Industry Advisors
Hazali Zakaria is a seasoned security and safety professional with over two decades of experience across luxury hotels, major convention facilities, and high-profile public institutions in Malaysia. Beginning his hospitality career as a Human Resources Assistant in 1998, his journey to Director of Safety & Security level is a compelling example of cross-functional growth having built expertise across sales and marketing, convention operations, retail security, and hotel security leadership before arriving at his current specialisation. His career spans a broad range of environments giving him a depth of situational experience that few security professionals can match.
Earlier exposure to sales and marketing roles across several well-known Malaysian hotel brands gave Hazali a well-rounded understanding of hotel operations beyond the security function an advantage that informs his collaborative, guest-aware approach to safety leadership. He is a Certified Counter Terrorism Practitioner and Certified OSH Coordinator, and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Malaysian Association of Hotels Kuala Lumpur Chapter, Safety & Security Committee.
As an Industry Advisor with Asianhotelier.Org, Hazali contributes deep expertise in hotel safety, security governance, crisis preparedness, and regulatory compliance areas of growing importance across the region’s hospitality landscape.