Ahmad Nazir Che Yen is Business Development Director at DDGI Limited Regional Office in Kuala Lumpur. Nazir has worked in the financial markets for over 30 years, during which his career has encompassed liquidity management, foreign exchange and money market activities in the interbank market, as well as Islamic and corporate banking.  Following previous career positions with Maybank and Affin Bank, Nazir joined CIMB Investment Bank. During his time at CIMB he was appointed Deputy Head of CIMB Islamic Bank Treasury Department, covering London, Singapore, Indonesia and Bahrain. Subsequently, he joined the CIMB Islamic Sharia and Wholesale team as a Director and Head of Group Islamic Banking in the Sharia and Learning Development Unit, focusing on the development of Islamic Treasury products. Nazir was also tasked with overseeing the establishment of an Islamic Treasury unit in CIMB Bank Singapore. Nazir has frequently presented to Sharia Boards, regulators, financial institutions and corporations on Islamic Treasury products in a number of overseas jurisdictions including Singapore, Hong Kong, Brunei, Philippines, China, Oman and Indonesia. He also regularly provided a range of Islamic finance focused courses for CIMB Group staff.

Anouk brings with her over 23 years of industry experience within the conventional and Shariah space. She joins us from Penjana Kapital where she was involved in the deployment of the Dana Penjana Nasional fund-of-funds program.

Prior to Penjana Kapital, she was attached with Fortress Capital Asset Managers as Investment Director responsible for structuring and managing wholesale global mixed asset funds for accredited investors. She was the Head of Investment with VCAP Asset Managers overseeing the management of equities and fixed income funds consisting of private mandates and wholesale funds. Prior to joining VCAP Asset Managers, Anouk served as Senior Portfolio Manager at i-VCAP Management, a Shariah asset management company. She was also a part of the core team that was involved in the structuring and listing of the largest Shariah ETF in the world and the first Malaysian wholesale ESG fund.

Anouk graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.

Arshad Nuval Othman is the Head of Sustainable Finance at CIMB Islamic and is responsible for accelerating sustainable finance and sustainability practices. He joined CIMB Islamic in December 2019 as the Islamic Banking Specialist for the regional financial institutions group, and subsequently shifted to public sector group in July 2021 to cover development financial institutions and special projects (including sustainability). Prior to CIMB Islamic, Arshad worked at HSBC Amanah and Affin Bank as a corporate banking relationship manager with experience in covering local large corporates, multinational corporations and government-linked companies

Badrul Hisham Jaafar is a Principal and Senior Vice-President of COPE Private Equity. He is also a member of the Investment Committee. Prior to joining the firm, he was an Investment Principal with Kumpulan Modal Perdana, a VC firm under the Ministry of Finance of Malaysia. Earlier in his career, he held various leadership positions in the private equity, private banking, semiconductor and IT industry. Badrul holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Investment and Banking Management from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Ee Siew has spent half of her professional career in Germany and the other half in Asia, serving emerging markets. She brings with her close to 20 years of experience in shaping the narratives of products and brands across diverse industries from automotive, to healthcare and education, and most recently, carbon.

Upon returning to Malaysia, she has consciously chosen to embark on roles with impact, having served at establishments such as Cancer Research Malaysia and Asia School of Business. Her most recent role involves being a part of the core team starting-up the voluntary carbon market from ground-up in Malaysia with Bursa Malaysia.

She holds an MBA from WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management, Germany and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Sustainable Development Management at Sunway University in Malaysia.

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.

Frederik Wijsenbeek is a Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Ethos Invest. He joined Ethos in 2023 with 25 years of experience in private equity, private credit, real estate and special situations investing across North America and Europe. Frederik’s expertise lies in sourcing, structuring and executing complex transactions as well as building and leading teams of investment professionals. He has a successful track record of developing and expanding alternative asset management platforms. Frederik was a senior investment team member with more than US$5 billion invested in blue-chip institutional and ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) investors across multiple geographies and sectors. Before joining Ethos, Frederik worked at Morgan Stanley Investment Management for a decade. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Frederik was Director and Head of European Direct Private Equity for the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, a leading global pension fund with US$250 billion of assets under management. He was also a Partner at Bregal Investments, a EUR2 billion (US$2.13 billion) private equity fund backed by the UHNW Brenninkmeijer family. Frederik earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction from Stanford University and is an alumnus of Harvard Business School.

Geoff is a senior strategy professional with over 18 years of experience developing strategies for multinational financial services providers, challenger banks and fintech corporations. As Chief Strategy Officer, he is responsible for setting group-wide strategy, driving international growth and leading key projects.

Geoff held senior positions at Barclays, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Oliver Wyman. At First Abu Dhabi Bank and Barclays he led business strategy, customer and analytics functions. At Oliver Wyman he advised major banks, private equity businesses and governments across EMEA on key strategic issues.

Hakan Ozyon’s role as CEO at Hejaz Financial Services involves setting strategic paths and forming financial alliances. With over 30 years of experience in business, he is known for leading innovative strategies and nurturing talent. 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. Notably, he has spent a decade transforming visions into pioneering Islamic financial services. He is respected globally for his business acumen.

Izad is the Chief Executive Officer of Principal Islamic Asset Management. He has 20 years of experience working in financial institutions including UBS and Citigroup, focusing on equities. He has also held key responsibilities in fund raising activities as well as managing assets of government-linked companies. He was previously the Chief Executive Officer of Urusharta Jamaah and Chief Investment Officer of Penjana Kapital. As the CEO of Principal Islamic, he is responsible for managing and developing the Islamic business in Malaysia and other markets Principal Islamic is operating in. Through his leadership and expertise, he has played an instrumental role in growing Principal Group’s (Principal Malaysia and Principal Islamic) Shariah compliant assets under management, now valued at $7.95 billion as of 31 July 2024. Izad holds a BSc Economics (Hons) from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an MBA from the University of Nottingham. Izad is a holder of the Capital Markets Services Representative’s License for fund management and investment advice.

John Welling is Head of Global Equity Indices at S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI), where he leads the global equities team in overseeing, promoting and developing S&P DJI’s extensive portfolio of global indices including the S&P Global BMI, S&P World Index, S&P Global 1200 and various regional benchmarks as well as S&P DJI’s established and growing sustainability index offerings.

With a background in structured products and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from BYU, John became a member of the S&P DJI team in 2017 and brings a broad perspective to his role. Outside of work, John enjoys snow skiing, trail running, bicycling and spending time with family.

Mariam Veronica is the Director, Group Head for Institutional and Islamic Asset Management of Kenanga Investors Berhad (“KIB”). She is responsible for driving the business of both the Institutional and Islamic Asset Management Business of Kenanga Investors Group. Since 2014, her main role is to develop both the conventional and Islamic business by acquiring, retaining and servicing the company’s clients ranging from the government link companies, government agencies, multi-national corporations, corporate clients and HNW individuals, among others. She is also a key advocate for financial Waqf initiatives in Malaysia, promoting the use of Waqf as a sustainable financial tool for social and economic development. Mariam brings with her over two decades of extensive experience in the areas of asset management, unit trust and audit. Her work experience includes the Securities Commission Malaysia, her experiences in the United Kingdom as well as in one of the top asset management companies in Malaysia. Mariam holds a BSc in Accounting and is a Licensed Fund Manager. She is also an alumna of the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.

Mohamad Irwan’s main responsibility is to develop and implement sustainability strategies that reflect Sarawak Energy’s values and supports long-term business plans. He holds a Master’s of Science in Environmental Engineering and an MBA. Prior to joining Sarawak Energy, Irwan was a consultant/country representative for Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co., Ltd. from 2008-2011 and a technical expert for Tenaga Nasional Berhad from 1998-2008. In addition to his working experience, he has also been engaged as a technical advisor in various local and international projects related to sustainability such as: Korea – Malaysia ASEAN CDM +3 & NAMA Program; Malaysia Grid Emission Baselines; Malaysia – Denmark CDM Implementation Action Plan; Malaysia Energy Balance and Emission Inventory for National Communication 2; and Malaysia Standard for Carbon Emission at Organisation Level (ISO 14000/TC 207).

Mohammed Parekh is the Founder and Managing Director of MRP Premier Group, a leading real estate advisory firm based in London. He also serves as the CEO and Founder of Akhlaq Capital, a Shariah-compliant real estate fund. Mohammed has over 17 years of experience in the real estate industry, specialising in investment and development acquisition, project management, and affordable housing. He holds a BSc in Geography with Business and an MSc in International Real Estate and Planning from University College London. Under Mohammed’s leadership, MRP Premier Group advises a diverse clientele, including private and public sector organisations, on a wide range of real estate projects. The firm has a strong focus on inward investment into the UK and outbound investment for its global network of high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), primarily from the Middle East and Far East. Mohammed founded Akhlaq Capital to provide ethical and Shariah-compliant investment opportunities in the real estate market. Akhlaq Capital focuses on generating income and capital growth through strategic investments in residential properties and select development opportunities in key markets such as London, Jakarta, Abu Dhabi, and Kuala Lumpur.

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.

Olga has worked in the asset management industry since 2001. She is based in London and joined HSBC in November 2018 as Head of EMEA ETFs Sales, expanding her role to global coverage at the end of 2019 and further to index investment in 2020.

Prior to joining HSBC, Olga worked for BlackRock for 12 years – 9 years in Passive Sales where she held responsibility for client coverage across Southern Europe and 3 years as an EMD senior product strategist. Before this, Olga worked as a sales and product manager for BNP Paribas Asset Management in Paris for 6 years. She has also worked as financial controller in Spain outside the asset management industry.

Olga received an MBA from the IE Business School in Madrid and holds a degree in business administration from the University Complutense in Madrid and Montpellier. She holds the Imperial Sustainability Leadership certificate from the Imperial College Business school.

Soon Chong has over 15 years of experience in fund management and investment research. He joined ValueCAP Group in 2010 as Vice-President of Investment Research and was later appointed Senior Vice- President/Portfolio Manager, where he managed a diverse range of investment portfolios across Malaysian and ASEAN markets. Following Kenanga Investors Berhad’s acquisition of Eq8 Capital Sdn Bhd (formerly i-VCAP Management Sdn Bhd) in 2021, Soon Chong leads ESG Investments and Passive Investment Strategies. He brings extensive experience managing local and regional funds, including ETFs, ESG portfolios as well as equity and balanced funds. His expertise is further strengthened by his background in various roles within investment banks and Big 4 accounting firms.

Ranjit joined Kenanga Investors Berhad in 2020 to head the Product Development team. Prior to this, he amassed over 10 years of experience in finance, with eight years in investment banking within the field of Corporate Finance with Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad. In these roles, he oversaw end-to-end deal execution covering mergers and acquisitions, equity fundraising, initial public offerings/reverse take-overs and other advisory projects, servicing clients, listed and unlisted, across various industries.

Resham Singh is the Managing Director/Regional Head of Consumer Bank at CIMB Islamic and is responsible for the growth of consumer Islamic banking business regionally. He joined CIMB Islamic in April 2022 and has a total of 30 years of banking experience covering both consumer and corporate/commercial banking. Prior to joining CIMB Group, he was the Head of Consumer Banking with Hong Leong Islamic Bank and Head of Export Finance with Exim Bank covering cross border contract/project financing and structured trade finance.

Sefian Kasem is the global head of ETF and Indexing Investment specialist at HSBC Asset Management. He is based in London and has been in the industry since 2006. Prior to joining HSBC Asset Management, Sefian worked for HSBC Global Banking and Markets for over 13 years, where he held positions within Cross-Asset Trading and Global Credit Trading divisions. He holds a degree in economics and finance from the London School of Economics and a PhD in mathematical finance from Imperial College in London.

Seong Jiann Koay holds a pivotal role as the Group Chief Financial Officer at Masverse. Leading the Initial Exchange Offering (IEO) arm of Masverse and serving as a key advisor, SJ possesses a diverse skill set including financial management, strategic business development and advisory expertise. SJ’s proficiency covers a wide range of areas, from enterprise risk management and investor relations to operations management and corporate finance. With extensive experience in financial management and a keen eye for emerging technologies, SJ has played a crucial role in establishing robust internal accounting, finance and costing systems at Masverse. His proactive approach in securing funding and fostering collaborations has been instrumental in ensuring the company’s financial stability and facilitating strategic partnerships. SJ’s exceptional skills in data analysis have significantly contributed to informed decision-making, driving Masverse’s expansion in the market.

Shahariah Shaharudin is the President of Saturna, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saturna
Capital Corporation. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Studies from Knox College, Illinois and a Master of Arts degree in Economics from University of Illinois, Springfield.

Shahariah has more than 30 years of experience in the areas of fund management, stockbroking and commercial banking. She started her career in a commercial bank with extensive experience in retail banking, trade finance and corporate banking and later joined a stockbroking company, overseeing both the stockbroking and futures broking business. She also worked for a fund management house under the Strategic Business and Market Development Division where her core responsibility was sourcing business and servicing both retail and wholesale clients. She was CEO and an Executive Director of Kenanga Islamic Investors before joining Saturna in October 2018.

Shahariah speaks at Islamic finance and ESG conferences. She is passionate about Islamic investment and has participated in the Brunei Roundtable; presented in events in Shenzen, China; and was nominated in the ‘Top 10 List for Women in Malaysian Financial Institutions’ by a local magazine.

Shahariah is currently a holder of the Capital Market Services Representatives License for fund management.

Sharifatul Hanizah is the Executive Director of Islamic Capital Market Development of the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC). She leads a team that facilitates the developmental and operational initiatives for Malaysia’s Islamic capital market (ICM). This encompasses initiatives through the deepening and broadening of ICM products and services to further strengthen Malaysia’s position as a global hub for ICM as well reviews of industry proposals and Shariah status for listed/pre-IPO securities.

Sharifatul has extensive and diverse experience of over 30 years in the fields of investment analysis, portfolio management, equity trading and unit trust while serving in various organizations such as Permodalan Nasional (PNB), RHB Investment Management and Muamalat Invest. During her tenure in PNB and RHB, Sharifatul’s board experience was vast, spanning consumer goods, technology and manufacturing companies. She served on the boards of exchange-listed and private companies as a Nominee Director for PNB and RHB.

Prior to joining the SC in August 2019, Sharifatul was CEO of SIDC, the learning and development arm of the SC. She is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, a Certified Financial Planner, an Islamic Financial Planner and a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia.

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.

Darius Nass is an Associate Director for Global Equity Indices at S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI). He is based out of the Singapore office and is responsible for the product management of S&P DJI’s global index suites, including the S&P Global BMI, S&P Global 1200 and S&P Islamic Indices. In his role, Darius leads efforts to develop new benchmarks, promotes existing offerings and regularly publishes market commentary, analytical reports and research.

Prior to joining S&P DJI, Darius was part of the Nasdaq Index R&D team, where he was led product development initiatives for the APAC region.

Darius holds a Master’s degree in Quantitative Finance from Singapore Management University.

Tutiana Jusat joined Amundi in 2016 as CIO – Fixed Income with experience in fixed income and capital markets in both conventional and Islamic in asset management, commercial and investment banks. Prior to Amundi, Tutiana was in Bahrain as the Head of Treasury and Capital Markets at Ibdar Bank and Head of Investment and Trading at Elaf Bank, managing the Bank’s asset allocation in fixed income and equities, evaluating investments in private equity and real estate as member of the Investment Committee. Tutiana began her career as a Trader at Affin Merchant Bank, Malaysia. Her last post in Malaysia was at Bank Muamalat as Acting Head of Treasury and Capital Markets/Head of Fixed Income Sales and Trading. As Executive Director of Muamalat Invest, she oversaw the CIO’s portfolios specializing in fixed income, equities and unit trust funds. Prior to this, she was a Senior Manager in Investment Banking involved in the origination and structuring of corporate and government linked bond issuances. Tutiana has an MSc in Investment Management from Cass Business School in London and a BSc (Hons) in Economics from Queen Mary College, University of London.

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.

Shahariah Shaharudin is the President of Saturna, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saturna
Capital Corporation. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Studies from Knox College, Illinois and a Master of Arts degree in Economics from University of Illinois, Springfield.

Shahariah has more than 30 years of experience in the areas of fund management, stockbroking and commercial banking. She started her career in a commercial bank with extensive experience in retail banking, trade finance and corporate banking and later joined a stockbroking company, overseeing both the stockbroking and futures broking business. She also worked for a fund management house under the Strategic Business and Market Development Division where her core responsibility was sourcing business and servicing both retail and wholesale clients. She was CEO and an Executive Director of Kenanga Islamic Investors before joining Saturna in October 2018.

Shahariah speaks at Islamic finance and ESG conferences. She is passionate about Islamic investment and has participated in the Brunei Roundtable; presented in events in Shenzen, China; and was nominated in the ‘Top 10 List for Women in Malaysian Financial Institutions’ by a local magazine.

Shahariah is currently a holder of the Capital Market Services Representatives License for fund management.