Ismail graduated from University Putra Malaysia with Bachelor of Science in Industrial Economic in 1997 and is a holder of Masters of Business Administration degree from the same institution since 2005.

Upon his graduation in 1997, he began his career in Human Resources Management (HRM) in Hitachi Electronic Products (M) Sdn Bhd, before continuing his journey with PETRONAS Carigali Sdn Bhd beginning 2008 to December 2017.

Ismail has been stationed in several different cities around the world within his 9 years with Carigali, namely Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak, Malaysia; Dubai, UAE and Garraf, Iraq. He has successfully developed and implemented HRM strategies by providing solutions and interventions for manpower planning, talent management, performance and leadership development while sustaining relationships with local unions and external stakeholders.

His notable achievements with Carigali includes establishing and maintaining engagement and communication with Government Authorities of Iraq and developed a framework known as GENESIS, designed to accelerate capability development of local Iraqi talent for succession planning in Garraf, Iraq. Ismail has also successfully set up a new regional operation for SK Gas in Bintulu, Sarawak where he established talent mobility plan and related policies supporting massive talent movement there.

Ismail was appointed as Head of Human Resource for PRefChem in January 2018.