Chief Executive Officer, Asia-Pacific Videolabs

Zainariah Johari the CEO of Asia-Pacific Videolabs (APV) is practically an institution in the Malaysian post-production industry. Zai, is regarded as one of the industry’s pioneers. In her career with APV, she has advanced from the position of Facilities Manager to Executive Producer, and Operations Manager, and finally in her current position of CEO. Today, even as APV celebrates its 20th Anniversary, Zai continues to drive innovation and the acquisition of new technology to strengthen APV’s position in the global marketplace.

Zai majored in Applied Economics and Statistcs Zainariah at Universiti Malaya, and began her career in accounting and advertising. But after getting a taste for the creative world of post-production, she’d found her calling. Combining fertile imaginations with constantly advancing technology to produce something visually arresting proved to be an addictive challenge. Having the opportunity to work with gifted figures in the film industry is another bonus! Oliver Stone, Iranian director Majid Majidi, Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan are just some of the big names that APV has worked with, aside from local creative talents and epic projects such as Puteri Gunung Ledang.

Zai supports the Malaysian Multimedia Development Corporation’s push to develop the creative and multimedia industry. She is also among the panel of judges for the Malaysian Video Awards as well as The Apollo Awards for Asia Pacific. Her other passion is encouraging the development of talent and entrepreneurship among young people. She admits that balancing a demanding career in a business that never sleeps and a family with two teenage daughters is a struggle, but is also a believer that pressure can also push people to give their best!