Ahmad Fuad Alhabshi is an executive director of Halogen Capital, the first licensed digital asset fund manager in Malaysia. He leads the growth and development of the company, with the goal to provide institutional and individual investors with regulated crypto asset opportunities and innovative investment solutions.

Prior to taking this role, Ahmad was CEO of Abbas Investment Management (now known as Opus Islamic Asset Management).

Throughout his 15-year career in asset management, Ahmad has successfully managed over RM2 billion (US$426.48 million)-worth of assets for a diverse clientele, from government-affiliated organizations to family offices, SMEs, private banking clients and high-net-worth individuals. His experience spans across US dollar, Singapore dollar and Malaysian ringgit bond markets.

Ahmad holds a Master of Science degree in analogue and digital integrated circuit design from Imperial College London, UK and a Bachelor of Science degree in electronic engineering from the University of Warwick, UK. He has been a holder of a Capital Markets Services Representative’s License since 2010.

Ahmad Shahriman Mohd Shariff was appointed CEO of CIMB Islamic Bank on the 1st October 2019. In this role, he heads the Group Islamic Banking business of CIMB Group including Islamic wholesale banking, Islamic consumer banking, Islamic commercial banking and Islamic asset management and investment across key markets such as Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Ahmad is also a board member of CIMB Islamic Bank; the secretary of the Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia; a member of the Standing Committee on Islamic Financial Reporting, Malaysian Accounting Standards Board; and an honorary senior fellow of the Centre for Islamic Economics, International Islamic University Malaysia.

Ahmad has over two decades of experience in the corporate sector, of which 16 years were in Islamic banking and finance-related leadership roles at HSBC Amanah Malaysia as the director of wholesale banking, and Citigroup where he served as the head of Islamic banking at Citibank, among others.

With a notable career in the field of Islamic finance, Prof Dr Aishath Muneeza currently holds the position of professor and associate dean for students and internationalization at INCEIF University in Malaysia. Throughout her professional journey, she has gained extensive experience and received recognition from esteemed institutions in the realm of Islamic finance.

Notably, Prof Dr Aishath made history as the first female deputy minister of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs in the Maldives, and later as the deputy minister of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury in the same country. She has also served as the head of Islamic finance at the Capital Market Development Authority of the Maldives.

Prof Dr Aishath’s contributions extend beyond governmental positions. She has served as the chairman of the board of directors of the National Hajj Pilgrimage Fund, Maldives Hajj Corporation and the Maldives Center for Islamic Finance and she is also a registered Shariah advisor with the Securities Commission Malaysia.

For over a decade, Prof Dr Aishath has held the chairmanship of the apex Shariah Advisory Council of the Capital Market Development Authority of the Maldives. Her involvement extends to AAOIFI, where she serves as a member of the Public Interest Monitoring Consultative Committee.

Amit Pathak is the director and head of ESG Index Products for the Asia Pacific region at S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI). Amit is involved in the design, methodology and strategic direction of S&P DJI Sustainability Indices across Asia Pacific, as well as working closely with the Research & Design, Sales and Marketing Departments to bring new indices to market. Amit has more than 10 years of experience in various senior level-product and business roles in financial services across the region. Prior to joining S&P DJI, he worked at the Singapore Exchange and Bloomberg, focusing on thematic, smart beta and ESG product offerings. He started his career in investment banking working in a global markets role at Barclays Investment Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Amit holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta and an engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.

An experienced capital market regulator, Basheer Ahmad joined the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) in 2008 and is responsible for primary market regulations and for managing the DFSA Listing Authority. He is the Islamic finance subject-matter expert at the DFSA and is also responsible for the development of ESG securities requirements.

Basheer has spent over 20 years working for international regulators, working across securities rules and regulations, policy formulation, listing rules, operating listing regimes and market disclosures. He holds a Barrister-at-Law degree from the Lincoln’s Inn, UK and a Chartered Islamic Finance professional qualification.

Dr Bello Lawal Danbatta was appointed the secretary-general of the IFSB effective the 29^th January 2018.

Dr Bello was previously the director of the Centre of Consultancy and Executive Programs at the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance and has over 25 years of combined experience in the private, academia as well as financial services regulation and supervision sectors across Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He is a member of AAOIFI, and has chaired various working groups for the issuance of financial accounting standards for Islamic financial institutions. He has also been involved in the development and drafting of standards, guidelines and frameworks for capital adequacy, accounting as well as supervision and regulation of Islamic finance for various countries.

Dr Bello holds a PhD. in Islamic banking and finance from the International Islamic University Malaysia and an MBA in corporate finance. He is a chartered accountant with the Association of Certified Chartered Accountant (ACCA-UK), a member of the Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals, Nigerian Institute of Management and International Council for Islamic Finance Educators. He has worked with the Securities and Exchange Commission Nigeria and other multinational corporations.

Dima A Djani is the founder and CEO of Hijra Group, formerly known as ALAMI, a prominent Islamic financial technology ecosystem. Within this role, he has steered Hijra’s transformation from a Shariah compliant SME lending platform into a pioneering Islamic challenger bank. Under his leadership, Hijra has cultivated a robust network of over 144,000 funders, facilitating support for 15,800 projects spanning multiple nations and disbursing in excess of US$333 million in financing. In a significant milestone in 2021, the company acquired Jakarta’s sole Islamic rural bank and digitally transformed it into Hijra Bank, targeting over 230 million underserved Muslims with a suite of dedicated digital banking solutions. Since the launch of the banking app in December 2022, Hijra has onboarded more than 245,000 bank accounts and retail lenders. Prior to his current role, Dima gained valuable experience at prominent financial institutions such as Citi Corporate Investment Banking Division and Societe Generale Corporate Investment Bank. He holds an MBA from INSEAD (GEMBA), where he led ALAMI to victory in the 35th INSEAD Global Venture Competition. Dima earned his Bachelor of Business Management degree from RMIT University in Singapore.

Elain Lockman holds a Bachelor of science degree in actuarial science and a Master of Science degree in operational research from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She began her career in PETRONAS and further at Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, Malaysia Debt Ventures, Digi Telecommunications and Packet One Networks until she co-founded Ata Plus in 2015. She is currently a council member for the Malaysian Business Angel Network, the president of the Registered Digital Markets Association Malaysia, an advisor to Women in Tech Malaysia Chapter and an independent board member of Reservoir Link (Main Board KLSE), Propel Global (Main Board KLSE), Leet Technology (NASDAQ-listed) and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. Elain is also on the board of trustees for Khazanah Foundation, Prosperity Development Foundation and KRU Foundation. She was awarded the BERG 2019 Women Icons Malaysia award and also the 2020/2021 Batch of Digerati50 award for her exceptional contributions to Malaysia’s digital economy.

Elias is a Partner in Trowers & Hamlins’ International Banking and Finance Department.

Elias has a broad range of experience both in the conventional and Islamic finance spheres. He has significant experience in representing the full spectrum of stakeholders on a range of banking and finance transactions including project financing and real estate financing as well as capital market issuances.

Hakan Ozyon is a seasoned business expert known for leading innovative strategies and nurturing talent. His dedication to excellence has enabled him to optimize all aspects of business management. He is adept at unlocking potential, promoting growth and increasing revenue. Hakan has deep ties in both the Islamic and broader Australian communities, enhancing business operations and setting corporate goals. With over 30 years of experience in business, he is a strategic visionary with a knack for building relationships, particularly in competitive areas. His role as CEO involves setting strategic paths and forming financial alliances. Notably, he has spent a decade transforming visions into pioneering Islamic financial services. Respected globally for his business acumen, Hakan is also a director at Islamic Bank Australia.

Dr Hurriyah El Islamy is the CEO and founder of consultancy HGC Firm. She previously served as an executive board member of Badan Pengelola Keuangan Haji, an independent sovereign agency empowered by law to manage the Indonesian Hajj pilgrim funds. She was named as one of the most active Islamic finance activists by Bank Indonesia and has global experience in Islamic finance, having served as the director for CIMB Group, responsible for all its Islamic businesses.

After serving Kuwait Finance House Bahrain as the head of its Compliance and Anti-Money Laundering Department and also as its legal counsel, Dr Hurriyah assumed the role as the director of Capinnova Investment Bank, an Islamic investment arm of the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait.

Dr Hurriyah remains active in the Islamic finance industry; she is the Islamic finance advisor to the Astana International Finance Centre, a board member and strategic advisor to Islamic Fintech Alliance, and is also listed as an International Monetary Fund expert in Islamic finance and capital markets. She has a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) degree, a Master’s degree in corporate law and a PhD.

A supporter of Gobi’s efforts to expand in ASEAN since 2014, Jamaludin Bujang joined the firm in 2019 and is overseeing operations and investment activities at Gobi’s Kuala Lumpur office. He has 15 years of experience in equity research, investment evaluation, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and an additional 14 years of experience in venture capital (VC).

Prior to Gobi, Jamaludin was CEO of MAVCAP, Malaysia’s largest VC firm, which has directly and indirectly invested in over 1,100 start-ups since 2001. While at MAVCAP, Jamaludin shifted the company’s strategic direction to focus on raising funds from the private sector and managing funds with local and international VC partners, including 500 Startups, Elixir Capital, Gobi Partners, Vynn Capital and Intres Capital. He also attracted a number of local corporates and sovereign funds to invest in VC funds, including Axiata, Johor Corporation and Khazanah Nasional. In total, Jamal helped MAVCAP to create, manage and participate in nine funds, with a combined size of over US$500 million.

At Gobi, Jamaludin successfully created and launched a US$20 million venture fund in Pakistan, in collaboration with the Fatima Group, one of the country’s largest conglomerates.

Kaleon Leong Rahan has been CEO of the Federation of Investment Managers Malaysia (FIMM) since the 1st October 2018. He comes with over 20 years of experience in various senior management roles in the Malaysian investment management industry, specializing in the fields of unit trust and asset management, regulations and auditing.

Prior to his appointment at FIMM, Kaleon was CEO and a director of HSBC (Malaysia) Trustee. He had also served at the Securities Commission Malaysia, AmInvestment Services and PwC.

In addition to the above, Kaleon has participated as a speaker and resource person on fund management in events organized by the Asian Development Bank, Securities Industry Development Corporation, etc. He is also a board member of the International Investment Funds Association.

Kaleon is a chartered accountant (Malaysian Institute of Accountants) and holds a Bachelor of Accounting degree from the International Islamic University Malaysia, as well as a Master’s degree in information technology management from Universiti Tun Abdul Razak.

Dr Mohamad Zabidi Ahmad has worked in the banking industry for 38 years. He has amassed 19 years of experience in group treasury products and functions (conventional and Islamic) including corporate (deposits, investments, client solutions), interbank, fixed income and derivatives, product development, structuring and marketing. He previously served as the Senior Managing Director and Regional Head of Islamic Treasury, Treasury and Markets in Group Wholesale Banking for CIMB Group. During that time, he was responsible for the development of CIMB Group’s regional Islamic treasury franchises, managing over RM100 billion (US$23.88 billion) of Islamic assets for CIMB Group Islamic Banking. His country-focused treasury remits included Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and Thailand and for five years, he was based in London as a Chief Dealer. His innovations included the introduction of CIMB’s Islamic repo contract.

Dr Mohamad Zabidi has held various additional executive management positions within the CIMB Group, including the Chairman of the Investment Account Oversight Committee and a Member of the Group Islamic Management Committee, the Treasury and Market Committee and the Group Islamic Wholesale Banking Committee. He has been widely recognized for his leadership, with CIMB announced as ‘Best Islamic Bank for Treasury Management’ at the IFN Awards in 2019. He previously participated in the Bursa Malaysia/Bank Negara Malaysia Working Group resulting in the formation of the Bursa Suq Al-Sila’ Commodity House and the Working Group resulting in the establishment of the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation.

Dr Mohamad Zabidi served as Proactive Chairman of AIBIM Treasury & Markets, leading the CMTC Sukuk Index Task Force in the successful launch of the Sovereign & Corporate Bloomberg-AIBIM-Bursa Sukuk Index in September 2012. In 2018, under his leadership, AIBIM also published the practice notes for Qard Hasan and commodity Murabahah for adoption by AIBIM members. He has presented papers on Islamic treasury products to various central banks including the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Bank Indonesia and Bank Negara Malaysia.

Among his academic and professional achievements, Dr Mohamad Zabidi holds a doctorate in Business Administration from Othman Yeop Abdullah Graduate School of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia and has a Bachelor’s in Accounting with Honors from Universiti Teknologi MARA.

A qualified Chartered Accountant, Dr Mohamad Zabidi is a practicing member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants, a Certified Senior Financial Market Practitioner by ACI-Financial Market of Malaysia and the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers and holds an Associate Qualification in Islamic Finance from the Islamic Banking & Finance Institute Malaysia and that of Senior Associate from the Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance.

Mohammad Hafiz Jamaluddin is currently Head of the Halal Integrated Platform (HIP) which is part of Halal Development Corporation that focuses on the development and facilitation of the Halal industry ecosystem. HIP is the first digital platform in the world that provides a networking platform for Halal industry players, empowering stakeholders in the Halal industry and in the Halal supply chain.

Mohammad Hafiz has over 18 years of experience in management consulting, digital transformation and implementation of large-scale digital projects. He has extensive experience in the development of digital ecosystems for industry and business-specific solutions for large organizations for both government ministries as well as multinational companies.

Mohd Ekmal Mohd Zazi is the Regional Head of Wholesale Banking at CIMB Islamic and is responsible for developing and growing the Islamic wholesale banking business of CIMB Group. Prior to joining CIMB Islamic in April 2020, he was with CIMB Bank, carrying out capital and balance sheet management roles of the group. He was a key person in the liquidity and interest rate management of the group, ensuring sustainable assets growth through a lean and optimized balance sheet. He started his career as a Management Trainee with CIMB Investment Bank back in July 2007.

Mohd Ekmal graduated with a Master of Science degree in Risk Management and Financial Engineering from Imperial College London in 2012. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Actuarial Science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is a Chartered Professional in the Islamic Finance Charter.

Mushtaq Kapasi leads the International Capital Market Association (ICMA)’s work in the Asia Pacific region. He has been based in Hong Kong since 2002, engaged in senior strategy, capital market and legal roles covering the region at international banks active in Asia. He has worked as a lawyer in debt capital markets and derivatives, a structurer in equities and fixed income, a manager of complex trades with regulatory and accounting considerations and an advisor to top executives on emerging market strategy. He has also designed financial structures of renewable energy projects in frontier markets. He studied Mathematics at the University of Texas and Law at Yale University.

Nitish Bhojnagarwala is a senior vice-president with Moody’s Financial Institutions Group. Based in Dubai, Nitish covers a portfolio of large conventional as well as Islamic financial institutions in the Middle East, Africa and Turkiye. Nitish joined Moody’s in 2011 and has led Sukuk roundtables and conducted workshops on banking and Islamic finance at various conferences in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Nitish has also authored several research pieces, with a focus on regional banking, credit issues and issuer-in-depths for conventional as well as Islamic banks. Prior to joining Moody’s, Nitish spent five years at Tamweel in the Treasury Department. He has also worked for KPMG in the UAE, where he covered financial institutions. Nitish holds an MBA from SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, with a major in finance (investment banking).

Rafiza Ghazali is with KAF Investment Bank as the director of digital banking. She joined KAF Investment Bank to spearhead the project team for the incorporation and operational readiness process of the Islamic digital bank entity of the consortium being led by KAF Investment Bank.

Prior to joining KAF Investment Bank, Rafiza was group CEO of Cradle Fund, where she collaborated closely with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and the Ministry of Finance, tasked with supporting and developing Malaysian start-ups and tech entrepreneurs.

Rafiza’s wealth of experience in innovation and the digital economy makes her uniquely positioned to drive the digital bank value proposition at providing a conducive open-banking platform-based ecosystem to customers and partners.

Rafiza’s academic career includes a Bachelor of Science Economics in Accounting and Finance degree from The London School of Economics and Political Science and a graduate diploma in applied finance and investment majoring in corporate finance from the Securities Institute of Australia. She is also a fellow member of the Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand. She also graduated from the Said Business School at the University of Oxford with a postgraduate diploma in strategy and innovation.

Professor Dr Rusni Hassan is an esteemed leader in Islamic finance, notably serving as Dean at the IIUM Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance. Her distinguished career is marked by a profound influence on academic, regulatory and practical aspects of Islamic finance globally. Her leadership extends beyond finance to influential positions in Shariah advisory councils and boards of directors for various organizations, reflecting her versatile expertise and commitment to integrating Islamic principles in broader economic practices.

A prolific author, she has contributed over a hundred scholarly articles and numerous seminal books that have significantly shaped the legal and regulatory landscape of Islamic finance worldwide.

A passionate academician, she has mentored countless students and young professionals, emphasizing the importance of ethical practices and the integration of Islamic values in business and finance and nurturing the next generation of Islamic finance professionals and fostering a well-rounded and principled financial leadership.

Her works and contribution to Islamic Finance has been internationally recognized by the Government of Maldives when she was awarded the National-Recognition for Outstanding Contribution of Females to Develop and Sustain Islamic Finance Industry in Maldives in 2018.

Her career is a testament to unwavering dedication as murabbi to excellence in Islamic finance. Her achievements span academic contributions, regulatory enhancements and influential leadership, making her invaluable to the global Islamic finance community and an inspiring leader whose work continues to impact the academia and industry profoundly.

Saujatya Guin is the country director for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei at Temenos. Saujatya is a business development leader with a strong background in information technology, excelling in executing high-value contracts in the telecoms, technology and banking sectors. Saujatya is adept at expanding businesses in new markets with innovative products and keeps up with industry trends, creating compelling business cases aligned with company goals. Bridging the gap between commercial and technical teams, Saujatya ensures a clear understanding of the technology roadmap. Saujatya is passionate about sustainable solutions in digital and fintech, embracing challenges with creative collaboration and precision.

In his more than 20 years in enterprise/B2B tech sales, Saujatya has led digital transformations in Asia, catering to banking, communication and broadcasting, manufacturing, and digital government and public services. Saujatya has contributed to digital banking and financial innovation in ASEAN since 2017 and has initiated and successfully sold transformative initiatives such as greenfield implementations, digital core systems, open banking with API and SOA, digital and omni-channel revolutions, automation and regulatory-driven technology refresh. He has been actively involved in the rise of MVNOs, embedded finance, fintechs and challenger banks.

Shabnam Mokhtar has over 18 years of experience in the finance space. Currently, she spearheads research and development activities at SHAPE including sustainability analysis. With a global clientele experience, Shabnam brings implementation knowledge, considering the business context, regulation and best practices in different markets. Shabnam was appointed as the Securities Commission – Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, Islamic Finance Visiting Fellow for 2021/2022. She is interested in multi-disciplinary research especially in the areas of impact investing, sustainability, innovation and technology.

At Oxford, Shabnam focused on the blue economy, impact investing and lessons for Islamic finance. Formerly, she headed the capital market research for the International Shari’ah Research Academy. Her focus area was case study-based research projects in the Sukuk market. Her prior positions include Adjunct Professor of Finance at both DePaul University (Chicago) and IE Business School (Madrid) as well as Lecturer in Accounting, Finance and Bank Management at Universiti Putra Malaysia. She is also a member of the AAOIFI Examination Review Committee. Shabnam serves as a Shariah Committee Member for RHB Islamic Bank, AIA Public Takaful and London-based Islamic fintech Algbra.

Vineeta Tan is Managing Editor and Director of REDmoney Group, one of the world’s longest-running Islamic finance media houses. Vineeta oversees REDmoney Group’s stable of products including Islamic Finance news, IFN Fintech and Islamic Sustainable Finance & Investment. With over a decade of experience in the journalism and publishing industry, Vineeta specializes in ethical and Islamic finance as well as fintech reporting and analysis covering regions including the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe. As managing editor of IFN, Vineeta leads the editorial direction and business development of IFN and its sister publications in addition to authoring reports, producing podcasts and conducting video interviews. She has interviewed senior industry players, key stakeholders and senior dignitaries including the finance/economic ministers of the Ivory Coast, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Vineeta is a regular on the international conference circuit as both a moderator and speaker. She has an MBA and is trained in Journalism and Sociology. Vineeta also holds the Islamic Finance Qualification awarded by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investments, UK.

Dr Wong Huei Ching is an executive director at the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC). She leads the Digital Strategy and Innovation Division, overseeing the Innovation, Digital Strategy, Analytics, Cybersecurity and Technology Departments.

Dr Wong’s appointment serves to further the potential of digital and innovation in the area of alternative fundraising and investments, toward shaping a capital market that is more inclusive and sustainable for business and investors.

Dr Wong joined the SC in 2017 and has been involved in various market development initiatives ranging from facilitation of market vibrancy to greater industry digitization efforts. She was also instrumental in the development of the recently launched Capital Market Masterplan 3. She is currently a member of the Labuan Financial Services Authority as appointed by the minister of finance.

Prior to joining the SC, Dr Wong was with a global management consulting firm as part of its strategy practice, and one of Malaysia’s largest banks. Her experience in the financial services sector spans consumer, wholesale and international banking, particularly in strategy development and transformation.

Dr Wong holds a Bachelor in Electronic and Communications Engineering degree and a PhD in electrical and electronic engineering from the University of Bristol in the UK.

Dean Gillespie is CEO of Islamic Bank Australia and has extensive banking and start-up experience across both Australia and Asia. He has led the creation of Australia’s first Islamic bank since 2018. He was previously in charge of home loan sales at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and the head of mortgages at Bankwest where he doubled the business’s size within three years. He also ran the retail bank at Vietnam International Bank in Hanoi across 160 branches nationwide, where he built the bank’s first mobile banking app.

Dean has a history of founding start-ups including SparkleVote, an innovative online election company. Outside of work, Dean is the chair of the UK’s aeroplane ambulance service, flies aircraft and studies astrophysics part-time. He holds a Master of Finance degree and a Bachelor of Economics degree. Dean joined Islamic Bank Australia largely as a volunteer in 2018 before transitioning to full-time CEO in 2020. He is passionate about the need to support Muslim Australians in building the first Islamic bank. His knowledge of Australian retail banking and his commitment to ethical banking are key drivers in delivering the Islamic Bank Australia Vision to reality.

Leong See Meng is the senior vice-president of strategy and business at Cagamas where he is responsible for developing the corporate strategy and driving the business and sustainability initiatives. He is an accountant by training and a banker by profession with 30 years of industry experience in banking and finance. He read accounting at RMIT University, Melbourne and graduated with distinction in 1992 after which he completed the CPA program with CPA Australia. He commenced his banking career with Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation and has since worked for leading financial institutions such as Citibank and Deutsche Bank amongst others, and his last remit in banking was with the National Bank of Abu Dhabi.

Leong has extensive experience in fiduciary management, advisory, Islamic finance and wholesale banking. During his career, he was instrumental in setting up Al Rajhi International Islamic Bank and National Bank of Abu Dhabi in Malaysia. In recent times, he was leading the product team for the development and launch of Malaysia’s first reverse mortgage scheme through Cagamas. Aside from banking and finance, he is passionate about sustainability, in particular, green financing for energy-efficient homes and retrofits.

Marcel Omar Papp is the principal officer of Swiss Re Kuala Lumpur Branch since August 2018, overseeing both the conventional and re-Takaful operations of Swiss Re in Malaysia. He came to Swiss Re Kuala Lumpur Branch in February 2009 with the responsibility to set up and head the re-Takaful operations, and it has since since become the global center for Swiss Re’s Family and General re-Takaful business leading the development of the firm’s Islamic reinsurance business, products and processes worldwide. Under his leadership, Swiss Re Retakaful has become a market leader in Southeast Asia and has won several ‘Best Retakaful operation’ awards.

Prior to moving to Malaysia, Marcel Omar was based in Hong Kong and Singapore for 10 years in various underwriting roles, including head of the Casualty Treaty Desk and product manager of casualty for Asia.

Marcel Omar started his career in insurance more than 25 years ago as a claims broker in the London market working for Willis. He then moved to Union Re (Zurich) working in client market and underwriting functions before joining Swiss Re in 1998.

Marcel Omar holds a Masters of Arts degree in business administration from the University of Zurich (Switzerland) and is an associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute of London.

Michael Orzano (Mike) is the senior director of global equity indices at S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI). He is responsible for the product management of S&P DJI’s global equity, real estate and Islamic indices including the S&P/ASX and S&P/TSX series. In this role, Mike leads S&P DJI’s efforts developing new benchmarks for international equity markets and promotes their use among global clients. He also regularly publishes research, analytical reports and market commentary on a variety of international investment topics.

Prior to joining S&P DJI, Mike was a research analyst at Endurance Capital, a New York-based private equity firm, where he was responsible for evaluating investments in banks and other financial institutions. He has also worked as an investment performance analyst at Cambridge Associates.

Mike holds a Bachelor’s degree in economics from Georgetown University. He is also a CFA charterholder and a member of the New York CFA Society.

Mohamed Shehzad Mohamed Islam (Zad) has close to 25 years of experience and has assumed roles in corporate planning, management consulting, business development, marketing and sales and investments. He started as a corporate executive, was part of a family office and is still a corporate entrepreneur. His engagements have spanned multi-sectors including the emerging field of fintech.

Zad graduated in mechanical engineering from Imperial College London in 1997. A career within aviation until 2004 saw him in engineering and marketing and sales positions. Continuing his education at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Zad completed a Master of Engineering degree in mechatronics engineering in 2008 focused on drone technology.

Returning to Singapore, Zad joined a boutique consultancy as a management consultant and he participated in a number of projects, working on scopes ranging from business planning and market development to project planning, project financing and project implementation.

Between 2012 and 2017, Zad was part of a Qatari multi-business holding and family office and eventually held the position of strategic business development director. While there, Zad initiated a number of business verticals including hospitality and real estate, education, manufacturing and consulting. Zad left Qatar in mid-2017 when his family relocated home and focused on sell-side mergers and acquisitions as well select advisory assignments. He also made investments into start-ups.

In late 2019, Zad became the founding CEO (designate) of the first Shariah compliant equity crowdfunding platform, Ethis Malaysia, which is regulated by Securities Commission Malaysia.

Zad is currently COO of Ethis Global and concurrently CEO of Ethis Investment comprising EthisX, a global ethical alternative investment platform regulated by Oman’s Capital Market Authority; Ethis Fund, a fund management company licensed under Labuan Financial Services Authority; and EthisX Advisory.

Mustafa Aydemir is currently working as a senior investment analyst with Saturna, a subsidiary of Bellingham, Washington-based investment firm Saturna Capital. He is an investment advisor for high-net-worth clients and head of retail strategy in the ASEAN region. His research work covers ESG and the banking sector. Mustafa is a PhD candidate at the IIUM Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance. Mustafa studied at the Investment Banking Institute in New York City in 2009, has a Master’s degree in Islamic finance from INCEIF in 2013 and is a CFA Level 2 candidate. He is also a registered Shariah financial planner.

Mustafa is a subject matter expert on sustainability, ESG and the SDGs. He is a regular speaker and panelist on the topics in Malaysia.
Mustafa’s illustrious career started with Arthur Andersen in Stuttgart as a business consultant in 1999. He then worked for the world’s leading business software house, SAP AG, in Walldorf, Germany.

Mustafa has lived, studied and worked in Europe, the US and Asia. He was instrumental in starting and heading the consulting practice of Al-Othman Group, Saudi Arabia, in 2006. During that period, he was the program manager for major projects, including for Aramco, Sabic and Amiantit. He has been working and living in Malaysia since 2011.

Nick Edmondes has been the resident managing partner of Trowers’s Kuala Lumpur office since 2015 when the firm became the first foreign law firm to be granted a qualified foreign law firm license in Malaysia. Nick’s 36 years of experience includes major infrastructure project development and finance, privatization, corporate structuring, restructuring and cross-border investment, particularly in real estate.

Nick has worked in London and Trowers’s overseas offices, and in the 1990s, Nick established the firm’s Islamic Finance Group, which has grown to be recognized as a First Tier practice in the Legal 500 directory of law firms. He remains a key client partner for a number of international Islamic financial institutions.

Nick has been recognized as a ‘Notable Practitioner in Islamic Finance’ in the Chambers & Partners Legal Directory 2014, and as a ‘Legal Expert in the field of Project Energy and Natural Resources (including PFI)’ in the Legal Business: Legal Experts directory 2010. Nick has written many articles and has spoken regularly on a variety of topics in the UK, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, among many other countries, on diverse subjects from inward investment to the UK to private sector financing for the public sector and Islamic finance.

Suhazi Reza Selamat has more than 20 years of investment-related experience in the financial services industry. Starting his career in the Treasury Division of a Malaysian bank, Reza dealt in multiple financial instruments, including foreign exchange and derivatives for both proprietary trading and corporate desks. He moved into asset management in 2002, covering sales, marketing, distribution, training and product development.

Suhazi was based in the Middle East in 2008 and 2009 to develop the Middle Eastern market for a Malaysian asset management outfit and has specialized in Islamic asset management since 2010.

Suhazi obtained his MBA, specializing in Islamic finance, from Universiti Malaya and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from La Trobe University, Melbourne. He is a holder of the Security Commission Malaysia’s Capital Markets and Services Representative’s License for fund management obtained in 2011 and is a Shariah registered financial planner of Malaysia Financial Planning Council since 2019.