Ali Ozyon is the Chief Marketing Officer at Hejaz Financial Services, where he leads global marketing, brand strategy and growth initiatives across Islamic finance, fintech and digital platforms. Over the past decade, Ali has played a pivotal role in scaling Hejaz’s assets under management and strengthening the group’s international presence across Australia, the GCC, the UK and Europe. He also spearheads the go-to-market strategy for Halal Money, Australia’s first Islamic fintech platform, successfully driving early market adoption and exceeding initial user growth targets. Ali operates at the intersection of strategic storytelling and technology-driven systems. He has led the development of integrated CRM ecosystems, unified telephony infrastructure and AI-enabled workflows across marketing, sales and client service functions, enhancing operational efficiency and customer engagement. Beyond his corporate role, Ali is the host of the Out of Interest, where he explores high performance, leadership insights and unconventional pathways to success.

Azeem Pirani is COO and Executive Director at EFU Life Assurance. Prior to this, he was the CEO at Pak-Qatar Family Takaful. Azeem is a Founding Trustee at Ihsaas Trust, a provider of microfinance, dedicated to developing sustainable livelihoods for the economically challenged, and providing social support. Azeem holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Islamic Banking & Finance from the Centre of Islamic Economics in Pakistan, an MBA in International Business from the University of New Brunswick in Canada, and a BBA in Finance from the University of Houston in the US. He is also a Certified Director, under the SECP’s Listed Companies Regulations, from the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants.

With over 23 years of professional experience, Faisal Islam is a recognized leader in digital finance, product innovation, and financial inclusion. Faisal’s work focuses on closing the financing gap for MSMEs through a range of Shariah-compliant digital products, including Islamic consumer financing, Islamic BNPL, invoice financing, agricultural finance, and Islamic card solutions. He has also pioneered the design of AI-driven, Shariah-compliant alternative credit scoring models, aimed at expanding financial access to underserved segments. In addition, he has successfully established regulatory-aligned Islamic financing operations in emerging markets. His expertise spans the full spectrum of product development from Shariah structuring and partner bank enablement to building embedded finance ecosystems, always ensuring alignment with Islamic ethical standards. His initiatives have been instrumental in advancing cashless economies and promoting financial inclusion through innovative loyalty programs, digital onboarding solutions, and incentive-based payment ecosystems. Beyond Islamic finance, Faisal brings a strong background in technology leadership, with extensive experience across banking, fintech, retail, and asset management sectors.

Dr Irum Saba is a prominent figure in Islamic finance with over 21 years of experience in regulation, research, teaching and training. She currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Karachi, and as an Associate Professor in the Department of Finance at IBA. She is also the Chairperson of the Islamic Capital Market Committee of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan as of July 2024.

Dr Irum has made history as the first female to join a Shariah board in Pakistan, serving on the board of Salam Takaful since January 2022. Internationally recognized for her leadership, she has conducted training programs in Pakistan, Malaysia, the US, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and the UK. She holds the Chartered Islamic Finance Professional qualification with distinction and a PhD in Islamic Finance from INCEIF. In addition to her academic and regulatory roles, Dr Saba is a sub-editor of the Journal of Islamic Finance Accountancy published by AAOIFI, Bahrain and an active member of the FPCCI Standing Committee on Islamic Economics and Finance.

Muhammad Faisal Shaikh is the Head, Shariah Compliance & Advisory at Faysal Bank. Faysal Bank recently completed the conversion of its entire conventional banking business into a full-fledged Islamic bank. Islamic International Rating Agency (IIRA) recognized this conversion as a ‘first of its scale’ in the domain of Islamic banking, globally. As Head of Islamic Banking at Faysal Bank, he played a key role in the conversion process and ensured smooth conversion of the bank’s business. A graduate of the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, he has over 24 years of experience in the field of Shariah structuring, compliance and product development. Prior to joining Faysal Bank, he was associated with BankIslami Pakistan and Meezan Bank as part of founding teams. He has been instrumental in the development of various pioneering Islamic corporate & consumer banking products and Sukuk structures in Pakistan including the Islamic Export Refinance Scheme of the State Bank of Pakistan and Pakistan’s inaugural sovereign International Sukuk. He led the team which converted conventional assets and liabilities of KASB Bank after its acquisition by BankIslami Pakistan. Prior to this, his team structured the acquisition and conversion of Citibank Pakistan’s conventional housing finance portfolio by BankIslami Pakistan. He was part of Meezan Bank’s founding team and was an active member of the team responsible for the conversion and merger of the Pakistan operations of Societe Generale into Meezan Bank. He also played an important role in the development of pioneering commercial banking products under Islamic modes of finance. Given his experience in the conversion process, SBP has nominated him as a member of multiple working groups of the Committee for Transformation of Conventional Banking into Islamic.

Muhammad Shoaib Ibrahim is the CEO of First Habib Modaraba, a 30 year old entity that has successfully maintained its leading position within Modaraba sector of Pakistan. Under his leadership FHM has positioned itself in the Islamic financial market with a strong equity base, sound assets size and profitability. FHM holds a strong credit rating scale of AA+ in long term and A1+ in short term. Moreover, FHM has secured several awards/accolades from reputable bodies such as NBFI and Modaraba Association, ICAP and ICMAP, Management Association of Pakistan, and SAFA an apex body of SAARC during his tenor as CEO of FHM. With more than two decades’ experience in non-bank Islamic financial institutions and Modarabas, he is a senior expert on this topic in Pakistan. This experience has given him insight into the financial and technical aspects of the non-banking Islamic financial activities covering financial services, equity market and asset management. Mr. Shoaib holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in banking and finance from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA). He has also completed a Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in Islamic Banking from the Centre of Islamic Economics (Darul Ulum), Karachi Pakistan.

Muhammad Zeeshan Farrukh has rich combination of qualification i.e. commerce, business administration, Islamic Finance & Islamic Studies and diversified experience of more than 18 years in the field of Islamic Banking & Finance with respect to Product Development, Shariah Compliance, Research, Teaching, Training, Advisory etc.

He has served various financial institutions i.e. BankIslami Pakistan Limited, United Bank Limited, Al Baraka Bank Pakistan Limited, National Bank of Pakistan and Bank Makramah Limited. Currently, he is working as Head Shariah Compliance Department & Secretary Shariah Board at Bank Makramah Limited. Besides banking experience, he also holds a position as Director – Research, Learning & Advisory Management at Global Institute of Shariah Research & Advisory Services (GISRAS) and serving as Adjunct Faculty at Institute of Business Management, Karachi

Nadir Rahman has extensive, hands-on experience in capital markets in Pakistan and internationally, stretching over 34 years, of which 18 years have been in C-level positions, including board-level experience with listed, unlisted, and international companies. His core areas of expertise are business development, operations, investment management, M&A, and corporate restructuring. He has advised on numerous capital market transactions, including the largest de-listing in Pakistan’s history.

His last appointment was with the Pakistan Stock Exchange for 3 years as COO. Prior to that, he has served as CEO of BMA Capital Management for 3 years, Group CEO in Mega & Forbes, and CEO at KASB Securities, JS Global Capital, and Mashreq Asset Management. He was the founder and first CEO of Foundation Securities. In addition, he has been associated with Bukhatir Investments, Fauji Foundation, Standard Chartered Bank, ABN AMRO/Rothschild, and Citibank in various junior, middle, and senior management roles. In terms of geography, Nadir has travelled to and done business in over 20 countries.

Academically, Nadir holds dual Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania – The Wharton School and The College of Arts and Sciences.

With extensive experience of 25 years in banking and digital finance, Rukhsana currently serve as Chief Treasury & Alternate Investments at Raqami Islamic Digital Bank –Pakistan’s first fully digital Islamic bank – where she leads the development of innovative Shariah compliant financial solutions and oversees treasury, FX, ALCO and investment functions. She works closely with the CEO and Board to drive strategic decision-making, liquidity management and rating initiatives aligned with digital banking best practices. Previously, she headed the Treasury Division at Sindh Bank, managing a PKR 300+ billion balance sheet and executing FX hedging and liquidity strategies. Her career also includes roles at the Asian Development Bank, where she helped establish the Sindh Fund Management House, and at leading asset management firms like NBP Funds and BMA, where Narejo specialized in fixed income and portfolio management. Her deep expertise in treasury, digital finance, financial markets and regulatory-aligned investment strategy positions her as a leader in modern banking transformation.