisations.
As Principal Fellow at UNITEN, Dato’ Dr. Zahari brings unparalleled expertise in utility ecosystems, advance technologies (analytics, machine leaning, and artificial intelligence), sustainable infrastructure (smart grid, automation, and self-healing grid), and strategic innovation. His appointment reinforces to advancing Malaysia’s digital and technological capabilities while supporting national priorities in sustainability – The National Energy Transition and industrial innovation.
Kepimpinan Malaysia congratulates Dato’ Ir. Ts. Dr. Zahari Hj. Dollah congratulates him on this well-deserved appointment and wishes him continued success as he continues to shape Malaysia’s digital transformation, energy innovation, energy market, and sustainable development landscape.