Aditya Shah is the head of circular economy investments at Creek Capital, a Dubai-based climate impact investment manager. Creek Capital invests in sustainable and decentralized infrastructure across the Middle East to help individuals, companies and communities increase value and reduce their carbon footprint. Aditya has more than 15 years of climate impact and infrastructure investment experience across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Previously, Aditya was the assistant director at IL&FS Group, where he spent 10 years raising and managing infrastructure funds, in addition to making proprietary investments for the group. Prior to IL&FS, Aditya was the assistant vice-president at Abu Dhabi Investment Company where he was part of the investment team of the ADIC–UBS Infrastructure Fund.

Aditya holds a Bachelor’s degree in commerce from Mumbai University and an MBA from SP Jain School of Global Management. Aditya is also a chartered alternative investment analyst and a chartered accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Anita Wieja-Caruba is an associate director at the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) and has been with the company for close to eight years. During this time, as part of its Strategy, Policy and Risk Division, she has been instrumental in implementing various international standards in the Dubai International Financial Centre, including the Financial Stability Board (FSB) Recovery and Resolution Framework and the Basel III reforms. She also works on subjects such as benchmark reforms, client assets protection, equivalence with EU rules, sustainable finance, insolvency law, derivatives and netting and compliance framework.

Prior to joining the DFSA, Anita worked at the European Commission as an advisor to Commissioner Michel Barnier on a package of financial reforms following the global financial crisis.

Anita qualified as a finance lawyer in the City of London (King & Wood Mallesons, ex SJ Berwin), following which she worked at BNP Paribas CIB advising on various aspects of the bank’s structured finance transactions. She holds degrees from BPP Law School (UK), University of Cambridge (UK), College of Europe (Belgium) and University of Silesia (Poland).

Aruna Narayanan is a sustainability enthusiast and strategic thought leader with a passion for driving prosperity through people empowerment and planet protection.

Aruna is a highly accomplished results-driven professional with two decades of corporate experience. She focuses on sustainability, ESG, impact investing, innovative waste management and recycling, marketing communications and corporate social responsibility. With previous leadership positions at organizations including Purecog Holdings, Dulsco, Accenture and Ocwen Financial Corporation, she is adept at supporting companies and their clients on sustainability journeys with a lasting positive impact across multiple stakeholders.

Aruna leads the ESG & Sustainability practice at The Partnerships Advisory. She is a non-executive director on the board of EIGHTClouds Private Equity. She has been nominated to the board of the Sustainability Action Society (an initiative by the Capital Club, Dubai). She also serves on the advisory board for various organizations, enabling them to genuinely embed sustainability and ESG into various aspects of their business. Aruna is a Tedx speaker, panelist and moderator at various discussions on authentic leadership and sustainability.

Aruna is an alumna of the Harvard Business School (US) and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (UK). She is an advocate of diversity and inclusion and leads the Alumni Network of Harvard Women (UAE Chapter).

Aruna has completed the SDG Ambition Accelerator program organized by United Nations Global Compact. She has been named to the ESG Power List 50 2022 that recognizes the most influential ESG leaders in the MENA region.

Asal Saghari is the counsel of the corporate, finance and investments practice. Asal has extensive experience in banking and finance. Her areas of practice include finance, Islamic finance and secured and unsecured lending, with a particular focus on advising sponsors, lenders and borrowers in connection with their lending and investment activities in Europe and the Middle East structured on both a conventional and Shariah compliant basis. Asal joined King & Spalding’s London office in 2008 from one of London’s leading international law firms.

Dr Ayaz Ismail is the director of wholesale banking at CIMB Islamic in Malaysia, where he covers Islamic investment banking transactions. He has been involved in various ground-breaking and award-winning ringgit and non-ringgit Sukuk offerings. Prior to joining CIMB Islamic, he was with Malaysian multinational conglomerate Sime Darby, carrying out various roles in the CEO’s Office, as well as legal, strategy and communications functions of the group.

Dr Ayaz completed his PhD in Islamic finance at INCEIF University, Malaysia. He graduated with an MBA in financial studies from the University of Nottingham in the UK as a Chevening scholar, and also holds a Bbachelor of Laws (Hons) degree from the same university. He is a Chartered Professional in Islamic Finance charterholder and a grand councilor of the Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals.

An experienced capital market regulator, Basheer Ahmad joined the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) in 2008 and is responsible for primary market regulations and for managing the DFSA Listing Authority. He is the Islamic finance subject-matter expert at the DFSA and is also responsible for the development of ESG securities requirements.

Basheer has spent over 20 years working for international regulators, working across securities rules and regulations, policy formulation, listing rules, operating listing regimes and market disclosures. He holds a Barrister-at-Law degree from the Lincoln’s Inn, UK and a Chartered Islamic Finance professional qualification.

Dr Dalal Aassouli is an assistant professor of Islamic and sustainable finance at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar.

Dr Dalal was previously a visiting academic at the Durham Centre for Islamic Economics and Finance, Durham University Business School. Prior to that, she worked at the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM) in Malaysia where she assisted with the establishment of the IILM’s Sukuk program. Before that, she held several corporate finance positions in Europe where she had exposure to the African, European and Latin American markets.

Dr Dalal serves on several industry working groups and non-profit global forums such as the CIBAFI Sustainability Working Group, Qatar Financial Center Islamic Finance Taskforce and the Global Impact Fintech Forum. She is also an invited speaker in international conferences and events and provides her consultancy expertise to various organizations on issues related to sustainable and Islamic finance.

Dr Dalal holds a Master’s degree from NEOMA Business School and Paris Dauphine University and a PhD from ENS de Lyon in France.
Dr Dalal’s areas of research interest include Islamic finance in general and its implications for liquidity management, corporate finance, ethical finance, development finance, green finance, food security, sustainable development and SRI.

Husain Abdulwahed Alkhaja is the GCC regional director and director of DDCAP.

Husain is a vastly experienced banker who has been working within the Islamic financial marketplace for the past 30 years for various highly regarded regional and international financial institutions. Most recently, he held senior executive positions within MFAI (Jersey), a wholly-owned subsidiary of DMI Group. This followed his tenure as COO of CMA-licensed investment company Gulf Investors Asset Management Company.

Having started his career in banking in Bahrain, Husain was appointed the regional director and head of GCC and Islamic banking at Societe Generale where he was based in Dubai. Prior to returning to Bahrain as CEO of Investment Dar Bank, Husain was the general manager of ADNIF, the Islamic subsidiary of National Bank of Abu Dhabi.

Ijlal Ahmed Alvi has wide-ranging experience in the financial services industry with regional and international financial institutions spanning over three decades.

As CEO of the International Islamic Financial Market (IIFM) for the last 18 years, Ijlal has been devoted to the goal of bringing about unification and harmonization in the Islamic finance industry globally and has overseen the development and publication of universal Shariah compliant financial documentation and product confirmation standards as well as related guidance notes.

In addition to his responsibilities as CEO, secretary to the board and spokesperson of IIFM, Ijlal also manages IIFM’s comprehensive standards development process and leads the project-specific market consultation exercise, global working groups and legal documentation drafting process and is actively involved in the IIFM Shariah Board’s guidance and approval process.

Ijlal has also been part of a number of international steering committees, task forces and working groups of various multilateral development organizations focused on the advancement of the Islamic finance industry globally. He is a regular speaker at international conferences and also contributes articles in various international and Islamic finance publications.

Jawaad Chawla has more than 20 years of Middle East experience across a broad section of sectors including structured, project and corporate finance; debt capital markets, Islamic financing and investment banking. He has significant experience in building and managing wholesale corporate finance/investment banking businesses.

Jawaad has long-standing relationships in the GCC across corporates, financial institutions and government-related entities. He has investment banking transactional experience of more than US$10 billion and is an expert in various forms of Islamic banking and finance structures across commercial, corporate and investment banking, closing landmark transactions including the first GCC financial institution Sukuk ever. His expertise in Islamic transactions comes from his vast experience at Standard Chartered Saadiq, IsDB and Standard Bank.

Jawaad is considered a senior industry expert in the Middle East banking market and has held various leadership positions as head of wholesale banking and deputy general manager of corporate finance, and has worked for international and regional banks like Standard Bank, Standard Chartered and most recently Al Khaliji. Currently, he is the managing director and head of client solutions MENA for US/UK-headquartered investment bank StormHarbour. He holds a Master of Management of Financial Resources degree from Carnegie Mellon University in the US.

Lo’ai Bataineh is a seasoned and successful investment banker with over three decades of experience in commercial banking, investment banking, asset management and wealth management. He has experience in establishing, implementing and successfully managing full-service investment banking and asset management businesses. Lo’ai is dynamic and innovative with an ability to capture new market opportunities across multiple sectors and asset classes. Driven to exceed the expectations of all stakeholders, he has extensive experience in matters relating to mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and divestment, among others.

Lo’ai has served as an advisor to several regulatory and government committees in Oman. He is an active presenter in business forums, conferences and panel discussions and he contributes regular articles to business magazines and newspapers in both Arabic and English. He holds Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in money and banking.

Luma Saqqaf is a recognized sustainable finance consultant in the MENA region and is called upon by corporates, financial institutions, funds and asset managers to advise on aspects of sustainable value creation, sustainable and ESG strategy and its integration into their business. She also counsels regulators and financial markets in the MENA region on sustainable finance regulations and the development of the capital markets in the MENA region.

Luma has been at the forefront of finance, Islamic finance, sustainability and entrepreneurship in the MENA region and Europe for three decades. A former partner and global head of Islamic finance at Magic Circle law firm Linklaters, she has more than 20 years of experience in legal practice, including practicing at the two Magic Circle law firms, Allen & Overy and Linklaters, where she was a finance partner and global head of the Islamic Finance Group. She led teams across Europe, the Middle East and Asia on groundbreaking transactions covering finance and capital markets including Shariah compliant Sukuk (bonds), loans, securitization and structured finance, derivatives and fund transactions.

Luma is now CEO of Ajyal Sustainability Consulting and is also a regular speaker at conferences and contributor to articles on the topics of sustainable finance in the MENA region.

Luma is also the founder of investment group Ajyal Group and ethical luxury womenswear brand BYLUMA and has advised and mentored several social enterprises in the MENA region. She holds a Master of Law degree from the University of Bristol in the UK, and a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Jordan, and has attended the Harvard executive business education program (YPO Harvard Business Leadership Program 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019).

Maali Q Khader is a highly experienced, effective and trusted lawyer. Today, she is a luminary in the corporate governance, sustainability, legal training and advice sectors.

Maali holds a number of concurrent roles, chief of which is CEO of the influential Middle East Institute of Directors, delivering advanced corporate governance advisory and training to a number of prestigious organizations.

Since 2012, as a founder and board member of the Jordan Institute of Directors, Maali has driven excellence across a number of leading organizations, including Arab Bank, Siniora Food, Kasih, PADICO Group and Medgulf.

Maali is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitration, an accredited mediator from RICS, a member of the CIPE MENA Advisory Council and a member of the Responsible Business Roundtable established by the OECD. Her natural leadership qualities, entrepreneurship and legal expertise have driven a stellar career, encompassing corporate governance and training and acting as founder and CEO to a number of influential, successful ventures.

Mike Tirman is a partner in Ice Miller’s Real Estate Group and advises and represents clients in all areas of real estate law, including acquisitions and dispositions, financing (including various forms of Shariah compliant financing), ground leasing, development, land use and zoning, entity structuring and joint ventures.

Some of Mike’s representative transactions include, among others, r
epresenting a buyer in a US$195 million Shariah compliant acquisition and CMBS financing of a portfolio of 30 industrial properties, representing a landlord in a US$104 million refinance of a portfolio of four industrial properties in New Jersey encumbered by ground leases and representing a REIT in a US$30 million acquisition of a parking garage and execution of a reverse 1031 exchange.

Mike is licensed to practice law in Illinois and Indiana.

Dr Obaid Saif Al Zaabi has wide-ranging professional experience in financial and capital markets and investment regulations, accounting, auditing, compliance, financial planning and budgeting, banking and corporate finance. He has worked with several leading financial institutions across the UAE, the US, the UK and Malaysia. Dr Obaid also served as CEO and deputy CEO at the Securities and Commodities Authority, the federal capital market regulator of the UAE. Prior to that, he worked as a senior manager for international business at a real estate finance company and managed bank branch operations at a leading Islamic bank. He worked in accounting and auditing for several institutions, including the Central Bank of the UAE for eight years.

Dr Obaid represented UAE securities market regulators in several working groups of international organizations, including IOSCO, the Financial Stability Board, the Union of Arab Securities Authorities, the Committee of GCC Financial Market Authorities at the GCC, the GCC Accounting and Auditing Organization, IFSB and AAOIFI. Dr Obaid was nominated as the vice-chair of the IOSCO board and the chair of the Growth and Emerging Markets Committee, IOSCO’s largest regional committee consisting of 90 ordinary jurisdiction members and 20 affiliate members. He also served as the co-chair of the MENA–OECD Working Group on Corporate Governance. Dr Obaid was appointed as the vice-chairman of the UAE Financial Restructuring Committee and the chairman of the technical committee for financial restructuring in the Ministry of Finance in the UAE. He has delivered many speeches and presentations at leading conferences on a wide range of topics including public finance, corporate governance, capital market regulations, digital assets, fintech development and SME finance.

Oliver von Wolff holds a wealth of experience as a seasoned Venture Capitalist and Venture Builder, bringing his expertise in architecture and the establishment of both regulated and unregulated investment products.

Oliver is currently the Founder & CEO of Helion Capital, a Dubai DIFC licensed investment company specializing in fintech-blockchain ventures, Oliver has held significant roles in the industry. He was previously the Co-Founder & Managing Director of Crypto Oasis, the Managing Director for CV Labs and CVVC Switzerland, and an early-stage venture capital investor and blockchain ecosystem builder based in Dubai.

Additionally, he served as the Group CFO & Equity Partner for a global crypto asset management and blockchain-focused venture capital group. Oliver also held the position of Managing Director in a joint venture with a stock-listed equity company on the Xetra Frankfurt.

With over 15 years of management experience, Oliver has played crucial roles as CFO and Co-Founder in various start-ups and management buyouts. He has a proven track record in transforming companies across different industries and has established strong connections in Dubai and the GCC region since 1999.

Oliver’s educational background includes an MBA in international management, degrees in economics and business, and studies at New York University focused on international corporate finance.

With his extensive global experience, Oliver has a deep understanding of diverse markets and industries, particularly in Europe and the Middle East.

Rizal Mohamed Ali was a legal officer for a public listed conglomerate prior to joining KWAP 15 years ago. He presently heads the Responsible Investment Section at KWAP, which was set up to manage all environmental, social and governance-related initiatives at KWAP.

Rizal is a member of the Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals, Malaysian Institute of Integrity and Malaysian Institutional Investors Council Working Committee.

Rizal obtained a Bachelor of Laws (Honors) degree from Brunel University, London and the Chartered Islamic Finance Professional qualification from INCEIF.

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 the managing editor and a director at 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.

A multimedia journalist with over a decade of experience in the journalism and publishing industry working independently and leading a team, 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 is responsible for 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, among others.

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 in the UK.

Yavar Moini has over 29 years of banking experience with international, supranational and regional institutions primarily in the GCC. He is currently a senior investment officer for the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and is the subregional anchor for the advisory business for the Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan. He is based in Amman and his areas of focus include capital markets, Islamic and green finance and improving access to finance for SMEs. He has advised central banks in various jurisdictions on developing their Islamic finance architecture and has worked with financial institutions to develop their green and Islamic banking propositions.

Prior to joining the IFC, Yavar was a consultant for the World Bank on Islamic finance and has also been the director for Islamic banking at the State Bank of Pakistan. Previously, he was the global head of Islamic finance at Morgan Stanley Dubai and has also headed the Islamic structured products area for Dubai Bank and Islamic banking at the National Bank of Dubai (now ENBD). In addition, he has led and developed the Islamic Financial Services Group at Ernst & Young Bahrain, worked as an officer at the IsDB and been part of the management team for a technology, media and telecommunication-focused private equity (PE) fund that was a joint venture between Deutsche Bank and The Investment Office (now Dubai Group). He has also served as the adjunct professor of Islamic finance at the IE Business School in Madrid.

Yavar has led landmark transactions such as Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank’s US$1 billion hybrid Tier 1 Sukuk facility which represents the first such issue by an Islamic bank globally; PETRONAS’s US$1.5 billion five-year Sukuk, one of the two largest global dollar straight Sukuk issued by a corporate; Tabreed’s AED1.7 billion (US$462.78 million) mandatory convertible Sukuk, the first mandatory convertible Sukuk in the UAE; and Tamweel’s US$220 million mortgage-backed Sukuk, which represented the first true sale securitization in the UAE. In addition to such capital market transactions, Yavar developed an extensive platform for the issuance of Shariah compliant structured certificates for Morgan Stanley and established funds aggregating in excess of US$1.5 billion that have focused on real estate, PE and infrastructure for Morgan Stanley Asset Management. He also led Dubai Bank’s investment as a founding shareholder into Bank Islamic Pakistan and served on the latter’s board. Yavar has an MBA from the Stern Business School, New York University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Warwick.

Aruna Narayanan is a sustainability enthusiast and strategic thought leader with a passion for driving prosperity through people empowerment and planet protection.

Aruna is a highly accomplished results-driven professional with two decades of corporate experience. She focuses on sustainability, ESG, impact investing, innovative waste management and recycling, marketing communications and corporate social responsibility. With previous leadership positions at organizations including Purecog Holdings, Dulsco, Accenture and Ocwen Financial Corporation, she is adept at supporting companies and their clients on sustainability journeys with a lasting positive impact across multiple stakeholders.

Aruna leads the ESG & Sustainability practice at The Partnerships Advisory. She is a non-executive director on the board of EIGHTClouds Private Equity. She has been nominated to the board of the Sustainability Action Society (an initiative by the Capital Club, Dubai). She also serves on the advisory board for various organizations, enabling them to genuinely embed sustainability and ESG into various aspects of their business. Aruna is a Tedx speaker, panelist and moderator at various discussions on authentic leadership and sustainability.

Aruna is an alumna of the Harvard Business School (US) and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (UK). She is an advocate of diversity and inclusion and leads the Alumni Network of Harvard Women (UAE Chapter).

Aruna has completed the SDG Ambition Accelerator program organized by United Nations Global Compact. She has been named to the ESG Power List 50 2022 that recognizes the most influential ESG leaders in the MENA region.

Dr Dalal Aassouli is an assistant professor of Islamic and sustainable finance at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar.

Dr Dalal was previously a visiting academic at the Durham Centre for Islamic Economics and Finance, Durham University Business School. Prior to that, she worked at the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM) in Malaysia where she assisted with the establishment of the IILM’s Sukuk program. Before that, she held several corporate finance positions in Europe where she had exposure to the African, European and Latin American markets.

Dr Dalal serves on several industry working groups and non-profit global forums such as the CIBAFI Sustainability Working Group, Qatar Financial Center Islamic Finance Taskforce and the Global Impact Fintech Forum. She is also an invited speaker in international conferences and events and provides her consultancy expertise to various organizations on issues related to sustainable and Islamic finance.

Dr Dalal holds a Master’s degree from NEOMA Business School and Paris Dauphine University and a PhD from ENS de Lyon in France.
Dr Dalal’s areas of research interest include Islamic finance in general and its implications for liquidity management, corporate finance, ethical finance, development finance, green finance, food security, sustainable development and SRI.

Faisal Hasan is a senior investment professional with a career spanning 21 years during which he managed diverse award-winning departments such as asset management, direct investments and treasury, investment research and business development.

Faisal’s previous role was in the capacity of senior executive officer at FundRock (ME), which is part of the Apex Group. He also was part of the senior leadership team in KAMCO Investment Company and Global Investment House in Kuwait.

Faisal is a financial market expert who has been a speaker at various international conferences and is well quoted in the media on economic trends and financial markets. He holds a Master’s degree in finance from Delhi University, India and is a CFA charterholder from CFA Institute in the US.

Jessica Robinson is a global expert in environmental, social and governance (ESG) and sustainability, advising financial institutions, institutional investors, think tanks, governments, regulators and companies on a broad range of issues relating to green finance, ESG, sustainable and responsible investment, as well as gender, climate and carbon finance.

In previous roles among others, Jessica was the head of Asia for the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment, following a long stint as chief executive and board director of the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia, one of Asia’s leading think tanks working to promote sustainable finance and responsible investment across the region.

Jessica has an extensive background in professional services and business consulting, focusing on financial services, environmental finance and sustainability industries. She frequently contributes articles, authors reports and speaks at conferences on issues including green financing, financial market developments and climate finance policy, among others.

Jessica holds a Master of Science degree in applied environmental economics from the University of London, a Master of Science degree in politics from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Manchester, UK.

Khurram is a seasoned advisor, investment banker and corporate financer with over 22 years of Green & conventional energy, Healthcare, Infrastructure and sustainability experience. Throughout his career, Khurram has been involved in or led advisory & financing in several transactions in Middle East, Africa, Turkey, Europe and Asia in sectors ranging from Oil & Gas, Power & Water, Health care & Life science, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Mobility/transportation.

Currently, Khurram is a Partner & Chief Portfolio Officer of Safe Harbour Capital Ventures, an opportunistic growth fund, focused on Real Estate & Green business, based out of Canada and is also a partner at Alpha Cruz Advisory, UAE. He has also worked as a Managing Director-Corporate Finance for a boutique Investment Bank, based in Dubai, and lead their Green, Healthcare and Infrastructure advisory business for the firm. He has also served as Executive Director- International Banking at First Abu Dhabi(FAB) and has worked with other international banks like Barclays, Emirates NBD etc.

Some of his key transaction in the past 5years are sell side M&A for a coal mine in asia, electricity privatisation programme of GCC country, structured National Oil Co acquisition transaction in Europe, many PPP/renewables power transactions, govt. healthcare financing programme etc.
He is a keen propagator of Responsible Investment and is a regular contributor as a speaker at various events & writer for various websites on Responsible Investment, Economic Warfare/Geo-political strategies.

Khurram has an ex. Master in Finance with Distinction (Top 10%) from HEC, Paris and also has an MBA with specialisation in Finance & Marketing from ICFAI Business School, India. He is also a Mphil candidate, and his research topic is “From Shareholders’ Capitalism to Stakeholders’ Capitalism, transition of Private Capital into ESG based Investments/Responsible Investments”.

Luma Saqqaf is a recognized sustainable finance consultant in the MENA region and is called upon by corporates, financial institutions, funds and asset managers to advise on aspects of sustainable value creation, sustainable and ESG strategy and its integration into their business. She also counsels regulators and financial markets in the MENA region on sustainable finance regulations and the development of the capital markets in the MENA region.

Luma has been at the forefront of finance, Islamic finance, sustainability and entrepreneurship in the MENA region and Europe for three decades. A former partner and global head of Islamic finance at Magic Circle law firm Linklaters, she has more than 20 years of experience in legal practice, including practicing at the two Magic Circle law firms, Allen & Overy and Linklaters, where she was a finance partner and global head of the Islamic Finance Group. She led teams across Europe, the Middle East and Asia on groundbreaking transactions covering finance and capital markets including Shariah compliant Sukuk (bonds), loans, securitization and structured finance, derivatives and fund transactions.

Luma is now CEO of Ajyal Sustainability Consulting and is also a regular speaker at conferences and contributor to articles on the topics of sustainable finance in the MENA region.

Luma is also the founder of investment group Ajyal Group and ethical luxury womenswear brand BYLUMA and has advised and mentored several social enterprises in the MENA region. She holds a Master of Law degree from the University of Bristol in the UK, and a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Jordan, and has attended the Harvard executive business education program (YPO Harvard Business Leadership Program 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019).

Margot Jacquet is a business development advisor at Luxembourg for Finance. She advises financial companies and fintechs to help them expand their cross-border operations through the Grand Duchy. Her role involves promoting Luxembourg’s financial industry internationally and fostering collaboration with other major financial centers. She focuses more specifically on developing relationships with financial hubs and companies from Southeast Asia and Western Europe.

Margot also specializes in sustainable finance. She supports the development of sustainable and green finance and helps incorporate ESG considerations within Luxembourg’s financial ecosystem.

Before joining Luxembourg for Finance, Margot worked as a project manager specializing in business development for international consulting firm Deloitte in Luxembourg. Her expertise revolved around business strategy and project coordination in relation to the banking and insurance industries.

Maya Marissa Malek is the managing director/CEO of Amanie Advisors’s global office, based in Dubai. Maya is a multiple award-winning Islamic finance expert and executive leader (also recognized as one of the ‘Top 50 Most Influential Women in Middle East Finance’ by Financial News UK of Dow Jones Group) with extensive experience driving strategic planning and collaboration with key industry players — including regulators, corporates, banks and standard-setting bodies.

Maya skillfully bridges efforts of diverse regulatory and structural groups — identifying and targeting performance/operations gaps — and is equipped with a history of success working closely with globally-renowned Shariah scholars while creating awareness of Islamic finance worldwide. Her profession in and passion for Islamic finance has taken her around the globe creating awareness on Islamic finance, and innovating and creating demand for Islamic finance to take root. She is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals, a member of the Green Sukuk Working Group in the UAE and a Shariah consultant for the International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group and a frequent Islamic finance speaker at Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs in the UK, the world’s most influential think tank.

Navina Balasingam is currently the general manager of Capital Markets Malaysia (CMM), an affiliate of the Securities Commission Malaysia mandated with promoting Malaysia’s capital market both domestically and internationally.

Navina joined CMM in 2017, with expertise in international stakeholder management and communications. In her current role, Navina focuses on stakeholder engagement with capital market regulators and intermediaries, both domestic and foreign, to support the development and profiling of Malaysia’s capital market.

Navina also oversees content development for CMM’s programs and engagements, which prioritize sustainable finance and investment, private markets, digital markets as well as the Islamic capital market. Navina leads the secretariat of the three CMM-led centers of excellence — the Malaysian Sustainable Finance Initiative, the Centre for Sustainable Corporations and the Sustainable Investment Platform — and is a member of the Steering Committee of the UNDP Financial Centres for Sustainability.

Paul McViety is an experienced banking lawyer with nearly 20 years of experience advising on financing transactions, acting for both Islamic and conventional clients, including financial institutions, corporates, developers, fund and asset managers, regulators and government entities. He is also the head of the firm’s Islamic finance group in the Middle East.

DLA Piper’s capabilities in Islamic finance are in keeping with the firm’s position as a leading global business law firm. As a result, Paul and his team play a key role in Islamic transactions involving other DLA Piper offices across Europe and the US.

Recognized as a leading lawyer in his field by a number of independent legal directories, Paul has also contributed over the years to a number of important milestones for the Islamic finance industry. He continues to lead on a number of the more innovative transactions within the industry, including the restructuring of Lagoon City Sukuk (won ‘Kuwait Deal of the Year’ at the 2019 IFN Awards).