Born in Kedah, Zarina Ismail graduated with a Bachelor's Degree (Hons) in Civil Engineering, with a major in Construction Management/Structure Design from Middlesex University in London, United Kingdom. She embarked on her career as a civil engineer with Min Consult Sdn Bhd, where she was involved in the structure design of the Control Tower and Terminal Building at the New Sibu Airport.

She later advanced her career with HSS Integrated Sdn Bhd, taking on the role of Senior Engineer and working on major projects such as the Port Klang Distribution Park, preliminary design for Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM), the Indian Railway Construction Co. of India (IRCON), and PLUS.

Armed with extensive knowledge gained from her previous positions, Zarina then moved on to work as a Project Manager for Maxis Broadband, also known as Binariang, and as a

General Manager for Orillence Sdn Bhd. She also held the position of Project Director at OCK Setia

Engineering Sdn Bhd and Lebar Setia Sdn Bhd. Over the years, she has accumulated more than 30 years of experience in designing and constructing buildings, railway tracks, and telecommunication towers.Since 2017, Zarina has been the founder and sole owner of Ventrix Borneo Sdn Bhd