Tan Sri Dr. Ismail has been appointed as Deputy Chairman of the Board of Johor Corporation, effective April 1, 2022. He earned a Bachelor of Economics(Hons) in Applied Economics from the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur in 1989 and a Diploma in Public Administration (DPA) from the National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1985. He received his Master in Business Administration (MBA) and Ph.D. from the University of Hull in the United Kingdom in 1995 and 2004, respectively.

He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Planning and Supply (CIPS) in the United Kingdom, as well as an adjunct professor at the Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UNIMAP) School of Engineering and Entreprenuership. He has been appointed as Chairman of Johor Plantations Group Berhad, a subsidiary of Kulim (Malaysia) Berhad, effective March 1, 2023. Tan Sri is also the chairman of JCorp's executive committee.