Asad Ahmed is the managing director of Alvarez & Marsal in Dubai, with more than 30 years of experience in banking and credit management and in formulating and managing strategic and operational changes in financial institutions. He brings in-depth knowledge of strategy formulation and implementation, performance improvement initiatives and change management programs. He has held various senior management positions in the Middle East, Africa and Canada.

At A&M, Asad has led assignments ranging from review of operational risk at a major Gulf bank to corporate debtor advisory. He has also served as the interim general manager with one of the largest brokerage firms in the UAE.

Before joining A&M, Asad worked as a managing director with Gulf African Bank (Kenya), the largest Shariah compliant bank in East Africa. During his tenure, the bank saw a 154% increase in year-on-year profitability, the successful implementation of a three-year strategy and major advances in the risk and compliance environment. Asad has also worked at National Bank of Fujairah, last serving as the general manager, and worked for nine years with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (Toronto).

Asad earned an MBA from the Institute of Business Administration (Karachi, Pakistan) and is a certified public accountant in the US, a certified credit professional from the Credit Institute of Canada and a fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers.

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.

Dr Hurriyah El Islamy is currently serving 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 Islamic businesses of the group. She was also the director of Capinnova Investment Bank, an Islamic investment arm of the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait after she served Kuwait Finance House Bahrain leading the Compliance and Anti-Money Laundering Department there while (also) serving as the legal counsel.

Dr Hurriyah remains active in the Islamic finance industry as she is the advisor in Islamic finance to the Astana International Finance Centre, a board member and strategic advisor to Islamic Fintech Alliance and is also listed as an IMF 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.

Dr Husam Yaghi is currently the group vice-president at one of the conglomerates in Saudi Arabia. He was group CTO for 15 years for another conglomerate in Saudi Arabia in addition to serving as a telecommunications advisor at the Saudi Arabian National Guard.

Dr Husam was educated and trained in the US for 20 years before relocating to Saudi Arabia in 1998. He has held numerous senior executive positions and built several companies starting with GloboNet (the first internet service provider in Louisiana in the US) in 1986. He has published more than 20 technical papers on various topics including Islamic finance and blockchain. In 2018, he was selected as one of the 50 most influential professionals in fintech.

Dr Husam is currently building a metaverse world which will house several running businesses in addition to leasing space for others to showcase their products and services. The ecosystem will utilize a cryptocurrency token which will be floated on decentralized finance exchanges.

Issam Al Tawari is currently the managing partner of Newbury Economic Consulting focusing on debt capital market advisory and restructuring. He was the founder/chairman and managing director of Rasameel Structured Finance Company, a capital market-focused investment company supervised by the Capital Markets Authority/Central Bank of Kuwait and chairman of Rasameel Investment Bank, a Dubai-based, Dubai International Financial Centre-regulated bank. His latest area of interest is the development of Islamic debt capital markets.

Issam started his career with Arab Banking Corporation (ABC)-Bahrain on the commercial banking side. He then worked extensively on corporate finance issues with ABC’s Islamic bank to become associate director. He joined The International Investor (TII), Kuwait in 1998 on the structured finance side. His last position at TII was COO and a partner with the structured finance group.

Issam has served on the board of directors of a number of companies and funds and currently serves as an independent director with Alkhabeer Capital out of Jeddah. He constantly speaks at Islamic banking industry conferences, seminars and in media commentaries.

Issam was a member of the Young Arab Leaders Association and the Kuwaiti Economic Society. In addition, he is an alumnus of both the Harvard Business School and Henley Management College and received his MBA from the University of Hull (Dist.) in England in 1998 and his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and business administration from Kuwait University in 1987.

Dr John A Sandwick is a recognized pioneer in Islamic finance. He created the first application of the Modern Portfolio Theory in the context of global portfolio allocations with Shariah certification. He is also noted for organizing innovative domestic and international Sukuk (Islamic bonds), the world’s first global Sukuk fund, a Sukuk participation certificate and the first-ever mid-market Sukuk in Saudi Arabia.

Dr John is a visiting professor of finance at Al Yamamah University in Riyadh, and a former instructor in the Graduate School of Finance at University Paris-Dauphine. He frequently teaches Master classes on Islamic finance, including in Kuala Lumpur, Almaty, Dubai, Riyadh, Geneva and London for groups including central banks, pension funds, family offices and treasuries.

Dr John’s most recent publications include a popular article in the Journal of Asset Management, as well as a recent book from one of the world’s top-ranked academic publishers, Edward Elgar Publishing. He has a Master’s degree in development banking from American University in Washington DC and a doctorate in business administration from Grenoble Ecole de Management in France. He previously worked at the private banking units of Deutsche Bank (Suisse), Credit Suisse and Encore Management (in association with UBS). He is currently a corporate finance and wealth management consultant for Saudi family clients.

Khaled Al-Aboodi is the managing partner of Sustainable Finance Solutions. He was previously a member of the board of directors of SALIC from December 2016 to January 2020 and he was appointed as the managing director as of 1st February 2018. Before joining SALIC, he worked as CEO of the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector for more than 10 years.

Khaled has over 35 years of experience serving the developing finance industry in the Middle East and the US. He started his tenure with the Ministry of Finance & National Economy of Saudi Arabia in 1982 as an economic researcher, and served as director of the Environment Unit and acting director of the International Financial Institutions Department.

Khaled holds a Bachelor’s degree in economics from King Saud University, Riyadh (1982), and a Master’s degree in economics from the Northeastern University, Boston, US (1987).

Khaled Al Ahli, a FinTech expert with exceptionally strong payment and financial services credentials. His hard work, charisma, and true passion have helped Khaled’s reputation as a qualified expert in FinTech and Financial Services. Following his successful career in banking, he was appointed as a Vice President for Mastercard, a leading international technology player shaping the future of payment and financial services around the world. Subsequently, he established a FinTech start-up company regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain, as a CEO, introducing the first of its kind biometric payment network in the region.

Khaled is a Fellow of the UK Chartered Management Institute and has been awarded 2 UK awards for his distinguished achievement as an MBA graduate of the University of South Wales. He is a certified Fintech Professional from McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University, and a certified practitioner in NLP from the Canadian Training Center.

His unique fusion of academic and professional expertise helped Khaled’s standing as a qualified regional expert, he is a regional speaker at FinTech forums and summits; currently he is a member of the Advisory Board of Seamless The Middle East, a Dubai annual regional conference focusing on Banking, FinTech and Payment sectors.

Mike Tirman is a partner in Ice Miller’s Real Estate Group and advises and represents clients in all areas of real estate law, including acquisitions and dispositions, financing (including various forms of Sharīʿah-compliant financing), ground leasing, development, land use and zoning, entity structuring, and joint ventures.

Some of Mike’s representative transactions include:

• Represented borrowers in $65 million mortgage loan and $11 million mezzanine loan refinance of multifamily property in Hamilton County, Ohio
• Represented buyer in $195 million Sharīʿah-compliant acquisition and CMBS financing of portfolio of 30 industrial properties.
• Represented buyer in $156 million Sharīʿah-compliant acquisition and CMBS financing of portfolio of 11 industrial properties.
• Represented buyer in $162 million acquisition and financing of portfolio of 8 office buildings.
• Represented landlord in $104 million refinance of portfolio of 4 industrial properties in New Jersey encumbered by ground leases.
• Represented seller/investment fund in $315 million sale of mid-rise office building in Massachusetts.
• Represented buyer in $115 million Sharīʿah-compliant acquisition and financing of portfolio of 6 student-housing properties.
• Represented buyer in $133 million acquisition and financing of portfolio of 19 office buildings.
• Represented buyer in $122 million acquisition and financing of the US headquarters of an international manufacturing company.
• Represented seller/hospital in $150 million sale of hospital complex in southern Indiana.
• Represented REIT in $30 million acquisition of a parking garage and execution of a reverse 1031 exchange.

Mike is licensed to practice law in Illinois and Indiana.

Dr Mohammed Alyami has almost 20 years of experience in different sectors with the most in evaluation and development impact. Currently, Dr Mohammed is the director of the Development Effectiveness Department at the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector of the IsDB Group. He worked as a post-doctoral research fellow at Harvard Kennedy School in 2017–2018 in Cambridge in the US.

Dr Mohammed holds a PhD in evaluation from Western Michigan University (WMU) with an emphasis on evaluation standards and program evaluation. He holds two Master’s degrees, one in marketing management (2002) from the Institute of Public Administration in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the other in human resources development (2008) from WMU. In 1999, he completed his Bachelor’s degree studies in business administration at King Saud University in Riyadh. His research interests are development effectiveness, impact evaluation and evaluation standards.

Dr. Muhammad Bilal is an expert in the field of Islamic Banking and Finance. He is currently working at the General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions (CIBAFI) as a Research Economist, primarily handling research projects related to Islamic banking and sustainable finance. He is well-versed with Islamic finance and sustainability practices and is a subject matter expert on structuring Islamic financial products and services.

Before joining CIBAFI, Dr. Bilal was a Sustainable Development & Finance Consultant at Z Consulting Group, Malaysia where he has contributed to several industry projects, research in Islamic banking, capital market, affordable housing and sustainable & ethical finance, and consultation work. Dr. Bilal has also developed an alternative Islamic credit card model (Al-Muqassah model) and a Shariah-compliant affordable public housing model, and his research work is published in reputed international journals (indexed by SSCI, SCOPUS and EBSCO).

Dr. Bilal holds a PhD degree in Islamic Banking & Finance and a Master’s degree in Islamic Finance from International Islamic University Malaysia.

Dr Mohammed Ishaq Ali is a professional with extensive experience in the field of investment management with several organizations across Saudi Arabia and India. He has a successful track record of managing Shariah compliant mutual funds and discretionary portfolios, consistently outperforming the market, peer groups and benchmarks.

Dr Mohammed’s core expertise involves the formulation of investment strategies, asset allocations and portfolio diversification though quantitative screening, macro assessment and stock-specific ideas. He is active in industry/market research to identify mispriced assets in any conditions of the market. His capability to manage risk and comply with regulatory frameworks and Shariah guidelines is invaluable to asset management departments.

Dr Mohammed has a distinct record of teaching MBA and CFA students in the areas of corporate finance and investments, apart from providing training to investment bankers. He has authored books, published articles and presented papers in various conferences and seminars.

Mohammed Paracha is a banking and finance lawyer based in Dubai. He is the head of the Middle East, as well as the head of Norton Rose Fulbright’s Islamic finance practice for the Middle East and Africa.

Mohammed has been active in the Middle East for nearly 20 years, having worked in Norton Rose Fulbright’s London and Bahrain offices before moving to Dubai in 2011. He became the head of Norton Rose Fulbright’s Middle East practice in January 2021.
Mohammed’s practice focuses on all types of Islamic finance covering a wide range of asset types, investment classes and industrial sectors. With a background in asset and project finance, Mohammed advises on Shariah compliant asset finance, trade finance, real estate finance and project financings. He also advises on the structuring of Islamically acceptable investment funds and has advised on the establishment of new Islamic financial institutions in various countries. Mohammed has strong relationships with many of the internationally renowned Shariah scholars and is a regular speaker at conferences and seminars on Islamic finance topics.

Mohammed’s clients include multilateral development banks, commercial banks and regional banks. He is the project lead on the ongoing Islamic Codification Project for Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre. A further highlight of Mohammed’s career includes being appointed to the Bank of England’s Committee on Islamic Finance which then paved the way for London to become a key global hub in the industry.

Mohammed is recommended as a leader in his field by Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, Acritas and IFLR.

Dr Rizwan Malik has over 10 years of experience in investment allocation, advisory, research, strategy and business development. Presently, he heads the standards implementation and strategic developments department at AAOIFI — a global Islamic finance standard-setter within the Islamic finance industry+. He is an associate editor of peer-reviewed technical bulletin Journal for Islamic Finance Accountancy and a member of the working group for a standard on investment funds at AAOIFI.

Dr Rizwan previously headed the Strategic Planning and Development Team at the Muscat National Development and Investment Company (ASAAS) based in Muscat, Oman — a semi-government institution set up by the sovereign wealth fund of Oman and a number of government pension funds to assist the government in diversifying its revenue streams. Prior to joining ASAAS, Dr Rizwan was the head of business development and strategy at Edbiz Consulting in London for six years, where he advised banks and financial institutions and regulatory and multilateral institutions and led various Islamic finance advisory and research-related projects globally.

Dr Rizwan is a member of the working groups for a new standard titled ‘Core Principles for Islamic Finance Regulation’ at the IFSB as well as ‘Islamic Finance National Accounts’ — a joint-initiative of the IMF and the UN. He has contributed to various conferences and events around the world and has written book chapters and articles in international publications. Dr Rizwan holds a Bachelor’s degree from Heriot-Watt University, a Master of Science degree in banking and finance and a PhD from Kingston University London. His post-doctoral research focused on Islamic capital markets with an exclusive focus on equity investments.

Saliegh Salaam leads Old Mutual Investment Group’s Shariah proposition, where environmental, social and governance considerations are a key component of how Old Mutual’s portfolios are managed. He has been the lead portfolio manager of Shariah products (equity, multi-asset and global equity) since 2007 and has grown this award-winning Shariah proposition to be a significant player in the market.

Saliegh has more than 25 years of financial market experience which spans leadership roles at smaller boutique asset managers as well as large asset managers.

Amna Usman heads the Corporate Department at Trabulsi & Co law firm where she handles various issues regarding foreign investment, company formation and restructuring; mergers and acquisitions; joint ventures; and the day-to-day corporate matters of her clients.

Amna has a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of London and a specialized Master of Laws degree from Queen Mary University in corporate and commercial law. During her LLB degree, she did in-depth research on the various aspects of Islamic finance and banking. She has a keen interest in the Shariah compliance of the evolving digital currency and is currently advising the Fintech Department of her law firm on possible future Shariah compliant options.

Dr Mohammed Ishaq Ali is a professional with extensive experience in the field of investment management with several organizations across Saudi Arabia and India. He has a successful track record of managing Shariah compliant mutual funds and discretionary portfolios, consistently outperforming the market, peer groups and benchmarks.

Dr Mohammed’s core expertise involves the formulation of investment strategies, asset allocations and portfolio diversification though quantitative screening, macro assessment and stock-specific ideas. He is active in industry/market research to identify mispriced assets in any conditions of the market. His capability to manage risk and comply with regulatory frameworks and Shariah guidelines is invaluable to asset management departments.

Dr Mohammed has a distinct record of teaching MBA and CFA students in the areas of corporate finance and investments, apart from providing training to investment bankers. He has authored books, published articles and presented papers in various conferences and seminars.

Nabil A. Issa is a partner in the Corporate, Finance and Investments Group of King & Spalding, working from the Dubai and affiliated Riyadh offices. Mr. Issa’s experience includes work in the areas of Shari’ah-compliant funds, joint ventures, foreign investment, private equity, privatizations, venture capital, healthcare, education, F&B and real estate industry transactions. He is particularly known for his development of innovative Shari-ah-compliant CMA funds and investment structures for real estate and private equity investments in Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E.

Nader Naifar is a professor of finance at the College of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He had experience in teaching for more than 20 years with expertise in various subjects pertaining to finance including financial markets, Islamic finance and corporate finance. He is skilled in teaching students with practical examples, is familiar with modern learning technologies and has proved excellent in teaching and managing a broad range of students from diverse financial backgrounds and with different behavioral patterns.

Nader’s research interests include financial economics, Islamic finance, Sukuk markets, default risk, credit default swap, global crisis, contagion, international financial markets, real estate, macroeconomic conditions, and energy markets. He has published more than 60 papers in international refereed journals including journals indexed by Web of Science and Scopus databases. He has been awarded the ‘Excellence in scientific research award’ and the ‘Publications International award’ delivered by Imam University.

Saliegh Salaam leads Old Mutual Investment Group’s Shariah proposition, where environmental, social and governance considerations are a key component of how Old Mutual’s portfolios are managed. He has been the lead portfolio manager of Shariah products (equity, multi-asset and global equity) since 2007 and has grown this award-winning Shariah proposition to be a significant player in the market.

Saliegh has more than 25 years of financial market experience which spans leadership roles at smaller boutique asset managers as well as large asset managers.

Toseef Azid is a professor of economics at the College of Business and Economics, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. He holds a PhD in economics from University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK (1993). He received the Overseas Research Scholarship from the UK government and a Fulbright Award Scholar in Residence Program (2006) from the US. He has taught in Pakistan, Brunei, the UK, the US and Saudi Arabia. His research focuses on technological change, labor economics, Islamic economics and Islamic finance. His eight books are published, with one in Pakistan; four are published by Routledge, UK; two are published by Emerald; and one by World Scientific Publishers, Singapore. He was also appointed twice as a member of the selection committee of the IsDb Prize. He has more than 80 papers to his credit which are published in well-reputed international journals.