Melissa Zainal Abidin‘s career in finance began in 2004 when she joined Brunei Shell Petroleum as a graduate development trainee. Over more than two decades in the oil and gas industry, she has risen to become the finance manager at Brunei LNG Sendirian Berhad, overseeing a team of more than 80 staff across contracts, procurement, and finance, while serving as a member of the Brunei LNG Leadership Team.
Reflecting directly on the early challenges of balancing professional ambitions with family life, Abidin recalls: “Pursuing a CIMA qualification whilst juggling work and personal commitments is not easy. Looking back, there are two things needed to manage study with personal life successfully. Firstly, the intent or motivation.
“Being clear that pursuing CIMA will benefit in the long-term career prospects. Secondly, communicating this to my family, including the support required. So, when I needed time to revise, my husband would then take care of my child. The strong moral support was also there to continue when things got tough.” Melissa Zainal Abidin
This personal account echoes the dedication she expressed publicly in her 2023 CIMA International Women’s Day feature. In that video interview, Abidin shared how her late husband had been her biggest supporter during her CIMA studies, enabling her to complete the qualification while raising a newborn. She dedicated the feature to him, highlighting perseverance and the role of family support.
Breaking the glass ceiling
Abidin became the first female Bruneian to hold the position of Financial Controller at Brunei Shell Petroleum in 2019. She held the role until August 2023, managing a team of 80+ staff responsible for fiscal and financial reporting, treasury services, risk-based controls and operational excellence.
She addresses the barriers she faced: “The main prejudice was not about being a female but whether a local can do the role. The financial controller role was critical and no local was deemed competent enough to hold the role since the company inception.
“The turning point was when I had many female senior leaders and Finance Director supporting and vouching for me to take on the role. I was under a lot of scrutiny in my first 6 months, but I demonstrated that a female local can do it given the chance,” she said.
“Having a learner mindset, asking the right questions and having a mentor helped me navigate successfully in the role. By breaking this ceiling, it inspired many also to aim to be the next controller.” Melissa Zainal Abidin
Her “can-do” mindset proved instrumental in this pioneering achievement. In the broader Asian context, such breakthroughs remain notable. According to the 2025 Gender Equality in Corporate Leadership: Asia report by the SSE Initiative and IFC, women hold an average of just 20% of CFO positions across 16 Asian stock exchanges, with only 7% of CEO roles.
In Southeast Asia, Deloitte’s Women in the Boardroom analysis has shown steady but uneven progress, with the glass ceiling for chair and CEO positions proving particularly resistant.
Giving back to lift others
Mentorship became a cornerstone of Abidin’s leadership once she reached senior roles. “I did not have a mentor for most of my early career as I was sceptical about mentorship,” she recollected. “It was not until I went into a senior leadership role that I realised its benefits.”
She added that finding a great mentor spurred her to give back through mentorship, which she continues to do today. Mentoring has helped me see things from a different perspective and be inspired by the mentee’s own journey.
“I have seen some mentees get a career breakthrough when all they needed was a little push from our mentoring connect. Through sharing stories and experience, many of my mentees, especially women, have become mentors themselves,” beamed Abidin.
As the finance capability coordinator across the Brunei Shell Joint Ventures, she has driven the uptake of CIMA qualifications. She also served as deputy VP of the BSP Women in Network (WIN), reinforcing her commitment to female professionals in finance.
Recent talent trends research underscores the value of such initiatives, revealing that finance professionals across Asia increasingly view structured mentorship and continuous professional development as critical to career mobility and entrepreneurial aspirations in a fast-changing environment.
Championing digitalisation: Small steps, big impact
Abidin describes herself as a “digitalisation champion” with experience in data analytics, robotics and process improvements. “Other than people development, digitalisation and automation are also a passion I have,” he conceded. “I believe having the right tools can transform work to be more efficient, effective, interesting, and that unlocks more time for people’s development, but most importantly, enables work-life balance.”
She is a firm believer in starting small and celebrating big. She cites the example of a time-consuming, manual process, such as keying invoice data into a system. She says using the process of Eliminating, Standardising, Simplifying, and Automating (ESSA) helps significantly reduce processing time, improving on-time payments to above 98%.
“Communicating and celebrating the people involved in this inspires others also to pursue continuous improvement or digitalisation initiatives.” Melissa Zainal Abidin
These practical steps reflect wider industry momentum. According to Mordor Intelligence’s 2026 analysis, the digital transformation market in oil and gas is projected to grow at 11.59% CAGR globally to 2031, with Asia-Pacific advancing fastest at 12.68% CAGR as national oil companies modernise legacy assets for efficiency, LNG exports and decarbonisation.
Deloitte’s 2026 Oil and Gas Industry Outlook similarly highlights the scaling of AI, automation and digital platforms from pilot to enterprise-wide deployment to drive operational excellence.
Governance, risk and broader leadership
As Finance Manager, Abidin serves as the crisis lead on the BLNG Crisis Management Team. “Governance, Risk and Assurance for the company is an area I am accountable for. Understanding corporate risks provides a high-level overview of the company’s risks and exposures.
“One level down, actively having sight of departmental or functional risks helps to ensure we have granularity of the risks and controls in place. This then allows proper mitigation, or actions can be developed to be used in times of emergencies,” she elaborated.
She also chairs the BLNG Social Performance Committee, BLNG Tenderboard and Brunei Shell Joint Venture Pension scheme. In addition, she also serves as a Member of the Authority at the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry (AITI) a government statutory body since February 2023.
She is currently pursuing an MSc in Procurement, Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Salford University, following her earlier MSc in Strategic Management from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2018.
Advice for aspiring finance leaders
Drawing on her experience, Abidin offers targeted guidance: “In the current fast-evolving environment, aspiring leaders (especially women) benefit from a blend of emotional intelligence, intentional coaching, and inclusive thinking.”
She posits that emotional intelligence is foundational for finance leaders, requiring self-awareness, empathy across cultures, and the ability to respond calmly under pressure.
“Leaders should focus on coaching rather than directing, using questions to build ownership and critical thinking within their teams. Intentional support for women is critical, including advocacy, creating space for their contributions, and addressing bias constructively.” Melissa Zainal Abidin
A vision for the next generation
Looking ahead, Abidin envisions women finance leaders as strategic partners: “The next generation of women finance leaders in Southeast Asia should see themselves as strategic partners who shape business outcomes and not just report results,” she proposed.
She also suggests combining strong technical foundations, such as CIMA, with commercial and strategic insight. “A ‘can-do’ mindset will empower them to take on challenges, navigate ambiguity, as well as speak up with confidence,” she added. “Digital innovation, on the other hand, will play a central role, enabling leaders to leverage automation, data analytics, and AI for better decision-making.”
The long game of leadership
For International Women’s Day 2026, themed “Give to Gain”, Abidin connects the theme directly to her 20-year journey: “‘Give to gain’ is a powerful reminder that the most meaningful success rarely comes from what you take, but from what you consistently give,” said Abidin.
She noted that for women building a career in finance, the message is simple: don’t underestimate the value of what you bring, and don’t hold back from contributing it.
“Build your expertise so your voice carries weight, but don’t wait for perfection to use it. Speak up, take space, and step forward even when you feel unsure. Stay the course, keep investing in yourself as ‘give to gain’ is about playing the long game,” she recommended.
The official IWD 2026 campaign reinforces this reciprocity: when individuals, organisations and communities give generously—time, resources, knowledge and support—opportunities for women expand and societies gain.
