Aisha Al Kharusi is the deputy executive chairperson of the Modern College of Business and Science, overseeing transformation and innovation within the college. Established in 1996, Modern College of Business and Science is Oman’s oldest full-fledged private institution. With a proven track record of leadership and strategic vision, Aisha brings a wealth of experience to this pivotal role for driving progress and a commitment to excellence. Prior to this role, Aisha served as Assistant General Manager of Government and Institutional Banking, Chief Marketing Officer in Oman’s leading Islamic Bank. From 2009 to 2012, Aisha was the executive manager of corporate communications and strategy, a key leadership team member, and a strategic, long-range business planner of Oman’s oldest commercial bank, NBO. Earlier, she was the Deputy Regional Director of The Boeing Company, part of the team responsible for setting up the largest aerospace company, the Middle East Dubai Office, covering ten regional countries. Her responsibilities included international relations, university relations, and the Global Corporate Citizenship arm. Aisha began her career with USA Today in Washington, D.C., followed by a publishing firm in Oman and a short tenure at Sultan Qaboos University. In her nearly three decades of work experience, Aisha has held several other senior leadership positions at the corporate level and mid-level management. Aisha has completed several leadership courses and programs. In 2016, she was selected to join The National CEO program organized by the Diwan Royal Court and led by IMD Business School and the National University of Singapore. Aisha also completed a senior executive program at the London Business School – U.K.’s number 1 business school and Q.S. Global Full-Time MBA Top-4. She has served on several boards, including founding board members of inJAz Oman, AEISEC Oman, Oman Business Forum, Oman Chamber of Commerce – Businesswoman Forum, and Capital Market Authority. Aisha has a bachelor’s degree from American University, Washington DC, and a master’s degree in communication design from the University of Arts London, Central Saint Martins – Q.S. World ranked number 2 for Arts and Design. She has received several awards, including the ‘Woman of the Year 2012’ from the Al Mar’a Excellence Award. Aisha was listed among the ‘Most Powerful Women in Corporate Oman’ by the Oman Economic Review. Aisha’s leadership skills have been honed through her experiences in the United Kingdom, Washington, D.C., Cologne, Germany, Dubai, UAE, and most of the Middle East. Beyond her professional life, Aisha is deeply involved in philanthropy. She sits on the board of Bwejuu Charity School in Zanzibar, East Africa—a school for underprivileged children with over 600 students. In Oman, she was a board member of Children First, UNICEF Oman Leadership Circle, and a founding member of the Association of Early Intervention for Children with Special Needs. 

Akber has more than 25 years of experience in the investment industry and is Acting Chief Executive Officer of Al Rayan Investment (ARI). ARI is a leading firm for corporate financial advisory and asset management. Akber joined ARI in 2009, to set up and lead asset management, which included overall responsibility for managing GCC public equity and global sukuk portfolios of $1.5bn. ARI manages the award winning Al Rayan GCC Fund and Al Rayan Qatar ETF.

Prior to ARI, Akber was a Director at Deutsche Bank in London, where he spent more than 11 years in European and emerging markets equities. Akber is a graduate of University College London. Akber has lived in Doha, Dubai, Frankfurt, Karachi and London.

Ali Hassan Moosa is a distinguished leader with over 30 years of extensive experience across the banking, technology, real estate and hospitality sectors. Based in Muscat, Oman, Ali has demonstrated a profound commitment to advancing financial sector development through innovation and strategic leadership. Ali’s current role as Financial Expert in the Ministry of Finance at Estidamah, the National Programme for Fiscal Sustainability and Development of the Financial Sector, underscores his pivotal role in harmonizing fiscal, monetary and economic policies in Oman. Ali is also a member of the Finance and Insurance Committee at the Oman Chamber of Commerce & Industry which plays a crucial role in fostering the development of the financial and insurance sectors within the Sultanate of Oman. Furthermore, Ali is a member of the Advisory Council at Muscat College providing expert advice and sharing latest industry trends with Academia to assist the college in teaching and research.

Anastasia Lim is the Head of Fixed Income at Jabal Asset Management, where she leads the firm’s fixed income and money market business. Since joining in 2024, she has played a key role in expanding the firm’s investment offerings, notably launching two flagship funds: the Jabal Fixed Income Fund and the Jabal Money Market Fund. With over 12 years of experience in the global fixed income space, Anastasia brings deep expertise across conventional and Sukuk instruments, credit markets, and regional strategies. Prior to Jabal, she was a Portfolio Manager at the Malaysian Employees Provident Fund, one of the world’s largest pension funds, where she managed over USD 4 billion in global fixed income assets within EPF’s broader USD 250 billion portfolio. Her focus was primarily on public fixed income markets. She has been recognized as the Most Astute Investor in Asian G3 Bonds by The Asset for five consecutive years (2020–2024). Anastasia holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Manchester. During her studies, she spent a semester abroad at Harvard University and completed a summer program in Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. She is a licensed dealer in Malaysia, an Ordinary Member of the Financial Markets Association Malaysia, and has completed the Oman Securities Market Regulations Exam. She speaks six languages to varying degrees and is currently learning Arabic.

Asad Qayyum is a highly skilled dual-qualified corporate and commercial lawyer with extensive multi-jurisdiction experience in a number of sectors of the law including capital markets, funds, conventional and Islamic finance, mergers and acquisitions, natural resources (oil, gas and mining) and project finance transactions.

Asad is qualified as a solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales, a barrister of England and Wales and an advocate of the High Courts of Pakistan. He has over 22 years of experience advising on a broad range of transactions during his time in the UK, Sultanate of Oman and Pakistan. Asad’s expertise is in advising sovereign and sovereign-owned companies and listed and private companies with respect to their debt and equity capital market financings (conventional and Islamic), registration of funds (including real estate investment funds, acquisitions and disposals of hydrocarbon assets – onshore and offshore) and negotiating clients’ commercial (oil and gas) contracts across the globe (including in the UK, Oman, Canada, the Middle East, Pakistan, Cameroon, Tanzania, Namibia, Burundi, Benin, Cameroon, Nigeria and Kazakhstan).

Hichem Bouqniss is the Executive Director leading the Business Operations Department at the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM). He oversees the execution of business strategies, the regular issuances of short-term Sukuk, the origination and structuring of Islamic assets, the distribution of the IILM papers globally, and the smooth running of the short-term certificates issuance program. Prior to joining the IILM, Hichem Bouqniss worked at BNP Paribas in the middle east for eight years, specializing in structuring and distributing fixed income, foreign exchange and interest rate derivatives hedging solutions

Kemal Rizadi Arbi has 30 years global experience in the financial services and corporate sectors involving Islamic finance, corporate and investment banking, corporate governance, fund management, sustainable finance, crowdfunding platforms, fintech, virtual assets and as a regulator, policy maker and strategic developer of capital markets (including the Islamic capital market) in the Middle East and Asian region. He was appointed Board Member of the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC Malaysia) by the Prime Minister of Malaysia who is also the Minister of Finance. He is currently an Expert/Advisor at the Financial Services Authority (Oman FSA), which regulates and develops the financial industry in Oman relating to the capital market and insurance sectors (both conventional and Islamic). He has been involved in the development of the Islamic capital market in Oman from the very beginning since the introduction of Islamic finance in 2013 and led the issuance of the Sukuk regulatory framework then. He was appointed by the Oman Minister of Finance to be on the Oman Government Sukuk Committee managing the 1st Oman sovereign Sukuk issuance of OMR250 million (US$ 650 million) in 2015 which won the IFN Sovereign Deal Of The Year Award in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He was involved in the establishment of the first global Islamic crowdfunding fintech platform in Oman and the GCC region together with the regulatory framework, which allows global cross-border fundraisings and investments. He also leads the national development of the virtual assets industry in Oman, establishing its regulatory framework. Prior to joining the Oman FSA, he established initiatives for the development of the Malaysian and ASEAN+3 (together with China, Japan and Korea) capital markets (including Islamic capital markets), through various senior positions at SC Malaysia. He has also advised the Board of Directors of public listed companies in various industries on corporate transactions (both conventional and Islamic), while working as a senior corporate and investment banker at the largest banking group in Malaysia – Maybank and another investment bank previously owned by the Minister of Finance (Incorporated) Malaysia. Additionally, he was Board Member of an asset management company previously owned by the Johor Corporation, Malaysia involved in Islamic fund management.

Max Garvey 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 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.

Rafiza Ghazali is the Chief Executive Officer of KAF Digital Bank, the Islamic digital bank entity of the consortium 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.

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.

Asad Qayyum is a highly skilled dual-qualified corporate and commercial lawyer with extensive multi-jurisdiction experience in a number of sectors of the law including capital markets, funds, conventional and Islamic finance, mergers and acquisitions, natural resources (oil, gas and mining) and project finance transactions.

Asad is qualified as a solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales, a barrister of England and Wales and an advocate of the High Courts of Pakistan. He has over 22 years of experience advising on a broad range of transactions during his time in the UK, Sultanate of Oman and Pakistan. Asad’s expertise is in advising sovereign and sovereign-owned companies and listed and private companies with respect to their debt and equity capital market financings (conventional and Islamic), registration of funds (including real estate investment funds, acquisitions and disposals of hydrocarbon assets – onshore and offshore) and negotiating clients’ commercial (oil and gas) contracts across the globe (including in the UK, Oman, Canada, the Middle East, Pakistan, Cameroon, Tanzania, Namibia, Burundi, Benin, Cameroon, Nigeria and Kazakhstan).

Debopam has extensive experience in finance in the international as well as the Indian domestic markets, having previously worked in India, Singapore, London and Tokyo.

He leads the firm’s India Desk. With in-depth knowledge of the Indian market and regulatory climate, he advises clients on how to successfully implement their Indian-focused transactions.

He advises banks, financial institutions, agents, real estate investment trusts, sponsors, funds and multinational companies across the GCC, South Asia and South East Asia spanning a broad range of industries and asset classes on a wide range of domestic and cross-border transactions with particular focus on corporate finance, real estate finance, project & infrastructure finance, acquisition finance, trade finance, Islamic finance, debt capital markets & structured finance, debt restructuring and regulatory issues. In addition, Debopam regularly assists clients with credit agreement compliance concerns, amendments, waivers and consents on financing documents as well as routine regulatory compliance issues. Besides acting as a counsel for lenders or investors, Debopam has substantial experience in representing borrowers and issuers. He is increasingly sought out for his expertise in the space of ESG and green financing in the GCC and is a regular speaker at conferences and events in this area.

Debopam has been listed in the ALB Super 50 MENA Lawyers 2023 list as one of the most highly recommended private practice lawyers in the region and was mentioned in the IFN Lawyers Directory as a leading Islamic finance practitioner in Oman.

With over 23 years of professional experience, Faisal Islam is a recognized leader in digital finance, product innovation, and financial inclusion. He currently serves as the Head of Islamic Digital Finance at Kifiya Financial Technologies, where he spearheaded the development and launch of HalalGebeya — the world’s first fully digital, Shariah-compliant Murabaha financing and embedded e-commerce ecosystem.

Faisal’s work focuses on closing the financing gap for MSMEs through a range of Shariah-compliant digital products, including Islamic consumer financing, Islamic BNPL, invoice financing, agricultural finance, and Islamic card solutions. He has also pioneered the design of AI-driven, Shariah-compliant alternative credit scoring models, aimed at expanding financial access to underserved segments. In addition, he has successfully established regulatory-aligned Islamic financing operations in emerging markets. His expertise spans the full spectrum of product development — from Shariah structuring and partner bank enablement to building embedded finance ecosystems — always ensuring alignment with Islamic ethical standards. His initiatives have been instrumental in advancing cashless economies and promoting financial inclusion through innovative loyalty programs, digital onboarding solutions, and incentive-based payment ecosystems. Beyond Islamic finance, Faisal brings a strong background in technology leadership, with extensive experience across banking, fintech, retail, and asset management sectors.

Hassan Ali Ansari is CFO of Takaful Oman. Takaful Oman is one of the two Islamic insurance companies in the Sultanate of Oman. He started his career with PwC in 2001 and later on in 2007 he moved to AIG, where he served until 2019. He held multiple positions in AIG such as CFO of Pakistan, financial controller for MENA, country finance manager for Oman and Qatar, etc. In addition to core finance, in his current role, he oversees Shariah compliance, risk management and the information technology department. Hassan is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan.

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.

Saleh Al Tamami is a seasoned entrepreneur with a remarkable track record of success in various industries. As a co-founder of Mamun, he brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role as CEO.

Saleh’s entrepreneurial journey began with the establishment of TAMNET, an information technology and business consulting firm, where he demonstrated his visionary leadership by effectively managing operations and driving growth. Recognizing opportunities beyond the realm of technology, Saleh ventured into the car detailing industry with the launch of KOST, successfully positioning the brand as a prominent player in the market.

Prior to embarking on his entrepreneurial endeavors, Saleh honed his legal acumen as a senior commercial and litigation paralegal at SALegal, a prestigious law firm in Oman. This experience equipped him with a deep understanding of legal intricacies, providing invaluable insights into business operations and strategic decision-making.

At Mamun, Saleh’s role as co-founder and CEO allows him to pursue his passion at the convergence of finance, people and technology. He is a visionary leader committed to developing multi-stakeholder products that foster win-win-win outcomes for all parties involved. With an unwavering dedication to excellence, Saleh is instrumental in driving Mamun’s growth, innovation and success in the finance industry.