Ahmet Ilyas Collu has been in the Islamic finance industry since 1999, having worked in three Islamic banks in Türkiye and two in Kuwait. He worked in the international banking department of Kuveyt Turk Bank in Istanbul and Kuwait International Bank in Kuwait. Prior to his current role in Vakıf Katılım Bank, he headed the correspondent banking department of Boubyan Bank in Kuwait. During his career he had exposure to FI and Islamic investments (Sukuk, syndications, projects, restructuring). Mr. Collu has served as Head of International Banking at Vakif Katilim, since the bank started operations in 2016. Mr Collu received his Chartered Banker MBA degree and certification from Bangor University of Wales, in 2015, and Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Istanbul University in 1998.

Ahmet Tacer completed his undergraduate education in Mechanical Engineering at Northeastern University and earned an MBA from the University of Massachusetts. Ahmet Tacer speaks fluent German and English.

From 1999 to 2005, he worked as Director of Structured Finance at ABN AMRO Bank, where he arranged syndicated loans for banks and corporate clients and structured asset-backed securitization transactions.

Between 2005 and 2012, he served as the Director of Global Capital Markets at Deutsche Bank, responsible for Debt and Equity Capital Markets origination for the EEMEA region and participated in numerous significant Eurobond and Global Bond issuances.

From 2013 to 2017, he worked as Director of Investment Banking at Q Invest, acquiring a local asset management company and managing Sukuk issuances.

He worked as a short-term consultant at World Bank, advising Pakistan’s government on its international Eurobond and Sukuk borrowing programs.

Since 2023, Ahmet Tacer has been serving as the Director of Capital Markets and Investment Banking at Golden Global Investment Bank, where he has managed the process of obtaining credit ratings from Fitch and JCR, establishing and arranging issuances for international and private Sukuk programs.

Dr Bayram Veli Salur graduated from the Industrial Engineering Department of Istanbul Technical University in 3.5 years with the top ranking. He completed his Master’s degree in Purdue University (US), under a Fulbright scholarship with a thesis entitled ‘Investor Sentiment in the Stock Market’. He received his Doctorate in Finance at the Business Administration Department of Istanbul Technical University. Bayram Veli Salur started his career in the Investor Relations Department of Turk Telecom and moved to the Derivatives Market Department of Borsa Istanbul after receiving his Master’s degree. He joined the Research Department of KT Portfoy in 2017. Bayram Veli Salur is experienced in macroeconomic studies, valuation and portfolio management. Bayram Veli Salur holds a Capital Market Activities Level 3 License, Derivative Instruments License, Real Estate Appraisal License, Credit Rating License as well as Corporate Governance Rating License and is a CFA charter holder.

Fatma Çınar has been working as the Deputy Secretary-General of Participation Banks Association of Türkiye (TKBB) since May 2024. She was a Director at TKBB between November 2022 and May 2024. She worked as an Islamic Finance Portfolio Lead at the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development from February 2022 to September 2023. Prior to joining UNDP, she worked as the Manager of International Relations and Corporate Communications at TKBB between August 2020 and January 2022. Before that, she worked as the Head of International Banking at an Islamic Bank (Kuveyt Turk) in Türkiye for more than 13 years. As an active practitioner, she has deep and wide expertise in Islamic banking, international relations, correspondent banking, foreign trade, sustainability, social finance, impact investing, investment banking, cash management, clearing services, structured finance, trade finance, project management, country and counterparty limit management, business strategy and corporate communication. She is on the Advisory Board of Marmara University Islamic Economics and Finance (MUISEF). She is also a member of the AAOIFI Communication Committee. She writes regularly on Islamic finance as a Türkiye correspondent for IFN and is also an author at Etkiyap which is dedicated to improving impact investing ecosystems. She lectures at universities and has also been a trainer at TKBB in Islamic Finance. Çınar graduated from Istanbul University with a degree in Business Administration and Industrial Engineering in 2005 and 2006.

Hojamurod Hojaev is a private sector development professional with 14 years of experience working with multilateral development banks. Since 2017, Hojamurod Hojaev has worked with the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), the trade finance arm of the Islamic Development Bank Group. Since 2019, Hojamurod has covered the private sector operations of ITFC in Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Central Asia countries. Between 2015-2017, Hojamurod Hojaev worked with ICD, the private sector arm of the Islamic Development Bank Group, as an Investment Analyst covering FI debt and equity operations. Prior to joining the IsDB Group, Hojamurod worked with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Finance Corporation. As a development finance practitioner, Hojamurod has experience in Islamic finance, trade finance, private sector, FI debt and equity as well as impact financing. Hojamurod graduated from University of Montana, in the US with an MBA in 2010.

Mohd Radzuan Mohamed has more than 20 years of experience in the industry with expertise in Takaful and re-Takaful, insurance and re-insurance, broking, consulting and adjusting. Prior to joining MTA, he was a Senior Manager in various insurance and Takaful companies.

He is currently the Grand Councilor of The Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals (CIIF). Radzuan is also an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Business and Administration of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).

Radzuan is a Member of the Lembaga Zakat Selangor (MAIS) Board in the Risk, Integrity and Compliance Committee. He received the Risk Icon Award for his outstanding contribution in the field of Enterprise Risk Management.

He is a Fellow Member of The Malaysian Insurance Institute (FMII), a Certified Professional in Islamic Finance (CPIF), an Associate of the Institute Risk Management (AIRM, UK) with an Enterprise Risk Professional Certification (IERP) as well as an alumnus of the Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) in Scotland.

Ömer Alperen Bilgin is a seasoned Islamic banking professional with over 12 years of experience across financial institutions, foreign trade marketing, trade finance and bilateral funding. He graduated from Istanbul University’s Faculty of Economics, in the Public Finance Department in 2011.

Bilgin began his career at Kuveyt Türk Participation Bank, advancing from Assistant Relationship Manager to Vice-President in the International Banking/Financial Institutions Department. Notably, he played a key role in establishing Kuveyt Türk’s China Desk and expanded the bank’s correspondent network across 88 countries.

In March 2024, Bilgin joined T.O.M. Digital Participation Bank as Head of Financial Institutions. Within eight months, he successfully opened the bank’s USD Nostro account, a record timing among the Turkish banks. Under his leadership, T.O.M.’s correspondent banking network widened more than triple times while strengthening the bank’s local and international presence.

Osman Karakütük is Executive Vice-President – Treasury Management and International Banking at Ziraat Katilim. Born in Ankara in 1975, Osman graduated from Ankara University’s Faculty of Political Science. He completed his undergraduate studies in Sakarya University and worked at the CBRT Headquarters as a clerk between 1998-1999. In 1999, he started working at Ziraat Bank as an Assistant Inspector and was then promoted to Inspector, Chief Inspector, Vice-President of the Inspection Board, Branch Manager, İzmir 1st Region Manager, Head of Branch Operations and Head of Channel Management, respectively. Osman was appointed as Ziraat Participation’s Vice-President in charge of Financial Coordination and Human Resources on 15 August 2017 and he has been serving as the Vice-President in charge of Treasury Management and International Banking since 24 August 2017.

Sungur was born in Istanbul in 1981. He graduated from Yeditepe University, Department of Business Administration in 2003. After carrying out academic studies on ‘European Union Monetary Policy’ at Leiden University in the Netherlands as a European Union Jean Monnet Scholar, he completed his PhD in Finance at Yeditepe University.

Between 2006 and 2012, he worked in Deposit Analytics, Investment Banking and Capital Markets Product Management in institutions such as Eurobank Tekfen and Akbank. Sungur, who continued his career at Türkiye Finans Katılım Bankası between 2012 and 2021, served as Fund Collection and Investment Products Vice-President between 2018 and 2021. In 2021, he was appointed as Banking Services Coordinator to the Participation Banks Association of Türkiye. Saygın Sungur also continues to lecture on Financial Markets at Marmara University Institute of Islamic Economics.

As of April 2023, he was appointed as the Deputy General Manager responsible for Finance, Administrative Affairs and Human Resources at Katılım Finans Kefalet A.Ş.

Şebnem Alp is the Country Head for Turkey, Eastern Europe and Central Asia at UK Export Finance (UKEF). In this role, Şebnem promotes and supports the export growth of UK companies while managing and building relationships and partnerships with a range of project contractors, financial institutions and other stakeholders in the region. Prior to this position, Sebnem worked at Banco Sabadell Turkey Rep. Office as Deputy Representative and Banco Sabadell SA in Spain. Her responsibilities included coordinating country strategy, transaction management and market engagement with stakeholders on various products such as export and trade finance, supply chain finance, syndication, and deal origination. She also previously worked for Halk Bank, managing relationships with financial institutions in key regions such as the Americas and Benelux to facilitate all trade finance and structured finance products.

After graduating from Boğaziçi University, Department of Business Administration, Yildiz began her career at the Industrial Development Bank of Türkiye in 1998. She held various managerial positions at Bayerische Hypo-und Vereinsbank AG, UniCredit Investment Securities and ING Bank where she assumed wide variety of investment banking roles. Yildiz joined the Development and Investment Bank of Türkiye in 2019 as Executive Vice-President, responsible from Investment Banking, Financial Analysis and Project Evaluation, Corporate Communications as well as Sustainability and Environmental Social Impact Management Divisions. Yildiz is also Chairperson of the Development Asset Leasing Companies and Board Member of Turkish Investment Initiative Portfolio Management Company. Currently, Yıldız is a Board Member of the Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD Türkiye) and Vice-Chairperson of the Impact Investing Advisory Board (EYDK). She is also Member of the Advisory Board of the Operating Principles for Impact Management.

Zeynep Çalıkıran Yaşar graduated from Boğaziçi University with a degree in Management Information Systems. Zeynep currently serves as the Head of Financial Institutions at Kuveyt Türk, bringing over 10 years of experience to the role. In previous positions, she has taken on responsibilities in credits, project finance and investment banking. She has led efforts to establish and improve sustainability frameworks and sustainable finance strategies, as well as structured financing solutions at Kuveyt Türk.

Burak Gencoglu has over 10 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), capital markets, banking and project finance transactions.

Burak earned a Bachelor of Law (Honors) degree from Marmara University in Istanbul and holds a Master of Law degree from King’s College London where he majored in ınternational business law. After completing his postgraduate studies in the UK, he pursued his professional career in Turkey and worked for a Legal 500 listed law firm and as a senior attorney at the legal department of PwC in Istanbul. He has represented clients in diverse sectors including finance, energy, pharmaceuticals, construction, insurance, media and telecommunications. He is the co-founder of Gencoglu & Ergun Law Firm where he provides a wide range of legal services to his clients in Turkish and international law matters including banking and finance, data privacy, commercial and corporate law and M&A.

Burak has been a team member of a number of major projects during his career and he is currently providing a full range of legal and consultancy services to his local and international, corporate and individual clients in the various areas of law.

Burak’s articles and legal opinions have been published in law journals, in addition to regular interviews and articles in the press. He regularly contributes articles and reports in Islamic Finance news as the M&A sector correspondent.

Fatma Çınar has been working as the Deputy Secretary-General of Participation Banks Association of Türkiye (TKBB) since May 2024. She was a Director at TKBB between November 2022 and May 2024. She worked as an Islamic Finance Portfolio Lead at the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development from February 2022 to September 2023. Prior to joining UNDP, she worked as the Manager of International Relations and Corporate Communications at TKBB between August 2020 and January 2022. Before that, she worked as the Head of International Banking at an Islamic Bank (Kuveyt Turk) in Türkiye for more than 13 years. As an active practitioner, she has deep and wide expertise in Islamic banking, international relations, correspondent banking, foreign trade, sustainability, social finance, impact investing, investment banking, cash management, clearing services, structured finance, trade finance, project management, country and counterparty limit management, business strategy and corporate communication. She is on the Advisory Board of Marmara University Islamic Economics and Finance (MUISEF). She is also a member of the AAOIFI Communication Committee. She writes regularly on Islamic finance as a Türkiye correspondent for IFN and is also an author at Etkiyap which is dedicated to improving impact investing ecosystems. She lectures at universities and has also been a trainer at TKBB in Islamic Finance. Çınar graduated from Istanbul University with a degree in Business Administration and Industrial Engineering in 2005 and 2006.

Dr Kamola Bayram is an assistant professor in the Department of Islamic Economics and Finance at KTO Karatay University, Turkey.

Previously, she served as an assistant professor at the IIUM Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance and as the project director at the International Council of Islamic Finance Educators (ICIFE). She has conducted a number of training programs in Islamic finance in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines and was an editor of the quarterly ICIFE Bulletin.

Dr Kamola has served as a research fellow at the IFSB where she was involved in the development of the Stress Testing Framework for Islamic Banks. She has written articles and chapters on Islamic social finance, Islamic capital market, wealth management, behavioral finance and portfolio allocation. She teaches subjects such as Islamic economics, Islamic finance, taxation for Islamic financial institutions, Islamic capital markets and behavioral finance.

Dr Kamola is the education sector correspondent in Islamic Finance news and an editor of the Turkish Journal of Islamic Economics. She was 40^th in the WOMANi 2019 list for her excellent advocacy work for Islamic banking and finance.

Professor Dr M Kabir Hassan is Professor of Finance in the Department of Economics and Finance at the University of New Orleans. He currently holds four endowed Chairs – Hancock Whitney Chair Professor of Economics I, Hancock Whitney Chair Professor of Economics II, Hibernia Professor of Economics and Finance, and Bank One Professor in Business – in the University of New Orleans. Professor Hassan is the Winner of the 2016 IsDB Prize in Islamic Banking and Finance. Professor Hassan received his BA in Economics and Mathematics from Gustavus Adolphus College, Minnesota, USA, his MA in Economics and PhD in Finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA respectively. Dr. Hassan stood first in the combined merit list in the Secondary School Certificate (equivalent to O level) in 1978 from Comilla Zilla School, Comilla, Bangladesh in 1978 and Higher Secondary Certificate (equivalent to A level) in 1980 from Comilla Victoria Government College, Comilla, Bangladesh in 1980, respectively. Professor Hassan was selected as a Senior Fulbright Scholar for 2022-2023. Professor Hassan is a financial economist with consulting, research and teaching experiences in development finance, money and capital markets, Islamic finance, corporate finance, investments, monetary economics, macroeconomics, Islamic banking and finance and international trade and finance. Professor Hassan has been a consultant for the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, African Development Bank, Transparency International-Bangladesh, IsDB, the UN Development Programme, the Bangladesh Bank, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, Government of Turkey and many private organizations.

Sungur was born in Istanbul in 1981. He graduated from Yeditepe University, Department of Business Administration in 2003. After carrying out academic studies on ‘European Union Monetary Policy’ at Leiden University in the Netherlands as a European Union Jean Monnet Scholar, he completed his PhD in Finance at Yeditepe University.

Between 2006 and 2012, he worked in Deposit Analytics, Investment Banking and Capital Markets Product Management in institutions such as Eurobank Tekfen and Akbank. Sungur, who continued his career at Türkiye Finans Katılım Bankası between 2012 and 2021, served as Fund Collection and Investment Products Vice-President between 2018 and 2021. In 2021, he was appointed as Banking Services Coordinator to the Participation Banks Association of Türkiye. Saygın Sungur also continues to lecture on Financial Markets at Marmara University Institute of Islamic Economics.

As of April 2023, he was appointed as the Deputy General Manager responsible for Finance, Administrative Affairs and Human Resources at Katılım Finans Kefalet A.Ş.

After graduating from Boğaziçi University, Department of Business Administration, Yildiz began her career at the Industrial Development Bank of Türkiye in 1998. She held various managerial positions at Bayerische Hypo-und Vereinsbank AG, UniCredit Investment Securities and ING Bank where she assumed wide variety of investment banking roles. Yildiz joined the Development and Investment Bank of Türkiye in 2019 as Executive Vice-President, responsible from Investment Banking, Financial Analysis and Project Evaluation, Corporate Communications as well as Sustainability and Environmental Social Impact Management Divisions. Yildiz is also Chairperson of the Development Asset Leasing Companies and Board Member of Turkish Investment Initiative Portfolio Management Company. Currently, Yıldız is a Board Member of the Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD Türkiye) and Vice-Chairperson of the Impact Investing Advisory Board (EYDK). She is also Member of the Advisory Board of the Operating Principles for Impact Management.

Dr Azrak is an experienced and accomplished professional with over 10 years of experience in Islamic Banking and finance. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the Social Science University of Ankara, Turkey.

Dr Azrak’s expertise in Islamic finance has enabled him to supervise numerous MSc and PhD students in various universities on topics related to the field.

Dr Azrak’s contributions to Islamic finance and auditing studies have been extensive, with over 50 published research papers in prestigious journals such as SCOPUS and ISI. His work has had a significant impact on the field, addressing a range of issues related to banking, accounting and finance.
Throughout his career, Dr Azrak has held various positions in international institutions and universities in Turkey, Syria, Malaysia, Lebanon and Kuwait.