Dr Areeba Khan is founder of Taqwa Invest – a fintech for retail investing in Islamic stocks, Commodities, Sukuk and SRIs. She has collaborated with several Islamic fintech and financial organizations worldwide – including Zoya Finance, Ethis, MRHB DeFi and Ratings Intelligence/Islamicly. A former Head of Business Development at AAOIFI, Areeba also served as an Assistant Professor at India’s Aligarh Muslim University.

Esma Karabulut is Executive Vice President at DK Yatırım Menkul Değerler A.Ş., where she plays a key role in the establishment and strategic development of the newly established financial institution. Previously, she served as Director of Investment Banking and Investor Relations at Türkiye Emlak Katılım Bankası A.Ş. and currently holds board memberships in two Asset Leasing Companies.

Karabulut brings extensive expertise in sukuk, sustainable finance, Islamic syndicated financing, and Islamic capital markets, with a particular focus on the origination and structuring of innovative financial instruments. Her notable achievements include contributing to the issuance of the world’s first CPI-indexed sukuk in 2016, Türkiye’s first corporate sukuk in 2017, and Türkiye’s first Green Sukuk in 2021.

Alongside her executive responsibilities, Karabulut actively contributes to the development of Islamic finance through delivering specialised training programmes to various public and official institutions, publishing articles, and providing professional mentorship in the field of Islamic capital markets.

Fatma Çınar has been working as the Deputy Secretary-General of Participation Banks Association of Türkiye (TKBB) since May 2024. She was a Director at TKBB between November 2022 and May 2024. She worked as an Islamic Finance Portfolio Lead at the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development from February 2022 to September 2023. Prior to joining UNDP, she worked as the Manager of International Relations and Corporate Communications at TKBB between August 2020 and January 2022. Before that, she worked as the Head of International Banking at an Islamic Bank (Kuveyt Turk) in Türkiye for more than 13 years. As an active practitioner, she has deep and wide expertise in Islamic banking, international relations, correspondent banking, foreign trade, sustainability, social finance, impact investing, investment banking, cash management, clearing services, structured finance, trade finance, project management, country and counterparty limit management, business strategy and corporate communication. She is on the Advisory Board of Marmara University Islamic Economics and Finance (MUISEF). She is also a member of the AAOIFI Communication Committee. She writes regularly on Islamic finance as a Türkiye correspondent for IFN and is also an author at Etkiyap which is dedicated to improving impact investing ecosystems. She lectures at universities and has also been a trainer at TKBB in Islamic Finance. Çınar graduated from Istanbul University with a degree in Business Administration and Industrial Engineering in 2005 and 2006.

Sabir is responsible for Banking & Markets business for Group Islamic Banking comprising Sukuk, Islamic syndications, structured finance. infrastructure & development finance, leveraged finance and global markets transactions globally. Worked on 300 plus sovereign, quasi sovereign, corporate and FI Islamic syndications and debt capital markets transactions, across multiple geographies, including a number of debut and award-winning deals.

Abdulwahhab Abed is SEDCO Capital’s Chief Executive Officer, his latest role in an illustrious 18-year association with the firm. A results-driven leader, he is well regarded in the investment and asset management industry for successfully managing a diverse range of business lines.

Mr Abed brings to the role extensive hands-on experience in charting strategic business plans; negotiating investment opportunities across a range of asset classes and geographies; structuring funding for portfolios; developing optimal exit strategies; and building shareholder and client value. He also has sound legal expertise and proven experience in leading merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions and in negotiating deals and partnerships with a wide array of regional and international corporates.

Before his appointment as CEO, Mr Abed held various roles in the firm, the most recent of which were Chief Business Development Officer, Chief Investment Officer, Head of Corporate Finance, Head of Real Estate and Vice President of Private Equity. He currently chairs the Investment, Management Committees and the Product Development Committee.

Mr Abed has an MBA (Finance major) and a BSc (Finance and Accounting double majors), both from Bentley University’s McCallum School of Business in the USA. Mr Abed is a graduate of Misk 2030 Leaders program.

Ali Ozyon is a marketing and technology executive focused on building brands and experiences designed to better serve Muslim communities.

As Chief Marketing Officer of Hejaz Group, Ali plays a key role in shaping the Group’s brand, marketing and global growth strategy across its financial services and technology businesses. His work also extends to Halal Money, Hejaz’s investment app designed to provide simpler access to Sharia-compliant investment opportunities.

Ali is also the Creator of Wahda, a global Muslim app being developed as a digital home for Muslims. He plays a central role in shaping Wahda’s vision, brand and global positioning, with a focus on creating an experience that reflects the needs and values of Muslims today.

Across his work, Ali brings together brand, technology and culture to help shape the next generation of Muslim-focused products and experiences.

Fatma Çınar has been working as the Deputy Secretary-General of Participation Banks Association of Türkiye (TKBB) since May 2024. She was a Director at TKBB between November 2022 and May 2024. She worked as an Islamic Finance Portfolio Lead at the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development from February 2022 to September 2023. Prior to joining UNDP, she worked as the Manager of International Relations and Corporate Communications at TKBB between August 2020 and January 2022. Before that, she worked as the Head of International Banking at an Islamic Bank (Kuveyt Turk) in Türkiye for more than 13 years. As an active practitioner, she has deep and wide expertise in Islamic banking, international relations, correspondent banking, foreign trade, sustainability, social finance, impact investing, investment banking, cash management, clearing services, structured finance, trade finance, project management, country and counterparty limit management, business strategy and corporate communication. She is on the Advisory Board of Marmara University Islamic Economics and Finance (MUISEF). She is also a member of the AAOIFI Communication Committee. She writes regularly on Islamic finance as a Türkiye correspondent for IFN and is also an author at Etkiyap which is dedicated to improving impact investing ecosystems. She lectures at universities and has also been a trainer at TKBB in Islamic Finance. Çınar graduated from Istanbul University with a degree in Business Administration and Industrial Engineering in 2005 and 2006.

Dr Kamola Bayram is an assistant professor in the Department of Islamic Economics and Finance at KTO Karatay University, Turkey.

Previously, she served as an assistant professor at the IIUM Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance and as the project director at the International Council of Islamic Finance Educators (ICIFE). She has conducted a number of training programs in Islamic finance in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines and was an editor of the quarterly ICIFE Bulletin.

Dr Kamola has served as a research fellow at the IFSB where she was involved in the development of the Stress Testing Framework for Islamic Banks. She has written articles and chapters on Islamic social finance, Islamic capital market, wealth management, behavioral finance and portfolio allocation. She teaches subjects such as Islamic economics, Islamic finance, taxation for Islamic financial institutions, Islamic capital markets and behavioral finance.

Dr Kamola is the education sector correspondent in Islamic Finance news and an editor of the Turkish Journal of Islamic Economics. She was 40^th in the WOMANi 2019 list for her excellent advocacy work for Islamic banking and finance.

Mustafa Dereci has over 30 years of experience in Islamic Finance, Islamic Banking, and Islamic Insurance businesses. He is a graduate in International Relations from Boğaziçi University and holds an MBA degree from Fatih University, obtained in 2011. Besides his professional career, he completed the Faculty of Theology at Istanbul University in 2017. Mr. Dereci received a doctoral degree from Sabahattin Zaim University in the field of Islamic Economy and International Finance. Mustafa Dereci started his career in Kuveyt Turk Participatory Bank in 1993, serving in various departments, projects, and services at managerial levels. Among his proficiencies are International Banking, Banking Operations, Retail and SME Banking, Product Development, Marketing, Payment Systems, Digitization, and Banking Analytics. He was also a founding member of the board of Neova Islamic Insurance Company, where he served for nine years. After his retirement in 2021, Mr. Dereci joined ISFA Islamic Finance Consultancy as a Sharia Advisory Board Member and Islamic Finance consultant. He is also a Sharia Advisory Board member at Hayat Finans Participatory Bank and Katılım Life and Retirement Company, and a lecturer at Istanbul 29 Mayıs University, Department of Economics.

After graduating from Boğaziçi University, Department of Business Administration, Yildiz began her career at the Industrial Development Bank of Türkiye in 1998. She held various managerial positions at Bayerische Hypo-und Vereinsbank AG, UniCredit Investment Securities and ING Bank where she assumed wide variety of investment banking roles. Yildiz joined the Development and Investment Bank of Türkiye in 2019 as Executive Vice-President, responsible from Investment Banking, Financial Analysis and Project Evaluation, Corporate Communications as well as Sustainability and Environmental Social Impact Management Divisions. Yildiz is also Chairperson of the Development Asset Leasing Companies and Board Member of Turkish Investment Initiative Portfolio Management Company. Currently, Yıldız is a Board Member of the Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD Türkiye) and Vice-Chairperson of the Impact Investing Advisory Board (EYDK). She is also Member of the Advisory Board of the Operating Principles for Impact Management.