Adam Knight is an experienced onshore funds lawyer, with significant senior in-house experience across all major asset classes who leads Bedell Cristin’s London investment funds and indirect real estate practice. Having practised in London, including with Paul Hastings and CMS, he has a wealth of onshore experience to complement his in-house expertise from having worked as Global Head of Fund Structuring & Legal for global asset manager Intermediate Capital Group. Adam also spent time practising in Guernsey at the start of his career and is familiar with the full range of offshore investment fund structures. He has been admitted since 2010, and has worked on numerous major fund raises across private equity, real estate, infrastructure, credit and secondaries and has worked with a wide range of investors across his career including sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, and family offices.

Elias is a Partner in Trowers & Hamlins’ International Banking and Finance Department. He 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 and real estate financing as well as capital market issuances.

Faris Lodin is the founder of AxeHoldings and Delos Capital, where he serves as principal and chief investment officer, respectively. AxeHoldings is an investment firm focused on building, acquiring, and scaling ventures across financial services, technology, infrastructure, and traditional businesses. Delos Capital operates as a hedge fund specialising in asymmetric yield and high-conviction strategies across credit, equity, and special situations. Faris’s recent work includes co-investments with sovereign funds and partnerships with state-owned enterprises across Asia. He is actively involved in structuring capital solutions in deep tech, green finance, security, and infrastructure, particularly in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. He is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, and a member of both the CISI and ICAEW. He sits on the boards of educational institutions and serves on the Council of Advisors at the Harvard Business Review.

Ismitz Matthew De Alwis is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Kenanga Investors Berhad. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Kenanga Islamic Investors Berhad, Eq8 Capital Sdn Bhd, Kenanga Trustees Berhad, Kenanga Digital Sdn Bhd and Helicap Pte Ltd. With more than thirty years’ worth of experience, he has a Capital Markets Services Representative’s Licence from the Securities Commission Malaysia for fund management, investment advice and financial planning. He is a Certified Financial Planner and Islamic Financial Planner. Mr De Alwis is the Chairperson of the Malaysian Association of Asset Managers, and is currently on the board of the Federation of Investment Managers Malaysia. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Institutional Investors Council Malaysia and a member of Bursa Malaysia’s Securities Market Consultative Panel. He is also a member of the Joint Committee on Climate Change (JC3) and participates as a member of the Sustainable Investment Platform Steering Committee – Malaysia Sustainable Investment Initiative.

Jessica Tan is Principal, Fixed Income Indices at S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI). With a key focus on Asia Pacific indices and clients, Jessica drives the development and management of index products, ensuring their strategic planning, implementation and long-term success. Prior to joining the product management team, Jessica led the Asian indices client services team to provide the highest level of service to index clients. She later transitioned to the global research & design team, conducting market analysis and developing new index products before combining her expertise in client management and product development in the product management role. Jessica graduated from Singapore Institute of Management with a Bachelor of Science in banking and finance under the University of London programme.

Max Freeman is a seasoned entrepreneur with expertise in Web1 and Web3 technologies. He founded Toner.com Group in 1999, scaling it from a dorm room start-up into a multinational business generating over $100 million in revenue without external funding.

As the creator of the EPIC Blockchain Protocol (2017-2023), Max developed a pioneering Layer 1 blockchain to drive mass adoption. He later founded Epic Economy Amplifier (2022) and Epicenter Labs (2024) to expand and commercialize the EPIC Blockchain ecosystem.

A Stanford University alumnus with a background in Computer Science and Business, Max is now based in Dubai, UAE, focused on building transformative, accessible technologies for global impact.

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).

Mohamad Safri Shahul Hamid joined IILM after spending 13 years at CIMB, where he had served the bank in various capacities including as a Deputy CEO at CIMB Islamic and as a Senior Managing Director at the bank’s public sector, group wholesale banking. Safri brings with him almost 30 years of experience in the banking and financial sector including over 20 years of meaningful experience as a pioneer, structurer, transactor and renowned leader in Islamic finance locally and internationally. Safri has played an instrumental role in bringing some of the world’s first, groundbreaking and award-winning Islamic transactions to the market and is well regarded as one of the pioneers of the Islamic capital market globally. Safri has a strong credit background having served as a group credit committee member at CIMB between 2012 and 2020 as well as well as a senior analyst at Malaysian Rating Corporation Berhad from 2000 to 2003. Safri holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the International Islamic University Malaysia and an MBA (Globalisation) from Maastricht School, the Netherlands. He is a Chartered Accountant with the Malaysian Institute of Accounts. Safri is a speaker at many local and international Islamic conferences and events.

Zailan has been with Lembaga Tabung Haji for 15 years and currently heads the Property Investment team. Prior to TH, Zailan held various positions in the banking, insurance and real estate sectors. He is an accountant by training and manages the commercial and operation perspectives as part of his daily work. Zailan has been involved in setting up real estate investment structures in the UK and Australia since 2010. Besides managing the portfolio via Jersey structures, Zailan had performed a number of transactions involving property acquisitions, disposals, refinancing, asset refurbishments and property development planning.

Ashraf Radzi is the Chief Executive of Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT). He has more than 22 years of working experience in Malaysia and Europe in the area of audit, financial management, accounting and reporting, treasury management, corporate planning and advisory support in the areas of investment and corporate exercises. Prior to his appointment as the Chief Executive of LTAT in 2024, Ashraf served as the Chief Financial Officer – a position he held from March 2020. He had also held various senior management positions namely Chief Financial Officer of Ahmad Zaki Resources, Associate Director, Corporate Advisory and Structuring at MIDF Amanah Investment Bank, General Manager, Finance Special Projects at Johawaki Holdings Sdn Bhd and Associate Director of Prokhas Sdn Bhd for the Capital Market. He brings deep expertise in corporate finance, with extensive hands-on experience in both equity and debt markets – spanning the full deal lifecycle from origination to execution – across both issuer and arranger roles. His exposure includes structuring, capital raising, due diligence, and regulatory strategy, allowing him to navigate complex transactions across public and private sectors. Ashraf commenced his career at Ernst and Young (Dublin) as an Audit Senior in 2002. Thereafter he worked in several companies in Europe, namely CUNA Mutual Life Assurance (Europe) Limited (Dublin) as Financial Accountant European Region and UBS Investment Bank (London) as regulatory reporting analyst. Ashraf holds a Bachelor of Accountancy (Hons) from Universiti Tenaga Nasional. He is currently a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and a Chartered Accountant of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.

Mohammad Parekh is the Founder and CEO 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, specializing 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 organizations, 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, 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 investment in real estate assets and select development opportunities in key markets such as London, Jakarta, Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur.

Oliver Agha is Managing Partner of Agha & Co and a Professional Associate at Outer Temple Chambers. U.S.-qualified, he formerly led Islamic finance at the world’s largest law firm and headed the Projects practice at Clifford Chance’s Saudi affiliate. He began his legal career at Fulbright & Jaworski in the U.S. Agha was the first Western-trained lawyer appointed to an AAOIFI board and is widely regarded as a foremost authority on Islamic finance enforcement and reform. His incisive writing has made The Islamic Legal Opinion column in IFN essential reading for regulators, investors, and scholars navigating a field clouded by form-over-substance mimicry.

Soon Chong is Executive Director, Head of ETF & ESG Investment at Eq8 Capital Sdn Bhd, leading the firm’s passive strategies, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and ESG-focused investments. He has over 15 years of experience in fund management and investment research, with expertise spanning local and regional portfolios across equities, balanced funds, ETFs, and ESG mandates. Prior to joining Eq8, Soon Chong served as Vice President of Investment Research at ValueCAP Group in 2010 and was subsequently appointed as Senior Vice President/Portfolio Manager in 2015. In these roles, he managed a diverse range of investment portfolios across the Malaysian and ASEAN markets. Soon Chong holds a Bachelor of Accounting (Hons) from Multimedia University. He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA), and a licensed Capital Markets Services Representative for fund management by the Securities Commission Malaysia.

Ranjit Singh Gill is the Director, Head of Product & Market Development. He joined Kenanga Investors Berhad in 2020 to head the Product and Market Development team, where he oversees Kenanga Investors’ existing and new offerings, as well as expanding its presence across multiple channels and markets. Prior to this, he amassed over 10 years of experience in finance, with eight years in investment banking within the field of Corporate Finance. He started his career as an Investment Associate in a government-backed venture capital firm. Ranjit graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) from Curtin University.

Rebecca Chua is the Managing Partner of Premia Partners, leading the overall management of the firm since founding of the firm in 2016. She was previously the Assistant Chief Executive of ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management International, where as Deputy to the CEO she led the international platform build out and strategic partnerships for the asset management joint venture between ICBC and Credit Suisse. Previously, Rebecca was a Director at BlackRock, responsible for strategy and business management for APAC Fundamental Equities, and strategic engagements with regulators and joint venture partner Bank of China. Earlier in her career Rebecca was the Director in charge of the Office of the Chairman at Marsh & McLennan Companies Asia, where she was responsible for driving corporate development, research, strategy and business management, talent development, and regulatory and partnership engagements for MMC operating companies including Marsh, Mercer, Guy Carpenter, Oliver Wyman, Lippincott, Putnam and Kroll across 13 different Asian geographies. Rebecca started as a corporate banker at Standard Chartered Bank, specializing in credit and commodity finance. Outside of Premia, Rebecca is an advisor to the President of the Pacific Pension & Investment Institute (PPI), and a member of the HKEX Listing Committee. Rebecca holds a BBA degree from the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology and an MBA degree from the Yale School of Management. She is a fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA), and a CFA and FRM charterholder.

Sedef Gunsur works as a senior investment officer at IFC Financial Institution Group Upstream & Advisory and is responsible for capital market development for developing countries in the region.

Sedef has a strong background as a senior finance professional with nearly two decades in banking, prior to joining the IFC in October 2021. Sedef has extensive sell-side and buy-side experience in emerging markets and has in-depth capital market knowledge having raised circa US$50 billion in capital markets over 85 deals over the years. She has sound credentials in Islamic finance covering Middle East and Islamic finance since 2008 and worked on many debut Sukuk deals for sovereigns, financial institutions and corporates.

Sedef has a proven track record of building and developing businesses across geographies, co-founding the Capital Markets Turkey Department for UniCredit and building up the global debt capital market business expanding outside of the UAE for First Abu Dhabi Bank (previously known as the National Bank of Abu Dhabi), among others.

Sedef graduated from Lehigh University with a dual degree in economics and international relations, holds a Master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University – SIPA and an Executive MBA degree from INSEAD.

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.

Yiow Chong Tan joined Jersey Finance in 2022 as our dedicated Director in Singapore, with his remit also covering the surrounding Southeast Asia region. Yiow has extensive corporate finance experience across Asian markets, particularly in Singapore and Malaysia, where he has led the origination, structuring and execution of private equity, IPOs and M&A deals. In a prior role, he built strong relationships with Chinese high-net worth individuals and institutions to raise capital for mandated clients. Previously, Yiow was Corporate Finance Director and Board Secretary at a Chinese family office with investments in data centres and UK commercial properties. He also held director and consultant roles at Singapore-based consultancies operating in Shanghai. A Singaporean, he has a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems, an Accounting Degree with First Class Honours from the University of Leeds and is fluent in English and Chinese Mandarin.

Zahid Siddique, Senior Investment Analyst and Portfolio Manager, joined Saturna Sdn Bhd in September 2015. He is the portfolio manager for Saturna ASEAN Equity Fund and has twenty years of equity research, portfolio management and business development experience.

Prior to Saturna, Siddique was an associate portfolio manager and the head of industrials equity research at Gabelli Asset Management in New York. More recently, he was based in Dubai, where he focused on business development activities in the Middle East. Siddique holds a BA in Mathematics from Hamilton College, New York and a BS and MBA from Columbia University, New York. Outside of work, Siddique loves to travel with his wife and two children.

Zainal Izlan Zainal Abidin is Senior Adviser at the Sustainable Finance Institute Asia. Zainal held the position of deputy chief executive of the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) from April 2018 until his retirement from the SC in January 2023. During his 12-year tenure at the SC, he oversaw various regulatory and developmental functions. Among others, he was responsible for the SC’s initiatives in the Islamic capital market and sustainable finance, and was also the chair or member of several international committees and working groups in these areas. Zainal has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, starting his career in corporate banking with Citibank before moving into investment management with MIDF Amanah Asset Management (when it was known as Seacorp-Schroder Capital Management). He was CEO of i-VCAP Management. Zainal holds a Bachelor of Science degree in economics (dual concentration in accounting and finance) from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, in the US, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder.

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.

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.

Dr. Marjan Muhammad is the Deputy President Research at ISRA Institute, INCEIF University. In her current capacity, she oversees different portfolios including research and innovation, research management, assessment and publication, research commercialization, and Islamic finance online database (I-FIKR) developed by ISRA. She was previously the Director of Research Affairs Department at ISRA from 2013-2017. She is currently a member of the Shariah Advisory Council of Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) effective from 1 November 2019 and a member of the Shariah Advisory Council of Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) effective from 1 July 2023. Prior to that, she was a member of Shariah Committee at a few local Islamic banks. At the international level, she sits on the Advisory Committee of Experts of Lotus Bank Limited and Shariah Supervisory Board of Lotus Capital Limited, both are based in Nigeria. Marjan obtained her bachelor’s degree in Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (Fiqh and Usul al-Fiqh) from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and graduated from her master’s and PhD degrees at the same university.

Tayyab Ahmed is Head of Research, Islamic Finance at LSEG Data & Analytics, leading the Islamic finance research team and overseeing the production of thought leadership reports on Islamic finance and MENA related topics. Some examples include the annual IFDI report, as well as the OIC Megatrends, OIC Infrastructure and Sukuk reports.

Earlier in his career, he was an Associate Director of Strategy in Malaysia for Ernst & Young (EY) where he focused on government strategy, team and stakeholder management, and mentoring associates. Tayyab received his MPhil from Cambridge, LLM from London School of Economics, and Islamic Finance Qualification (IFQ) from the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments.