Ahmad Shahizam Mohd Shariff is a senior investment and management professional with over 29 years of experience in investment management, Islamic banking and healthcare. As a general partner of Mekar Capital, he focuses on investing in growth-stage companies in the healthcare, education, technology and Shariah fintech sectors. He is also the chairman of the investment panel of Dana Penjana, an investment fund by the Malaysian government, and an independent board member of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, a wholly-owned entity of the Malaysian Ministry of Health.

Ahmad began his career in banking with HSBC Malaysia as a resident manager, and later moved to investment management, taking on the role of equity research analyst at ING Barings covering Malaysian listed companies, and the same at Solomon Smith Barney afterward.

As the director and head of Islamic capital markets for HSBC Amanah in Southeast Asia, Ahmad led Sukuk and equity capital market origination activities, including the first issuance of Malaysian ringgit-denominated corporate Sukuk Ijarah.

Ahmad has a Master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University’s Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ahsan is responsible for Islamic Corporate & Investment Banking globally at Standard Chartered Saadiq, the Bank’s Islamic banking arm. In this role, he oversees the delivery of Islamic banking services to the bank’s clients across multiple geographies and products, including financial markets, global credit markets and transaction banking.

Since joining Standard Chartered Bank in March 2004, Ahsan has played a key role in building the Bank’s Islamic business from inception and has led several award-winning and industry-defining deals. He obtained the prestigious ‘Islamic Banker of the Year’ award by Asset magazine in 2015.

Ahsan has 31 years of experience in the financial services industry of which the last 20 years have been in Islamic banking. Prior to joining Standard Chartered, he worked at Citi.

Ahsan holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta and a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Arshadur Rahman is a senior manager in the Bank of England’s Data and Statistics Division, and is the bank’s specialist in Islamic finance. He was a co-author of the Financial Services Authority of the UK’s 2007 regulatory paper on Islamic finance and has previously supervised Islamic banks in the UK.

Arshadur also led the design and implementation of the Bank of England’s Alternative Liquidity Facility, the first non-interest-based central bank deposit facility established by a Western central bank which launched in 2021. He is a visiting research fellow in Islamic finance at King’s Business School in London.

Basel Al-Hussien brings over 23 years of experience in corporate finance, 16 of which have been dedicated to Islamic trade finance. He holds an Executive Master in Internationalization and Trade from the IE School of Politics, Economics & Global Affairs. He has managed the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC)’s trade finance portfolio in the Middle East, with total accumulated approval volumes exceeding US$1 billion.

Basel is notably involved in developing a Shariah compliant supplier’s finance scheme as an alternative to conventional receivables financing. He is an active member of a task force formed by Factors Chain International (FCI) that contributes to the development of the General Rules for International Factoring Supplementary Agreement, which regulates international Islamic factoring transactions conducted by FCI network members.

Additionally, Basel serves on the Products Quality Assurance Committee of the Saudi Export Development Authority, where he reviews and assesses the financing products of the Saudi EXIM Bank. He holds multiple certifications, including the Certified Shariah Advisor & Auditor certification from AAOIFI and the Certified Islamic Banker certificate from the General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions.

Bashar Al Natoor, as the global head of Fitch Ratings’s Islamic finance, is responsible for coordinating all Islamic finance activities across the agency’s sovereign, financial institutions, corporate, structured finance, infrastructure and insurance teams, bringing together dedicated analytical and industry expertise into a centralized and focused Islamic finance group.

Bashar has more than 19 years of experience in the Islamic finance market. Since joining Fitch in 2007, he has overseen Fitch’s Sukuk criteria and Islamic finance practices, undertaken research and written numerous published articles on Islamic finance. He joined Fitch as a director in the EMEA Corporates Group based in Dubai, and was responsible for analyzing EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) issuers, with a focus on Middle Eastern and Turkish issuers in the construction, property and telecommunication sectors.

Prior to joining Fitch, Bashar spent seven years at the IsDB in key roles including investment officer in the treasury department; senior credit analyst in risk management; and senior technical assistant to the vice-president of finance and administration. Before working with the IsDB, he was a senior auditor for four years in accounting firm Arthur Andersen.

Bashar graduated with a Master of Science degree in banking and financial studies from the Arab Academy for Banking and Financial Sciences, and a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and banking from Al-Ahliyya Amman University. He is a certified bank auditor, certified risk professional, chartered market analyst and certified risk analyst.

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.

Dr Hurriyah El Islamy is the CEO and founder of consultancy HGC Firm. She previously served as an executive board member of Badan Pengelola Keuangan Haji, an independent sovereign agency empowered by law to manage the Indonesian Hajj pilgrim funds. She was named as one of the most active Islamic finance activists by Bank Indonesia and has global experience in Islamic finance, having served as the director for CIMB Group, responsible for all its Islamic businesses.

After serving Kuwait Finance House Bahrain as the head of its Compliance and Anti-Money Laundering Department and also as its legal counsel, Dr Hurriyah assumed the role as the director of Capinnova Investment Bank, an Islamic investment arm of the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait.

Dr Hurriyah remains active in the Islamic finance industry; she is the Islamic finance advisor to the Astana International Finance Centre, a board member and strategic advisor to Islamic Fintech Alliance, and is also listed as an International Monetary Fund expert in Islamic finance and capital markets. She has a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) degree, a Master’s degree in corporate law and a PhD.

Ibrahim is a published author and Islamic finance and investment specialist. He is currently the CEO of IslamicFinanceGuru and its sister investment company Cur8 Capital. He holds a BA in philosophy, politics and economics from the University of Oxford; an Alimiyyah degree from the Al Salam Institute; and an MA in Islamic finance. Prior to setting up Islamic FinanceGuru, Ibrahim was a corporate lawyer. He trained at Ashurst LLP and then specialised in private equity and venture capital funds at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. He holds a Diploma in investment advice and financial planning as well as a Certificate in investment management. He is the co-author of the book titled ‘Halal Investing for Beginners: How to Start, Grow and Scale Your Halal Investment Portfolio’ by Wiley.

Jesal leads Legal & General’s DC investments team. The team provides DC investment expertise to clients and their advisers, supporting their investment strategies and ensuring that they are aware of the latest developments within the company. Jesal joined Legal & General in June 2019 having previously worked for Hymans Robertson where he was the senior DC Investment consultant, responsible for managing key DC investment relationships and supporting clients with strategies designed for their members. Jesal was also responsible for managing strategic relationships with all major DC providers in the UK. Prior to that, Jesal was head of DC Investment Consulting at Capita Employee Benefits where he was responsible for developing Capita’s DC investment proposition and advising clients. Jesal has over 17 years of DC pensions and investment experience.

Jon is a senior associate in the banking and finance team of Trowers & Hamlins’ London office. Jon’s practises all aspects of debt finance. He works on a broad range of domestic and cross-border transactions, including senior and mezzanine lending, syndicated structures, real estate investment and development, Islamic finance, general corporate lending and hedging arrangements. His expertise lies in real estate finance and debt capital markets transactions. Jon regularly acts for market participants at all levels of the capital structure including arrangers, lenders, borrowers, sponsors, funds and issuers, particularly in the real estate sector.

Apart from being a director of DDCAP and its subsidiaries, DD&Co and DDGI, Laurence is also a director of DDCAP (DIFC).

Lawrence has more than 25 years of experience working in the Islamic finance market. He joined DDCAP in April 1998. Previously, he was an assistant manager at Kleinwort Benson responsible for Islamic finance and investment activity. Lawrence manages the company’s business development and trading desks and has extensive experience in arranging asset-based transactions which conform to Shariah stipulation.

Lawrence specializes in Shariah compliant structured finance and asset origination. His broad knowledge in the physical commodity sector has enabled him to advance the traditional merchant trading capabilities of DD&Co for the benefit of institutional clients operating within the Islamic financial sector. Lawrence is a regular speaker at many annual Islamic conferences held in the GCC, Southeast Asia and Europe.

Michael Rainey advises lenders and borrowers with regards to their financing needs, focusing on project finance in the GCC, financing and restructuring in Saudi Arabia and the UAE as well as real estate finance and investment in the GCC and Europe. Michael advises on transactions using both conventional and Shariah compliant financing. He is ranked as a ‘leading individual’ for his Islamic finance expertise by both The Legal 500 UK and The Legal 500 EMEA.

Michael Whealon brings over 25 years of senior level investment banking and private equity experience to Ethos. Prior to joining us, Michael was founder and managing partner of Fox Point Partners LLP, a merchant bank focused primarily on private capital markets. He has also held senior managing director positions at major financial institutions, including Marsh & McClennan and ING Barings, focusing on TMT investment banking. Michael also held senior roles at Bear Stearns in both New York and London, including Head of Canadian Investment Banking and Head of European Telecoms, Technology and Media.

Dr Mohamed Damak is a Senior Director of Financial Services at S&P Global Ratings, covering financial institutions in the Middle East and Africa. He is also the Global Head of Islamic finance at the rating agency, leading a global team of Islamic finance analysts.

Dr Mohamed had worked for S&P Global Ratings from 2006 to 2010, covering conventional and Islamic financial institutions in MENA. He then worked as a Principal Credit Risk Officer for the African Development Bank in Tunis before rejoining S&P Global Ratings.

Holding a PhD in Finance and a Master’s degree in Money, Banking and Finance from Universite Paris-Pantheon-Assas, Dr Mohamed also has a Master’s degree in Financial Institutions Management from Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Tunis.

Dr Mohammed R Kroessin is a development economist with 20 years of experience of working with Islamic development and financial institutions on strategies for sustainable development and social impact. He has worked for the Chamber of Commerce and the Centre for Enterprise in the UK, was assistant CEO of Muslim Aid and is now the founder of GEMicro, an Islamic social finance advisory firm. He also heads the Islamic Relief Worldwide Global Islamic Microfinance Unit where he leads a portfolio of 10 country financial inclusion programs.

Dr Mohammed holds a Master’s degree in international political economy from the University of Kent, UK and a Master’s degree in development management from Westminster Business School, UK. He completed his PhD at the University of Birmingham, UK in Islamic development finance. He is currently a lecturer in Islamic microfinance at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, Germany. Dr Mohammed has worked with Islamic development finance institutions in Africa, Asia and the Middle East and sits on the board of two microfinance institutions in the Balkans. His is also presently director of the UK Financial Inclusion Forum.

Mohammed Saifullah has over two decades of multidisciplinary experience in Islamic banking and the legal industry. As the founding CEO of Ebdaa Islamic Finance Consultancy, he continues to drive innovation and excellence in Shariah compliant financial services.

He has served as the CEO of Dar Al Sharia, a subsidiary of Dubai Islamic Bank. His expertise encompasses structuring and documenting landmark Islamic finance products including Sukuk, Islamic funds, Islamic syndications (project finance), Islamic swaps, Islamic trusts, corporate and retail Islamic products as well in Shariah compliance and governance.

He holds a Master’s degree in Law and is a Certified Shariah Advisor and Auditor (AAOIFI). He has an advanced certification in digital transformation from MIT, a diploma in IT Law and Islamic finance. He is also an arbitrator at the International Islamic Centre for Reconciliation and Arbitration (IICRA).

Mohd Radzuan Mohamed has more than 20 years of experience in the industry with expertise in Takaful and re-Takaful, insurance and re-insurance, broking, consulting and adjusting. Prior to joining MTA, he was a Senior Manager in various insurance and Takaful companies.

He is currently the Grand Councilor of The Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals (CIIF). Radzuan is also an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Business and Administration of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).

Radzuan is a Member of the Lembaga Zakat Selangor (MAIS) Board in the Risk, Integrity and Compliance Committee. He received the Risk Icon Award for his outstanding contribution in the field of Enterprise Risk Management.

He is a Fellow Member of The Malaysian Insurance Institute (FMII), a Certified Professional in Islamic Finance (CPIF), an Associate of the Institute Risk Management (AIRM, UK) with an Enterprise Risk Professional Certification (IERP) as well as an alumnus of the Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) in Scotland.

As Vice-President of Moody’s Investors Service based in Dubai, Nitish Bhojnagarwala covers a portfolio of large conventional as well as Islamic financial institutions in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.

Nitish joined Moody’s in 2011 and has led Sukuk roundtables and conducted workshops on banking and Islamic finance at various conferences in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Nitish has also authored several research articles with a focus on regional banking, credit issues and issuer-in-depths.

Prior to joining Moody’s, Nitish served five years at Tamweel in the Treasury. He has also worked for KPMG in the UAE. Nitish holds an MBA from S P Jain Institute of Management & Research with a major in Finance (Investment Banking).

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.

Omar’s background is in commercial finance where he spent over 15 years notably in a variety of FTSE 100, FTSE 5 and multinational blue-chip companies across UK, UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Hong Kong and China.

Omar recently set up the Riba Free Foundation where he plans to use his experience and knowledge to help the masses become financially literate. Omar is a leadership development coach and is enthusiastic about developing the next generation of well-rounded, financially literate, ethical and responsible future leaders. He is also CEO of Digital Easily, an impact-led and ethically conscious digital marketing agency.

Richard Thomas (OBE, FCSI) is the managing director of Sustainable Economy Limited (SEL), his own think tank and consultancy based on his experiences in Islamic finance and economics. His most recent research was on the impact Gharar and Jehala on sustainable business planning, risk management and the role of artificial intelligence and big data. Richard has over 40 years of experience working in direct Shariah compliant banking and investment management and his current work is related to Shariah compliant infrastructure investment.

Prior to SEL, Richard was the chairman and CEO of Gatehouse Bank. In 2010, Richard received his Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of his contributions to the UK Islamic financial services industry. Richard’s principal employers prior to Gatehouse Bank were Saudi International Bank, United Bank of Kuwait, Arab Banking Corporation and Brown Shipley Merchant Bank.

Richard is a fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) and he has been an INCIEF governing council member and a board member of the Financial Services Professional Board (Malaysia).

Robert Dickson brings over 38 years of extensive experience in financial markets. In addition to HANetf, he has held directorships at notable firms including Boost ETP and WisdomTree Europe. Prior to this, Robert spent 22 years directing institutional equities stockbroking at leading firms such as Charterhouse, Cheuvreux and Canaccord. A graduate in chemistry from King’s College London, Robert began his investment management career at Sheppards and Chase in 1986.

Saad is the founder and managing director of Mnaara Limited, a UK-based investment platform providing Shariah-compliant investors and financial institutions access to top-tier global private market funds.

He has over two decades of experience in investment management and financial advisory. Previously, Saad co-founded Nitaq Capital, a family office advisory firm based in Saudi Arabia. He also served as Chief Investment Officer at MASIC Investment Company, a multi-billion-dollar Shariah-compliant family office and as head of Investment Banking at Alinma Bank in Saudi Arabia. Saad holds an MBA from INSEAD and is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Dr Samir Alamad is a practitioner and expert in the Islamic banking and finance industry and a well-established published author. He works in both industry and academia, as the Chief Advisor of Islamic Finance and Banking at Ihsan Islamic Finance Solutions (IIFS) and a Senior Lecturer and Director of International Finance and Banking at the School of Economics, Finance and Accounting at Coventry University in the UK.

Throughout his professional career spanning over 20 years, Dr Samir has held senior positions and been recognized as an advisor to various government departments, both in the UK and internationally, on matters related to Islamic finance, social and financial inclusion. He holds a PhD from Aston Business School in Financial Innovation and Engineering.

Since 2012, Dr Samir has been a trusted advisor to various UK government departments, including HM Treasury, the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, the Department for Education, the Foreign Office, and the Bank of England. He has played an instrumental role in structuring alternative finance schemes aimed at enhancing financial inclusion and advancing the infrastructure of alternative and Islamic finance within the UK.

Dr Alamad is an AAOIFI Certified Shariah Advisor and Auditor, and serves as a board member on the AAOIFI curriculum review committee. He has a significant publication portfolio, including papers in three-star academic journals, and is a regular speaker at national and international conferences. He has delivered numerous lectures, and been featured in many TV and radio shows.

Dr Scott Levy is the managing director of Al Waseelah, a Shariah compliant Sukuk issuance platform whose functions include structuring, arranging, originating and listing Sukuk. Al Waseelah was established in 2017 as a tech-savvy and cost-effective way to create Shariah compliant financial instruments, democratizing the process for issuers and investors.

Dr Scott is also the founder of Shariah compliant carbon credits exchange XTCC, the managing director of investment firm BlueMount Capital, and CEO of structured securities solutions provider Bedford Row Capital.

Dr Scott is a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers and the Worshipful Company of Musicians, a member of Lincoln’s Inn and a senior member of Wolfson College Cambridge. He is a Visiting Lecturer at Estonian Business School and is part of its thesis review committee for both undergraduate and graduate students.

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.

Shrey is head of the London Stock Exchange’s debt, structured finance and sustainable bond markets. He is part of the Primary Markets Senior Leadership Team and LSEG’s Group Sustainability and Fixed Income Management Committee. He was previously head of strategic development for the London Stock Exchange.

Shrey is the co-chair of the City of London’s India-UK Capital Markets Working Group; chair of the High-Level Working Group on Green Sukuk established at COP-26; and was a member of the Advisory Council to the ICMA Green & Social Bond Principles. He worked as a financial officer in Treasury & Syndications at the International Finance Corporation which is part of the World Bank Group as well as in McKinsey and Company.

He holds an MSc in finance and economics from the London School of Economics and a BSc (Hons) in physics from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi.

Dr Sohail became the chief executive officer of the National Zakat Foundation (NZF) in November 2021. Prior to this, he served as BA manager and lecturer at Cambridge Muslim College. From 2015-17, he was NZF’s head of research and development also holding the position of head of sciences at Qasid Arabic Institute in Amman.

His expertise is in Islamic law, having studied extensively with traditional scholars. He has a PhD from the University of Oxford and his thesis which explored Islamic legal epistemology won the prize for the best thesis issued by the British Association for Islamic Studies (BRAIS) in 2019. He has lectured widely on Islamic law and Qur’anic studies in academic, public and traditional settings.

In his new role, Dr Sohail succeeds Iqbal Nasim MBE, who led NZF from 2011-2021.

Sultan Choudhury has over 30 years of experience in professional and financial services. He is executive chairman of OFFA, UK’s first Shariah compliant bridging finance provider and chairman of the National Zakat Foundation. He was CEO of Al Rayan Bank for eight years driving profitability and scaling up operations to achieve exponential growth through a real estate financing strategy.
Sultan is a chartered accountant with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in economics and econometrics from the University of Nottingham, an MBA with distinction from Aston University as well as two honorary Doctorates. Sultan was awarded OBE for his work in Islamic Finance. He is also a chartered member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment.

Dr Usman Chaudry joined Gatehouse Bank as the chief risk officer in January 2018. Prior to this, he was the risk director at Tandem, a fintech bank, responsible for risk management and compliance; and part of the management team that completed the acquisition of Harrods Bank. Prior to Tandem, Dr Usman held the role of global head of risk governance and policy at Standard Chartered, responsible for risk oversight across some 80 countries. Prior to this, he was at KPMG advising UK banks on financial services risk and regulatory matters, including financial services corporate transactions; and at Barclays and GE Capital helping to set up greenfield operations and risk management in retail and commercial businesses across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He started his career at FICO, where he used advanced analytics and artificial intelligence to help banks drive better decisions. Usman holds a PhD in computational chemistry from the University of Manchester.

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.

Walter Gontarek is the CEO and chairman of Channel Capital Advisors, a private asset backed manager. Before founding Channel in 2006, Walter served as managing director and global head of Credit Products at Royal Bank of Canada and held senior executive roles in capital markets and consumer/SME banking in the US, Canada and Europe. Walt holds non-executive board roles at the UK-regulated arms of Catalina Re-insurance and Wiserfunding Ltd. He has an MBA from NYU Stren School of Business and a Doctorate from Cranfield University.

Wasim is the co-founder and CEO of Spark, a fintech startup platform exclusively for Shariah compliant products and services. With over eight years of experience in consulting projects at Big 4 organizations, Wasim specialises in transformative strategies, converging data insights to drive organisational growth and operational excellence for public and private sector organisations. Some of Wasim’s recognitions include being former UK Young Engineer of the Year, Welsh Young Engineer of the Year and recipient of the Young Engineer for Britain Duke of York’s Award for Most Creative Use of Technology.

Bashar Al Natoor, as the global head of Fitch Ratings’s Islamic finance, is responsible for coordinating all Islamic finance activities across the agency’s sovereign, financial institutions, corporate, structured finance, infrastructure and insurance teams, bringing together dedicated analytical and industry expertise into a centralized and focused Islamic finance group.

Bashar has more than 19 years of experience in the Islamic finance market. Since joining Fitch in 2007, he has overseen Fitch’s Sukuk criteria and Islamic finance practices, undertaken research and written numerous published articles on Islamic finance. He joined Fitch as a director in the EMEA Corporates Group based in Dubai, and was responsible for analyzing EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) issuers, with a focus on Middle Eastern and Turkish issuers in the construction, property and telecommunication sectors.

Prior to joining Fitch, Bashar spent seven years at the IsDB in key roles including investment officer in the treasury department; senior credit analyst in risk management; and senior technical assistant to the vice-president of finance and administration. Before working with the IsDB, he was a senior auditor for four years in accounting firm Arthur Andersen.

Bashar graduated with a Master of Science degree in banking and financial studies from the Arab Academy for Banking and Financial Sciences, and a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and banking from Al-Ahliyya Amman University. He is a certified bank auditor, certified risk professional, chartered market analyst and certified risk analyst.

Khaled Khalifa is a professional humanitarian worker with more than 25 years of experience in relief and development. He has led humanitarian operations in various settings of natural disasters and complex emergencies.

Khaled is currently pursuing a PhD in management leadership and organizational strategy. He holds an MA degree in English Literature & Humanities, an MSc in sustainable development and a Diploma in project management. He is a renowned international trainer in disaster management and an expert speaker on humanitarian and Middle Eastern affairs. Khaled leads UNHCR’s Islamic philanthropy activities globally and has been instrumental in the success of the Refugee Zakat Fund.

Apart from being a director of DDCAP and its subsidiaries, DD&Co and DDGI, Laurence is also a director of DDCAP (DIFC).

Lawrence has more than 25 years of experience working in the Islamic finance market. He joined DDCAP in April 1998. Previously, he was an assistant manager at Kleinwort Benson responsible for Islamic finance and investment activity. Lawrence manages the company’s business development and trading desks and has extensive experience in arranging asset-based transactions which conform to Shariah stipulation.

Lawrence specializes in Shariah compliant structured finance and asset origination. His broad knowledge in the physical commodity sector has enabled him to advance the traditional merchant trading capabilities of DD&Co for the benefit of institutional clients operating within the Islamic financial sector. Lawrence is a regular speaker at many annual Islamic conferences held in the GCC, Southeast Asia and Europe.

Lim Say Cheong is CEO of Saudi Venture Capital Investment Company, a fully-fledged Shariah compliant investment company, licensed by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) of Saudi Arabia. Lim brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience of more than 25 years from the financial services and capital market industry.

Lim was formerly CEO of Lootah Global Capital, a financial services company owned by Lootah Holding and licensed by the Dubai International Financial Centre. Lim previously worked for more than a decade as an Islamic banker in the UAE, first with Noor Islamic Bank as the executive director for global markets and then he served as the executive vice-president and head of investment banking with Al Hilal Bank.

Lim graduated from the prestigious INSEAD Business School (France) with an Executive MBA. He also holds the Diploma in Islamic Finance from CIMA UK and a Bachelor of Science degree with double majors in mathematics and quantitative economics from the University of Sydney, Australia.

A renowned Islamic finance practitioner and industry thought leader, Lim contributes articles on Islamic finance regularly and has been invited to speak in conferences around the world.

Dr Mohammed R Kroessin is a development economist with 20 years of experience of working with Islamic development and financial institutions on strategies for sustainable development and social impact. He has worked for the Chamber of Commerce and the Centre for Enterprise in the UK, was assistant CEO of Muslim Aid and is now the founder of GEMicro, an Islamic social finance advisory firm. He also heads the Islamic Relief Worldwide Global Islamic Microfinance Unit where he leads a portfolio of 10 country financial inclusion programs.

Dr Mohammed holds a Master’s degree in international political economy from the University of Kent, UK and a Master’s degree in development management from Westminster Business School, UK. He completed his PhD at the University of Birmingham, UK in Islamic development finance. He is currently a lecturer in Islamic microfinance at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, Germany. Dr Mohammed has worked with Islamic development finance institutions in Africa, Asia and the Middle East and sits on the board of two microfinance institutions in the Balkans. His is also presently director of the UK Financial Inclusion Forum.

Nasser Al Thekair is the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC)’s general manager of trade and business development. He is responsible for leading the trade promotion and facilitation arm of the ITFC, growing intra-trade among member countries and enhancing the development impact. Additionally, He leads the ITFC’s efforts to develop new business lines and products, foster innovation and build strategic relationships with key development partners to create new markets and mobilize resources for the ITFC’s trade development initiatives.

Nasser’s main achievement in Islamic finance in his previous roles relates to supervising the structuring of several transactions that won international recognition from Islamic Finance news, Euromoney and Global Trade Review.

Nasser is a member of the executive committees of the Arab Africa Trade Bridges Program and Trade Development Fund; in addition he represents the ITFC in the board of Aid for Trade Initiative for Arab States.

Nasser holds a Bachelor’s degree in engineering from King AbdulAziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and an MBA from the University of Leicester School of Management in the UK. He also has executive education credentials from IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland as well as the corporate director certification from Harvard Business School, Boston, in the US.

Omar’s background is in commercial finance where he spent over 15 years notably in a variety of FTSE 100, FTSE 5 and multinational blue-chip companies across UK, UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Hong Kong and China.

Omar recently set up the Riba Free Foundation where he plans to use his experience and knowledge to help the masses become financially literate. Omar is a leadership development coach and is enthusiastic about developing the next generation of well-rounded, financially literate, ethical and responsible future leaders. He is also CEO of Digital Easily, an impact-led and ethically conscious digital marketing agency.

Dr Samir Alamad is a practitioner and expert in the Islamic banking and finance industry and a well-established published author. He works in both industry and academia, as the Chief Advisor of Islamic Finance and Banking at Ihsan Islamic Finance Solutions (IIFS) and a Senior Lecturer and Director of International Finance and Banking at the School of Economics, Finance and Accounting at Coventry University in the UK.

Throughout his professional career spanning over 20 years, Dr Samir has held senior positions and been recognized as an advisor to various government departments, both in the UK and internationally, on matters related to Islamic finance, social and financial inclusion. He holds a PhD from Aston Business School in Financial Innovation and Engineering.

Since 2012, Dr Samir has been a trusted advisor to various UK government departments, including HM Treasury, the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, the Department for Education, the Foreign Office, and the Bank of England. He has played an instrumental role in structuring alternative finance schemes aimed at enhancing financial inclusion and advancing the infrastructure of alternative and Islamic finance within the UK.

Dr Alamad is an AAOIFI Certified Shariah Advisor and Auditor, and serves as a board member on the AAOIFI curriculum review committee. He has a significant publication portfolio, including papers in three-star academic journals, and is a regular speaker at national and international conferences. He has delivered numerous lectures, and been featured in many TV and radio shows.

Dr Scott Levy is the managing director of Al Waseelah, a Shariah compliant Sukuk issuance platform whose functions include structuring, arranging, originating and listing Sukuk. Al Waseelah was established in 2017 as a tech-savvy and cost-effective way to create Shariah compliant financial instruments, democratizing the process for issuers and investors.

Dr Scott is also the founder of Shariah compliant carbon credits exchange XTCC, the managing director of investment firm BlueMount Capital, and CEO of structured securities solutions provider Bedford Row Capital.

Dr Scott is a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers and the Worshipful Company of Musicians, a member of Lincoln’s Inn and a senior member of Wolfson College Cambridge. He is a Visiting Lecturer at Estonian Business School and is part of its thesis review committee for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Shakeel Adli is the founder and CEO of Zunikh. He is a qualified solicitor and spent over 18 years working at various international law firms in London and Dubai. He was most recently a partner and global head of Islamic finance at CMS.

Having been involved in real estate both personally and professionally for more than two decades, Shakeel has experience with all real estate asset classes. He is a firm believer in the power of real estate to change people’s lives and founded Zunikh in 2019 with the intention of creating a truly unique property development and investment offering.

Shakeel personifies Zunikh’s passion for real estate and doing things differently. He conducts business in a fair, honest and approachable way and seeks to develop long-term mutually beneficial relationships with everyone that he works with.
As CEO, Shakeel has the overall responsibility for the strategy and direction of Zunikh.