Ismail is currently the President / CEO of MNRB Retakaful Berhad, the first Malaysian retakaful operator.

Ismail started his insurance career in 1977 and since then  has been with insurance / reinsurance companies serving at various senior management positions. His   industry experience includes underwriting, servicing and marketing in countries of South-East Asia, the Indian Sub-Continent, Middle East and Africa.

Ismail is active in industry associations and activities and spearheads many of their initiatives. He is also a frequent speaker in conferences and forums and occasionally contributes  articles to trade magazine.