Dr Hjh Yatela Zainal Abidin is the Chief Executive Officer of Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD), the philanthropic arm of the 3 donor companies i.e. SD Guthrie Berhad, Sime Darby Berhad, and Sime Darby Property Berhad.

Dr Yatela obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth in the United Kingdom. She completed her Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) professional degree at the Emile Woolf College of Accountancy, London; and went on to attain her ACCA fellowship. Yatela completed her doctoral degree in education at Universiti Utara Malaysia.