TAN SRI DR. ISMAIL HJ. BAKAR was born on 19 January 1960 in Johor. He holds a Bachelor of Economics (Honours), University of Malaya (1983), Diploma in Public Administration, National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN) (1986), Master of Business Administration (M.B.A) (1995) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) from the University of Hull, United Kingdom (2004).

Tan Sri Dr. Ismail Hj. Bakar has extensive experience in public service through his appointment as Director of the Ministry of Finance (Treasury) and then as Secretary General of the Ministry of Transport Malaysia (2014). After that, he held the position of Chief Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry (2015) before being appointed as the Chief Secretary of the Malaysian Treasury, Ministry of Finance (2018).

Tan Sri Dr. Ismail Hj. Bakar holds the highest position in the public service sector as Chief Secretary to the State who also acts as Secretary to the Cabinet of Ministers in 2018 until 2019.

Throughout the service, Tan Sri Dr. Ismail Hj. Bakar was awarded the title of Panglima Setia Mahkota (P.S.M.), Seri Mahkota Regional (S.M.W.) and the title of Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang (D.S.A.P).

Tan Sri Dr. Ismail Hj. Bakar has been appointed as Chairman of EAIC by His Majesty the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong XVI with effect from 1 February 2024 for a period of three years.