Bashar Al Natoor is Fitch Ratings’s global head of Islamic finance. He is responsible for coordinating all Islamic finance activities across Fitch’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. He was responsible for analyzing EMEA 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 Arthur Andersen.

Bashar graduated with a Master of Science degree in banking and financial studies from the Arab Academy for Finance and Banking Science and a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and banking from Amman University. Bashar is also a certified bank auditor, a certified risk professional, a chartered market analyst and a 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 worked in several senior managerial positions with major international organizations in many countries and is currently pursuing a PhD in management leadership and organizational strategy. He holds a Master of Arts degree in English literature and humanities, a Master of Science degree in sustainable development and a Project Management Diploma. He is a well-known international trainer in disaster management and an expert speaker on humanitarian affairs and the Middle East.

In addition to his role as a representative to the GCC, Khaled leads UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]’s Islamic philanthropy activities globally and has been instrumental in the success of the Refugee Zakat Fund, which supported over five million beneficiaries in 27 countries since 2017. This success was made possible thanks to Khaled’s role in building key partnerships with diverse Islamic philanthropy stakeholders.

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 formerly worked for the Chambers of Commerce and the Centre for Enterprise in the UK, was assistant CEO of Muslim Aid and is now heading Islamic Relief’s 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 (Kent, UK) and a Master’s degree in development management (Westminster Business School, UK). He has completed his PhD at the University of Birmingham (UK) in Islamic development finance. He is currently a lecturer (guest faculty) 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, sits on the board of two microfinance institutions in the Balkans and is a director of the UK Financial Inclusion Forum and the founder of GEMicro, an Islamic social finance advisory firm.

Omar Khaliel is CEO of Riba Free Foundation. His background is in commercial finance where he spent over 15 years, most notably for a variety of FTSE 100, FTSE 5 and multinational blue-chip companies across the UK, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Hong Kong and China. Having worked in a diverse range of industries, he spent five years out in the Middle East where he was first exposed to Islamic finance and decided this was where he wanted to spend the prime years of his career. Omar recently set up and launched the Riba Free Foundation where he plans to use his experience and knowledge to help the masses become better at being financially literate. In addition to his passion for education, 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 an expert in the Islamic banking and finance industry and is a well-established published author. He works in both industry and academia as the Chief Advisor of Islamic Finance and Banking at IIFS Ltd, and a Senior Lecturer and Director of International Finance and Banking at the School of Economics, Finance and Accounting at Coventry University (UK). He has made a successful transition to academia after accumulating over 16 years of professional experience in the banking and financial services industry in the UK, while still maintaining his role in the industry. Throughout his professional career, spanning over 20 years, he has held senior positions and notably served as the Head of Product Development and Sharia Compliance. Dr Alamad’s expertise lies in Islamic banking and financial services, and he has been recognised as an advisor to various government departments, both domestically in the UK and internationally, on matters related to Islamic finance, social and financial inclusion. Dr Alamad holds a PhD degree from Aston University Business School in Financial Innovation and Engineering.

Since 2012, Dr Alamad has been a trusted advisor to various UK government departments, including HM Treasury, BIS, 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. Noteworthy examples of his innovative work include the Takaful Alternative Student Finance (TASF) scheme, which has been enacted in the Higher Education Act 2017, and will be offered to students alongside the existing student loans system, as well as his involvement in structuring the wakala-based alternative central bank liquidity facility for the Bank of England. Dr Alamad also served as a board member of the UK Government Help to Buy Mortgage Guarantee senior monitoring board; worked with the HM Treasury as a member of the Help to Buy ISA working group of experts to develop the scheme and its rules, and the reform of the Consumer Credit Act. He is an AAOIFI (Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions) Certified Shariah Advisor and Auditor (CSAA) with excellent knowledge and practical experience of all strategic and operational areas of the Islamic financial services sector globally. He serves as a Board Member on the AAOIFI curriculum review committee (CRC). Dr Alamad has a significant publication portfolio, including papers in three-star academic journals. He is a regular speaker at national and international conferences, has delivered numerous lectures, and has taken part in many TV and radio shows.

Dr Scott Levy is the managing director of Al Waseelah PLC, an award-winning Shariah-compliant sukuk issuance platform, which includes 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.

Al Waseelah provides flexible and quick-to-market solutions for green and sustainable businesses, financial institutions, asset managers, corporations and family offices. The company’s focus is on Islamic liquidity management, offers a diverse range of investment opportunities, and is committed to thought leadership in the sector through the IFN and IIFM.

Al Waseelah is leading the way in integrating ESG/SDG principles into sukuk, and offers Shariah-compliant products like XTCC™, which is the world’s first exchange-traded high-quality carbon credit investment sourced from verified renewable energy.

Dr Levy 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.

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.