Dato Mohammad Medan Bin Abdullah began his career at Petronas, Malaysia’s national petroleum company, amassing over 45 years of experience in the oil and gas industry across the entire value chain, including upstream, midstream, downstream, marketing, and trading. He was a pioneer in the team that led PETRONAS' global expansion in the early 1990s including entry into Sudan in the mid-90s.

As a Sarawakian from the Kelabit Highlands of Bario, Dato Mohammad Medan studied law at the University of Malaya and completed the Advanced Management Program at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, along with the Program on American and International Law at the Southwestern Legal Foundation, University of Texas, Dallas.