Dr Gulnar Mulla is one of the most distinguished academicians with vast experience in academia, the private sector and the banking industry. She is the head of the Finance Department and also a specialist in Islamic banking at the University of Technology, Bahrain. She has almost more than 10 years of extensive experience at the university disseminating the knowledge of Shariah and Islamic finance at the graduate and postgraduate levels through teaching, publishing innovative research, examining doctoral dissertations, editing refereed journals, participating in fixing standards on Shariah issues for Islamic financial institutions and counseling Muslim communities.

Dr Gulnar is a dynamic and motivated professional with a proven record of generating and building relationships, managing projects she was assigned from concept to completion, designing educational strategies and coaching individuals to success. She possesses the required expertise in building cross-functional teams, demonstrating exceptional communication skills and making critical decisions during challenges. Dr Gulnar is an adaptable and transformational leader with an ability to work independently. She is a highly passionate, competitive and creative individual and her goal is to add value to the spaces where she thrives in.

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 financial services industry with regional and international financial institutions spanning over three decades.

As the Chief Executive Officer of the International Islamic Financial Market (IIFM) for the last 18 years, Mr. Alvi 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 Shari’ah-compliant financial documentation and product confirmation standards as well as related guidance notes.

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

He also supervises IIFM’s industry awareness seminars, training workshops as well as the publication of white papers and IIFM’s flagship annual Sukuk Report.

Mr. Alvi has been influential in IIFM collaborating with various international standard-setting bodies and trade associations. Some of these collaborations have resulted in the development and publication of a number of joint standards.

Mr. Alvi 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.

Mohammed Imad Ali is Chief Executive Officer of Citi Islamic Investment Bank E.C. (CIIB), a locally incorporated subsidiary of Citigroup based in Bahrain, which is engaged in wholesale banking based on Islamic principles and serves as the global headquarter for Citigroup’s Islamic banking business. Imad is the Executive Board Member of CIIB and also head of the Murabaha desk, which is part of TTS’s business. Previously, Imad held the role of head of the Islamic control function for CIIB for 11 years.

Prior to CIIB, Imad worked in the Shariah compliance department of HSBC Amanah in Dubai, advising on Shariah matters. Prior to working at HSBC Amanah, Imad worked as a lawyer with the Islamic finance team at Dentons in Dubai. Imad obtained his master’s degree in comparative laws from Islamic University Malaysia, specializing in Islamic banking jurisprudence and is currently finalizing his Ph.D. He has read law and is admitted as a lawyer in India.

Khalid Howladar is the chairman of MRHB DeFi, the world’s first ethical and faith-based decentralized finance platform. In addition, Khalid is an active innovation angel, advisor and board member for a diverse mix of fintech, crypto, edtech and Islamic economy start-ups through his firm Acreditus Partners. Lastly, he is the senior managing director and head of credit and Sukuk for RJ Fleming & Co, the boutique merchant banking advisory of the Fleming family.
With a rare confluence of financial, tech, social and faith-driven perspectives, Khalid is a recognized authority in his fields and has addressed investors worldwide and audiences at the World Bank, IMF, European Central Bank and Institute of International Finance.

Khalid gained industry prominence from his 15 years at Moody’s Investors Service in London and Dubai culminating as both the global head of Islamic finance and the head of the GCC banking team.

Khalid’s most prominent start-up role was as angel and later chairman of Small Pharma, a pioneering psychedelic UK biotech that successfully made the transition from start-up to a public 2021 listing on the TSXV Canada during his board leadership.

Lilian Le Falher has 26 years of experience in investment banking. He is an executive manager of Kuwait Finance House, Bahrain, heading treasury, financial institutions and capital markets. As a representative of KFH, he is a board member of the International Islamic Financial Market and the chairman of its executive committee. He has contributed to the development of various Shariah compliant structured products and investment schemes.

Prior to joining KFH in 2005, Lilian spent eight years with BNP Paribas in Europe and the Middle East. He ended his duty at BNP Paribas as the head of investment products for the Middle East region, dealing extensively in equity, bonds and structured products.

Lilian Le Falher holds a Master’s degree in banking and finance from Toulouse Business School (France) and he is a CFA charterholder.

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 MENA on sustainable finance regulations and the development of the capital markets in MENA.

Luma has been at the forefront of finance, Islamic finance, sustainability and entrepreneurship in MENA 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. She led teams across Europe, the Middle East and Asia on groundbreaking transactions covering finance and capital markets including Shariah compliant Sukuk, loans and securitization, among others.

Luma is now CEO of Ajyal Sustainability Consulting and is also a regular speaker at conferences and a contributor to articles on the topics of sustainable finance in MENA. She holds a Master’s in Law degree from the University of Bristol, UK, and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Jordan.

Mohamad Ameer Al-Dirini is a qualified digital transformation as well as a seasoned IT professional, with an entrepreneurial track record, having a rich and extensive experience of over 33 years, including more than 22 years with international (Australia, GCC & Levant) tenure, involved in diverse functions of enterprise account management and GCC regional business development, specializing in enterprise solutions such as Islamic core banking, digital Islamic banking (internet/mobile), Islamic treasury, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Business Intelligence (BI), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Enterprise Content Management (ECM), Customer Communication Management (CCM), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Business Process Management (BPM) and digital marketing systems.

Mohamed Al Shebab currently holds the role of vice-president of corporate finance and investor relations at the Oil and Gas Holding Company (nogaholding), where he is responsible for securing funding for capital and investment opportunities. Mohamed’s role also includes setting and executing the financing strategy for the group, as well as evaluating future investment opportunities in line with the group’s sustainability strategy and maintaining investor relations for nogaholding portfolio companies. Mohamed is also involved in the corporate and ESG strategy for the group, and leads the risk management function at nogaholding.

Mujtaba Khalid joined BIBF in 2015 and brings a diversified range of experience spanning government and private sector advisory, establishing effective governance frameworks, Islamic capital market products as well as conducting Islamic finance training and capacity building programmes.

Mr. Khalid’s experience includes working for the UK-based Islamic Finance Council where he was involved in developing the Islamic finance governance frameworks for central bank bodies, providing capacity building and training, structuring Islamic finance products for one of the UK’s largest credit unions, providing investment strategy for Islamic Relief International’s Waqf (trust) fund, research for the Scottish government on the viability of Sukuks to fund alternate energy projects among other work.

He has also helped to establish the Centre of Islamic Finance at COMSATS Pakistan – one of Pakistan’s largest public sector universities. At COMSATS he was part of the team that organised Pakistan’s largest international Islamic finance conference.

Mujtaba has a BSc (hons) from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and an MSc in Investment Analysis from The University of Stirling. He also has three professional Islamic finance qualifications which include the CIMA Islamic Finance Diploma, Islamic Banking and Finance qualification from the State Bank of Pakistan and the CIFP from INCEIF based in Malaysia.

Academic Credentials

• Bsc (Hons) Accounting and Finance, London School of Economics and Political Science
• Msc Investment Analysis (CFA Programme partner), University of Stirling

Professional Qualifications / Affiliations

• Islamic Finance Diploma, CIMA
• Islamic Banking & Finance Qualification, State Bank of Pakistan
• Chartered Islamic Finance Professional (CIFP), INCEIF – The Global University of Islamic Finance

Nitish Bhojnagarwala is a vice-president–senior credit officer with Moody’s Financial Institutions Group. Based in Dubai, Nitish 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 pieces, with a focus on regional banking, credit issues and issuer-in-depths for conventional as well as Islamic banks.

Prior to joining Moody’s, Nitish spent five years at Tamweel in the Treasury. He has also worked for KPMG in the UAE, where he covered financial institutions. Nitish holds an MBA from S P Jain Institute of Management & Research, with a major in finance (investment banking).

Rachid Ettaai is a multi-skilled professional with a set of competencies from different disciplines. He is currently The Business Development Manager at the General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions an international organization headquartered in Bahrain. He is responsible of developing partnerships and collaborations with international organisations to support CIBAFI’s mission. He worked on successful projects and initiatives with organizations such as IsDB, UN, UNEP FI, the World Bank and other stakeholders. He also contributed to the management of a portfolio of research projects related to Islamic Finance with a budget around 500k USD.

Rachid’s areas of interest and expertise cover Business strategy, digital transformation, Islamic finance and sustainability. He is also the head of Strategic Planning at Turritopsis, Strategic Institute of Sustainable Development, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

Rachid is a multi-lingual finance professional who holds a Master’s degree in Financial Engineering and Risk Management from the National School of IT (ENSIAS), Rabat, Morocco; and a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Sciences from University Cadi Ayyad, Marrakesh, Morocco.

Redha is the Head of Research at London Stock Exchange Group covering financial markets across MEA. Redha has spent the last 15 years supporting corporates, government entities, multilateral organizations, and leading financial institutions to achieve their goals and aspirations.

Redha’s main responsibility is the delivery of market research, thought leadership and knowledge solutions across a wide range of sectors and products, including Islamic finance, capital markets, sustainability, digitization, transformation, and financial markets in general.

Redha is currently pursuing his Doctorate degree at Heriot-Watt University. Previously, he has obtained his MBA from New York Institute of Technology and BSc in Finance from University of Louisiana at Lafayette, USA.

Dr Rizwan Malik has over 10 years of experience in investment allocation, advisory, research, strategy and business development. Presently, he heads the standards implementation and strategic developments department at AAOIFI — a global Islamic finance standard-setter within the Islamic finance industry+. He is an associate editor of peer-reviewed technical bulletin Journal for Islamic Finance Accountancy and a member of the working group for a standard on investment funds at AAOIFI.

Dr Rizwan is a member of the working groups for a new standard titled ‘Core Principles for Islamic Finance Regulation’ at the IFSB as well as ‘Islamic Finance National Accounts’ — a joint-initiative of the IMF and the UN. He has contributed to various conferences and events around the world and has written book chapters and articles in international publications. Dr Rizwan holds a Bachelor’s degree from Heriot-Watt University, a Master of Science degree in banking and finance and a PhD from Kingston University London. His post-doctoral research focused on Islamic capital markets with an exclusive focus on equity investments.

Sabeen Saleem, CFA is the Chief Executive Officer of Islamic International Rating Agency. Ms. Sabeen has 25 years of multifaceted experience in financial risk assessments spanning banks and non-financial entities, fund managers and insurance companies, with specialized focus on Islamic finance in all of these areas. She has been associated with the credit ratings industry for over two decades and has pioneered ratings in the social sector of Pakistan, while also being actively involved in research endeavours of significance in Islamic finance. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst and has a master’s degree in business administration.

Dr Salah AlMajthoob is a senior executive with 20 years of professional experience in investment and banking. His investment, banking and finance expertise includes investment banking, retail banking, corporate finance, venture capital, private equity, wealth management, fintech, and Islamic finance product development.

He is founder and chairman of Jeyad Advisory, a boutique financial and technology advisory firm based in Bahrain.

Prior to that he was the CEO of GLFL, a financing company in Saudi Arabia.

Also prior to that he was the Managing Director-Special Projects at Bank Alkhair, an investment bank in Bahrain where he was instrumental in restructuring the bank and reassessing its investment portfolio.

He previously worked at Tharawat Investment House, Bahrain, as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and at Kuwait Finance House (KFH), Bahrain.

Dr Salah has a PhD in Computer Engineering from Virginia Tech, USA and an MSc and BSc in Electrical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia. He also has an MBA from University of Bahrain. Dr. Salah is a Certified Islamic Professional Accountant (CIPA) from AAOIFI.

Dr Salah is a well-known trainer in finance, Islamic finance, financial modeling, and leadership.

Shahariah Shaharudin is the president of Saturna, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saturna
Capital Corporation. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in business studies from Knox College, Illinois and a Master of Arts degree in economics from University of Illinois, Springfield.

Shahariah has more than 30 years of experience in the areas of fund management, stockbroking and commercial banking. She started her career in a commercial bank with extensive experience in retail banking, trade finance and corporate banking and later joined a stockbroking company, overseeing both the stockbroking and futures broking business. She also worked for a fund management house under the Strategic Business and Market Development Division where her core responsibility was sourcing business and servicing both retail and wholesale clients. She was CEO and an executive director of Kenanga Islamic Investors until joining Saturna in October 2018.

Shahariah speaks at Islamic finance and ESG conferences. She is passionate about Islamic investment and has participated in the Brunei Roundtable; presented in events in Shenzen, China; and was nominated in the ‘Top 10 List for Women in Malaysian Financial Institutions’ by a local magazine.

Shahariah is currently a holder of the Capital Market Services Representatives License for fund management.

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.

Wesam Baqer recently joined Gulf International Bank BSC from Bahrain Islamic Bank BSC, where he was Chief Corporate and Institutional Banking Officer. Wesam brings over 20 years’ banking experience, including roles at NBK and HSBC, prior to joining BISB. He holds an MSc in Finance and Investment Management (Hons.) from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, and a BSc in Business Administration from the University of Bahrain. Wesam has obtained an Executive Management Leadership diploma from Darden Graduate School of Business at University of Virginia, USA. He is a Certified Banking Arbitrator, a Certified Financial Adviser (CeFA) and a member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers.