Chief secretary to the government Zuki Ali said the appointment of Hakimah, which takes effect on March 21, was based on her 30 years of service, especially with Jakim.

“This appointment will increase the involvement of women as decision-makers in the civil service,” he said in a statement today.

Zuki hoped that the appointment of Hakimah, who had previously served as Jakim deputy director-general of policy, would lead Jakim towards strengthening its role as a competitive Islamic affairs agency at the federal level and globally.

Hakimah, who graduated from Universiti Malaya with a Bachelor’s degree in Syariah in 1990 and a Master’s degree in Human Resource Development from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) in 2001, joined the civil service in 1992 as an assistant director at the Jakim Halal Hub Division.