Dr Rusni Hassan is a Professor and Dean at the IIUM Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance (IIiBF). She graduated with LLB (Honours) and LLB (Shariah) (First Class), Master of Comparative Laws (MCL) and Ph.D. in Law. Her areas of specialization include Islamic Banking, Finance and Islamic Documentation, Islamic Capital Markets, Takaful and Islamic Law of Transactions.

Dr Rusni was Coordinator for Research and Publications and Course Coordinator for Islamic Law of Transactions and Islamic Banking and Takaful. She was in the Research Committee for Review of Islamic Banking Laws, Central Bank of Malaysia and an examiner for Financial Planner Association of Malaysia. Presently, she is the examiner for Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), United Kingdom. She was a member of Shariah Advisory Council Bank Negara Malaysia and a Shariah Advisor for Association of Islamic Banking Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM). She was a member of the Shariah Committee for HSBC Amanah Malaysia, HSBC Amanah (Takaful) Malaysia, and a registered Shariah Advisor with the Securities Commission. Internationally, she is a Shariah Committee member for Housing Development Corporation and Housing Development Finance Corporation Maldives. In this she has advised numerous Islamic Financial Institutions locally and internationally on Shariah compliance aspects on product development and structuring, legal documentations and Shariah audit. She was involved in the establishment of two main associations in Islamic Finance that are Association of Shariah Advisors in Islamic Finance Malaysia (ASAS) and International Council for Islamic Finance Educators (ICIFE) for which she was in the Pro-tem committee and at present the Secretary for both associations. Dr Rusni is also involved in consultancy work with several private institutions such as Bank Muamalat Malaysia Berhad, Public Bank Berhad, Maybank Islamic Berhad and International Shariah Research Academy for Islamic Finance, Permodalan Nasional Selangor. She has presented papers at many international conferences and seminars locally and abroad and has been invited as an expert and guest speaker in seminars, workshops, conferences and trainings on various Islamic Finance issues. Her publications include books on Islamic Banking and Takaful, Islamic Banking under Malaysian Law, Corporate Governance of Islamic Financial Institutions, Shariah Governance for Islamic Finance Institutions in Kuwait, Malaysia and Indonesia. She has written relevant chapters in books on Islamic Finance and articles in journals, Shariah Law Reports and other publications. She is the winner of several Best Paper Awards from various academic conferences. In 2010, a paper that she co-authored won the Best Paper Award at the 3rd Kuala Lumpur Islamic Finance Forum (KLIFF) Essay Competition on Islamic Finance. Her contributions have been given recognition by the IIUM when she was awarded the Promising Researcher Award in IIUM Quality Day in 2012. Her overall contribution to Islamic Finance is also recognized internationally when she was recognized among the Top 10 Women in Islamic Finance 2013 by the CPI International and in 2014 she received an award as the Most Talented Women Professional in Islamic Banking, Asia Islamic Banking Excellence Awards, by CMO Asia.

Ridza has advised on a wide variety of corporate, financing and commercial matters including mergers and acquisitions of listed and non-listed entities, listings of public companies, joint venture and consortium agreements involving foreign and multinational companies, venture capitalist transactions, capital markets and real estate projects. He also advises broadly on major state and federal privatisation projects particularly in the oil and gas industry and property development. He has presented many papers in conferences on areas relating to corporate governance, financing, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions. He has written a chapter on “The Contribution and Functions of Independent Directors” for the Malaysian Institute of Corporate Governance (MICG) in collaboration with Securities Commission. Being trained in Shariah as well as common law, Ridza leads one of the largest teams of Islamic finance in his firm where the firm has advised clients locally and internationally on various aspects of Islamic banking and finance utilizing various Shari’ah concepts like Al-Bai Bithamin Ajil, Ijarah, Istisna, Bai’ Inah, Bai’ Al-Dayn, Murabahah, Mudarabah, Musharakah and the issuance of Islamic Private Securities using Al-Bai Bithamin Ajil, Murabahah, Ijarah, Mudarabah and Musharakah. On the international scene, Ridza has advised clients in Singapore, the Middle East, the Philippines, Canada, Brunei, Indonesia, Turkey, Lebanon and Australia on various aspects of Islamic financing. This also includes the area of Islamic Asset Backed Securities. Ridza has advised several financial institutions on drafting standard Islamic corporate, retail and trade financing agreements. Ridza has spoken extensively in various conferences in the areas of Islamic Banking and Islamic Private Debt Securities and has delivered more than 100 papers. He has also given training to several public listed companies, financial institutions and governmental bodies including Bank Negara Malaysia and the Securities Commission. On projects, Ridza has extensive experience negotiating local and international contracts on behalf of both employer and contractor in construction law specialising in oil, gas and petrochemical related contracts, in both the upstream and downstream areas. His experience ranges from the project execution stage which includes feasibility studies, project management, financing, tax planning, procurement, construction, commissioning licensing and operation with flexible schemes using reimbursable, guaranteed maximum price, alliance, risk/reward, reimbursable with ceiling, lump sum or turnkey concepts. This extends to also FPSO, charter party contracts, fabrication etc. In addition, he also advises oil & gas companies in production sharing contracts, risk service contracts and their corporate matters. His experience in negotiating international contracts ranges from countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, Iran, United States of America, France, Venezuela, Vietnam, Oman, Libya, India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Apart from the oil and gas industry, Ridza has also advised clients on light railway transit system, road projects, building contracts, tunnel contracts, cement plants and factories. Having a background in finance as well, Ridza advises major corporations both local and international on financial and taxation matters particularly on corporate financing and optimising various taxation structures in countries within the Asia Pacific Region.