Speakers

• Richard Thomas

  Chairman, Gatehouse Bank

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Richard is Chairman of Gatehouse Bank plc, the 5th Sharia compliant bank recently authorised by the FSA in London, and Managing Director of GSH (UK) Ltd, a Sharia compliant investment and advisory firm also based in the City of London and also authorised by the FSA. Both companies are ultimately subsidiaries of The Securities House KSCC of Kuwait. In a career spanning 29 years in Merchant and Investment Banking in the City of London , the last 25 years have been entirely in "Islamic Financial Services" and dedicated to establishing the Islamic economic model as viable in the heart of the City of London. Richard has previously worked for Saudi International Bank, United Bank of Kuwait and Arab Banking Corporation, helping set up the Islamic asset management units in each one. He left ABC in 2007 to follow the vision of Mr Ayman Boodai, set up GSH (UK) Ltd and join the foundation committee to set up Gatehouse Bank plc from scratch. Richard is a Fellow of the Securities & Investment Institute (SII). He is member of the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) Financial Services Sector Advisory Board and Chairman of the Islamic Finance Sub Group. Richard is recently appointed by UKTI as Special Representative for Kuwait. In addition he is an HMRC Tax Advisory Group member (IFS). He is also a British Expertise Advisory Council Member and a member of the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP). GSH UK is a member of the Middle East Association.

• Darshan Bijur

  Director - Corporate Finance, KPMG

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Darshan Bijur is the Director of Islamic Finance Advisory within the Debt Advisory team of KPMG Corporate Finance. Darshan is a chartered accountant, based in London, and has been focused on this sector for the past few years. His team advises borrowers in both conventional and Islamic finance markets helping them understand their range of options and then in negotiations with their bankers. Prior to this role he has been the KPMG Global Executive Director for Private Equity and for Global Financial Advisory Services. He started his career with ANZ Grindlay's Bank (now Standard Chartered) in India. KPMG is a leader in Islamic Finance and have worked closely with Islamic banks, investors, lenders and borrowers across the world and most notably in Malaysia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, USA and the UK.

• Massoud Janekeh

  Director of Corporate Banking, Bank of London and the Middle East

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Massoud joined BLME in April 2007 as Director of Corporate Banking. Massoud has many years experience gained across a number of industries, advisory and financial service sectors. He spent 10 years managing investments for global products at ICI/Zeneca, before moving to strategy consultancy with AT Kearney and Integrum. Massoud then moved to financial services when he joined BDIC as a corporate finance advisor and later on becoming involved in structured debt with European American Capital.

• Yvonne Thompson

  Tax Director, PwC Ireland

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Yvonne Thompson is a tax director with the PwC Ireland financial services tax practice. Yvonne specialises in the corporate taxation of banking, capital markets, insurance and leasing operations and has a wealth of experience advising such groups on domestic and international taxation matters, including international tax structuring through Ireland and the taxation of capital market transactions. Yvonne is a member of PwC’s global Islamic Finance network and has worked with the Irish government and tax authorities on the recent changes to Irish tax legislation to facilitate Islamic Finance transactions including sukuk in Ireland. Yvonne is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. Prior to joining PwC, Yvonne worked as a corporate tax director with the Irish financial services tax practice of another Big 4 firm in Dublin, where her focus was on delivering corporate tax services to clients in the financial services arena.

• Marc Thiesen

  Partner, Theisen Law

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Marc Theisen was called to the Luxembourg Bar in 1981 and co-founded THEISEN-SCHILTZ & PARTNERS in 1991. He established as per April 1st 2010 THEISEN LAW, an independent and full-service commercial law firm in Luxembourg City. THEISEN LAW provides services to clients by being mindful of their business. The firm also adopts strategic alliances with global law firms in providing legal service on cross-border transactions, international investments, trade and finance and other practices. Marc Theisen is Partner of Lux Global Trust Services S.A. and acts as Non-executive Director. THEISEN LAW signs a Partnership agreement in Saudi Arabia with a well reputable Law firm AL SOAIB which allows THESIEN LAW to have a local presence in Al Khobar. THEISEN LAW is specialized in Real Estate and Property, Construction, Private Public Partnership (PPP), Intellectual Property, Banking, Corporate and Finance Law and is one of the pioneers in Islamic Banking and Finance in Luxembourg. THEISEN LAW provides full litigation and dispute resolution services. For international clients he advises on most appropriate structures available and sets up those legal structures which are becoming more and more important in an ever changing environment. Within the framework of Islamic finance, he is a member of the “Islamic finance” working group, which includes institutional and private bank members. He has taken part in a number of conferences and debates; he initiated a conference in Riyadh in May 2009 on the “Development of Islamic finance in the Luxembourg financial centre” and was a panel member at the Sukuk Summit in July 2009 in London, as other in Barcelona in October 2008 and at the IFSB forum in Bahrain in May 2010.

• Tariq al-Rifai

  Director-Islamic Market Indexes,Dow Jones Indexes

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Tariq al-Rifai is director of Islamic Market Indexes of Dow Jones Indexes. His responsibilities include working closely with index support and development as well as sales, marketing and PR in driving the Islamic Index business, promoting and representing DJI as a speaker and educator at industry conferences and events, and maintaining relationships with financial institutions globally. Tariq has been involved in Islamic fund research and advising institutions on Islamic funds and structures and other investment products for over a decade. In his previous roles, Tariq was a partner in the London office of The International Investor, a Kuwait-based investment bank, where he was responsible for building distribution relationships with financial institutions in Europe and the Middle East. He was also was vice president and manager of HSBC Bank’s Islamic Finance Program in the United States and, most recently, a vice president of UIB Capital, a US-based private equity subsidiary of Bahrain’s Unicorn Investment Bank that manages sizeable Shariah-compliant portfolio investments. In 1996, Tariq founded Failaka Advisors, which was the first organization to monitor and publish research on Islamic funds and remains a leading provider of Islamic financial solutions to this growing market. Tariq holds an MBA from DePaul University in Chicago and a BS in International Finance from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. A native of Kuwait, he has bee living in Chicago with his family and relocated to Dubai in order to be close to the center of Islamic finance.

• Abradat Kamalpour

  Partner, Ashurst

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Abradat Kamalpour is an international finance partner in the securities and structured finance group in London. He has extensive experience in securitisation, debt capital markets and structured finance transactions. Abradat has been at the forefront of structuring Islamic-compliant capital markets and securitisation transactions, transforming non-compliant structures into instruments acceptable to Islamic investors and has recently been ranked in Band 1 for Banking and Finance (Islamic finance) by Chambers UK 2010 and named as a Leading Individual in Islamic finance by Legal 500 2009. He is also ranked as one of the world's top 25 pre-eminent Islamic finance practitioners in Expert Guides, Best of the Best 2009 and was named a Leading Lawyer by Islamic Finance News (2009). Abradat was also included in The Lawyer's Hot 100, 2008 of the 100 legal professionals to watch as well as being a key member of the team that won the Euromoney award for Best Global Islamic Finance Legal Advisor 2006-2007. · Monash University, Bachelor of Laws (Hons); RMIT University, Bachelor of Construction Management (Hons) · Partner since 2008

• Gillian Walmsley

  Head of Fixed Income Products,London Stock Exchange

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Gillian Walmsley is Head of Fixed Income Products at the London Stock Exchange and covers the Group's London markets for Debt Securities & Islamic Finance in addition to ETFs & Securitised Derivatives. Before joining the Exchange in 2008, Gillian was part of the Interest Rate product development team at Liffe, the derivatives arm of NYSE Euronext, where she worked on the design and launch of various short-term interest rate, bond index and government bond futures and options contracts and on the structuring of exchange credit derivatives. Previously, she was part of the Equity Derivatives team and worked on the launch of stock futures, the development of the UK equity options market and the introduction of flexible equity and index contracts. Gillian began her career in the City on the Liffe trading floor as an Exchange Official overseeing open-outcry trading activity in the fixed income option pits. Gillian holds the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments Islamic Finance Qualification.

• Gilles Saint Marc

  Partner, Banking & Finance - Gide Loyrette Nouel

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Gilles Saint Marc is a partner of the Banking and Finance Department of Gide Loyrette Nouel. He specialised in domestic and international securitisations relating to all forms of assets (receivables, tangible assets, mortgage loans, insurance risks). He has also an extensive experience in the restructuring of complex structured financings, real estate assets outsourcings and defeasance transactions, LBOs, off-balance sheet and public-private infrastructure financings, as well as Shariah compliant financings. For more than fifteen years, Gilles Saint Marc has been involved in all the major securitisation transactions arranged in France or out of France. In particular, he has set up several multi-seller securitisation conduits, and has been regularly involved in the securitisation of trade receivables (particularly pan-European), mortgage loans (CMBS agency or conduit), future receivables, tangible assets (ships, stocks) or insurance risks. He recently advised bondholders on the restructuring of the Windermere XII FCT securitisation, i.e the securitisation of the 1.6 billion euros loan extended by Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers in connection with the purchase of the "Coeur Défense" business center located in Paris. The securitisation team managed by Gilles Saint Marc, Xavier de Kergommeaux and Patrice Doat was elected for the fourth consecutive year "Best securitization team of the year" by the financial newspaper Les Echos, "Securitisation Practice n°1" by the financial review Opérations Financières and "First Tier Securitisation Practice" by the legal guide The European Legal 500. Partner since 2000 Assigned at the New York office (1997/2000) Laureat honors graduate of the Paris Institute of Political Sciences (1990). Post-graduate Degree in business and tax law from the University of Paris II (Assas) with honors (1988) Gilles Saint Marc is Chairman of the Securitisation Committee of Paris Europlace (the Paris financial market association) (which was actively involved on the drafting of the new French securitisation legal framework enacted in June 2008) and was also Chairman until March 2010 of the Islamic Finance Committee of Paris Europlace (which is at the origin of various regulations in order to accommodate Islamic finance in France). Gilles Saint Marc teaches structured finance law and Islamic finance at the University of Paris I- Panthéon Sorbonne, the university of Paris Dauphine, the Paris Institute of Political Sciences and the University of Strasburg. He regularly writes articles on securitization, Islamic finance and more generally on structured finance for various financial and legal publications. Listed as a "leading individual" in the Capital Markets/Securitisation section of Chambers Global 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 editions. Listed in the Capital Markets section of European Legal 500, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009editions. Listed as a "leading lawyer" in the Capital Markets/Debt and Structured Finance section of IFLR 1000, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 editions. Languages: French, English and German.

• Muzaffar Hisham

  Deputy CEO, CIMB Islamic Bank

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Muzaffar joined Commerce International Merchant Bank Berhad (“CIMB”) in 2003 where he was an Associate Director in the Investment Banking Unit. He is currently the Deputy CEO of CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad. He was primarily responsible is overseeing the integration of the Islamic banking business during the last CIMB Group merger with Bumiputra Commerce Bank and Southern Bank. He brings with him 14 years of experience in investment banking. He started his career in Corporate Banking with Asian International Merchant Bank Berhad before joining Amanah Capital Partners Berhad ("Amanah Capital") (now known as Malaysian Industrial Development Berhad (MIDF) in 1996. In Amanah Capital, he was with Amanah Merchant Bank Berhad's Syndication and Debt Capital Market Department and later attach with Amanah Short Deposits Berhad's Debt Capital Market in 2000. In Amanah Capital, he had an extensive experience in the debt origination and advisory work in the Malaysian Ringgit debt market in both the conventional and Islamic debt instruments. Prior to his role as Deputy CEO, he was Head of Islamic Debt Capital Market, Malaysia for HSBC Bank Malaysia.

• Trevor Norman

  Director - Islamic Finance & Middle East group, Volaw Trust Company

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Trevor Norman joined Volaw Trust Company in 1988 and was appointed a director in 1989. He is a Fellow of The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, having qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1983. He gained an Honours Degree in Business Studies in 1980, and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), the International Tax Planning Association and the Institute of Directors. Trevor is responsible for the management and administration of Volaw's corporate clients, including special purpose vehicles and collective investment funds. Trevor is an acknowledged industry specialist in Islamic finance work where he has worked on a wide variety of Shariah-compliant transactions, including several real estate funds, various specialist Shariah screened equity funds and the award-winning Caravan I securitization Sukuk. Trevor's specialist knowledge has led to him being invited to write several definitive articles on Islamic finance, including one on Islamic Investment Funds for the book "Islamic Asset Management"; and another on Trusts and Shariah Law for the book "Islamic Retail Banking and Finance". He is a regular speaker at International Conferences, particularly those dealing with Islamic Finance.

• Professor Rifaat Abdel Karim

  Secretary General, Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB)

  Governors & Regulators

  Confirmed

  Rifaat Ahmed Abdel Karim is the Secretary-General of the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB), a post he has held since the IFSB started to operate in 2003. Prior to his current post, he was the Secretary-General of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions. He is a member of both the Standards Advisory Council of the International Accounting Standards Board, now serving his second three-year term, and the Consultative Advisory Group of the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. Professor Rifaat has been Visiting Professor at the University of Surrey (UK) since 1996, and is an Honorary Professor at Monash University in Australia. He is the co-author of Islamic Finance: Growth and Innovation and Business and Accounting Ethics in Islam. He is the first recipient of the Euromoney Outstanding Contribution to the Development of Islamic Finance Award, and other distinguished awards.

• Michael Essex

  Director Middle East and North Africa Department, International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group

  Governors & Regulators

  Confirmed

  Mr. Michael G. Essex is the Director of the Middle East and North Africa Department of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. Since joining IFC as an investment officer in October 1990, Michael has held a variety of positions in the field and in headquarters where he has worked effectively across boundaries to develop business, and has managed a large portfolio of IFC's relationships across regions and sectors. In his current position of Acting Director, MENA Region, Michael has overseen the build up of the region's capacity in the field and the growth of IFC investment and TA activity. In his former role as Associate Director, Portfolio, General Manufacturing and Services Department (GMS), Michael's team substantially improved the profitability of the Global Manufacturing and Services Department. Prior to joining IFC, Michael was Director of a merchant bank in Australia responsible for corporate banking and Credit Supervisor for Asia for a Canadian commercial bank. He holds a BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of Western Ontario, Canada and an MA Public Administration, Finance from Carleton University, Canada.

• Mutlaq Al-Morished

  Vice-President, Corporate Finance, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic)

  Market Players

  Invited

  Mr. Al-Morished is the Vice President of Corporate Finance at SABIC. Prior to his present post, he was Vice President of Shared Services and President of SADAF and HADEED consecutively. Currently, Mr. Al-Morished is the Chairman of the board of directors of YANSAB, of SAUDI KAYAN and of SABIC Captive Insurance Company Limited, member of the Executive Committee of SABIC R&T, and member of the board of directors ALBA, SABIC Industrial Investments Company and The Saudi Fund for Development. Mr. Al-Morished holds a bachelors degree in nuclear physics and mathematics from the University of Denver, USA, a masters degree in nuclear engineering from Princeton University, USA and a masters degree in business administration from Stanford University, USA.

• Issam Al Tawari

  Vice Chairman & CEO of Rasameel Structured Finance

  Market Players

  Invited

  Issam is currently the Vice Chairman and CEO of Rasameel Structured Finance Company, the Chairman of Ain Takaful Insurance and ex-Chairman of Bina wa Nama Investment company specialized in financing B.O.T. projects. In 1987 He started his career with Arab Banking Corporation (ABC), Bahrain working in the area of loans & syndication covering European market, then covered the GCC market at later stage. He has worked extensively on Corporate Finance issues with ABC's newly incorporated subsidiary then in 1994 ABC Islamic Bank to become Associate Director with main responsibility on syndication and marketing.He joined at The International Investor ("TII"), Kuwait in 1998 on the Structured Finance area working on Project Finance, asset backed leases and broad range of Islamic investment products. Mr. Al Tawari has been involved in numerous Islamic finance and investment transactions in sourcing, negotiating and concluding transactions and providing investment advisory services to regional corporates in terms corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions. He lead the negotaion efforts on the merger & acquistion of 9 Al Baraka group banks on TII’s side. His last position with TII was the Chief Operating Officer ("COO") and a Partner with the structured Finance Group. He sits on the board of director a number of companies and funds. He constantly speaks in Islamic Banking industry conferences and seminars. He is currently a doctoral candidate with Henley Management College, England. Also he is both a Harvard Business School and Henley Management College Alumnus and has also received his MBA from University of Hull (Dist.), England in 1998 and his B.A. in Economics and Business Administration from Kuwait University in 1987.

• Mohammed Tariq

  Treasurer, Islamic Development Bank

  Governors & Regulators

  Confirmed

  Mr Mohammad Tariq joined the Islamic Development Bank ( "IDB") as a Treasurer in November 2002. His responsibilities at the Bank are wide-ranging encompassing Treasury, resource mobilization, investment management etc. Mr Tariq represents the Bank on the Boards of some of financial institutions in which IDB is a shareholder. More recently he has been closely associated with the development of the Sukuk market. Before joining IDB he had worked in two financial institutions in Bahrain but most of his working experience has been in the investment banking field in leading institutions in the UK from 1972 to 1996 where he held senior roles involving capital markets, corporate finance and asset management. Mohammad Tariq has been a member of the Institute of Actuaries, London, the London Stock Exchange and Securities Institute, London. He studied Mathematics at the University of London and as a Research Fellow he has written several research papers in Algebra.

• Mufti Muhammad Nurullah Shikder

  Shariah Scholar, Gatehouse Bank Plc

  Shariah Scholars

  Confirmed

  Mufti Muhammad Nurullah Shikder is the Head of the Shariah Advisory and Shariah Compliance Department at Gatehouse and an executive member of the Bank’s Shariah Supervisory Board. He studied Shariah and completed the Shahaadatul Aalamiyyah and obtained a BA/MA (Islamic Theology) from Darul Uloom Al Arabiyya Al Islamiyya, Bury, UK. He subsequently spent another year at the same institution specialising in Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence). Mufti Muhammad Shikder is also a non-practicing barrister and has an LL.M in Banking and Finance Law from University College London. Prior to joining Gatehouse, Mufti Muhammad spent three and a half years with Dubai Islamic Bank in the Shariah Coordination Department and worked closely with Dr. Hussain Hamid Hassan (Chairman of Dubai Islamic Bank’s Shariah Board). He has been involved in many transactions involving innovative structuring and documentation including Sukuk, Islamic Funds, Islamic Syndications and other corporate and retail products. He also provided training in Islamic banking and finance for employees of Dubai Islamic Bank and other institutions in Dubai. He regularly attends and participates in Islamic finance seminars and conferences and is widely regarded as a leading Shariah scholar in the field of Islamic finance. Mufti Muhammad currently sits on the Shariah Boards of Lloyds TSB Bank, Alburaq of Arab Banking Corporation, Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) and others.

• Dr Mohammad Akram Laldin

  Executive Director, International Shariah Research Academy for Islamic Finance (ISRA)

  Shariah Scholars

  Confirmed

  Dr. Mohamad Akram is currently the Executive Director of International Shari’ah Research Academy for Islamic Finance (ISRA). Prior to joining ISRA he was an Assistant Professor at the Kulliyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University, Malaysia (IIUM). In the period 2002-2004, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. At present, he is the Member of Central Bank of Malaysia Shari’ah Advisory Council, Member of HSBC Amanah Global Shari’ah Advisory Board, Member of Yassar Limited (Dubai) Shariah Advisory Board, Member of EAB (London) Shari’ah Advisory Board, Member of Islamic Advisory Board of HSBC Insurance Singapore, and Shari’ah advisor to ZI Syariah Advisory Malaysia and other Boards locally and internationally. In addition, he is also the Member of the Board of Studies of the Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance, International Islamic University Malaysia. Dr. Akram holds a B.A. Honours degree in Islamic Jurisprudence and Legislation from the University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan and a Ph.D. in Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence (Usul al-Fiqh) from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom. He has presented many papers related to Islamic Banking and Finance and other Fiqh topics at national and International level and has conducted many training sessions particullarly on Islamic Banking and Finance for different sectors since 1999. He is a registered Shariah Advisor for sukuk issuance and Unit trust with the Securities Commission of Malaysia and has acted as Shariah advisor in the issuance of several sukuks. In addition, he is also prolific author of academic works specifically in the areas of Islamic Banking and Finance.

• Sheikh Essam Ishaq

  Speaker Designation

  Shariah Scholars

  Confirmed

  Sheikh Essam Ishaq - He holds the position of Shari’ah Advisor at Discover Islam, Bahrain, and is Director / Member of the Shari’ah Supervisory Board in a number of Business, Educational and Financial institutions, such as Auditing and Accounting Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) - Bahrain ; Meezan Bank, Pakistan ; Al Baraka Islamic Bank, Bahrain and many more. He is a prominent speaker on various topics on Islamic finance in major Islamic finance conferences/forums around the world.

• Shaikh Faisal Manjoo

  Markfield Institute of Higher Education

  Shariah Scholars

  Confirmed

  Sheikh Faizal Ahmad Manjoo graduated as Aalim Fadhil from Darul Uloom Madrassah Arabia Islamiya Azaadville, South Africa in 1996. He continued his Islamic Studies at the Rand Afrikaans University, Johannesburg, where he completed his BA Honours in 1997 and also ventured into an MA Islamic Studies. He qualified as a solicitor in South Africa in 2001 and had used his legal expertise to enhance Islamic law and finance in drafting contracts, developing products and involving in the regulatory issues. He also obtained his Advance Diploma in Labour in 2002, as well as an Advance Diploma in Banking Law in 2003. In 2004 he was awarded a distinction for his Master Degree in Islamic Banking Finance and Management by Loughborough University (UK). Sheikh Faizal is sitting on the Shari’ah Board of few Islamic financial Institutions ranging from Takaful, Retakaful, Asset Management to Banking. He has authored few academic papers on Islamic finance. Presently he is a Lecturer in Islamic Jurisprudence and Islamic finance at the Markfield Institute of Higher Education, an associate college of Gloucestershire University, and is currently doing his PhD on pension fund.

• Stella Cox

  Speaker Designation

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Stella Cox is Managing Director of DDCAP and its subsidiaries DD&Co Limited and DDGI Limited. Stella and her team are responsible for DDCAP’s Islamic and Middle Eastern clients and market activities. DDCAP’s wholly owned subsidiary, DD&Co, is a leading provider of asset facilitation services to the Islamic wholesale markets. Through DDGI, the Firm has also invested, for its own account, in a number of Islamic financial services initiatives and overseas representation. Previously she was a Director of Dresdner Kleinwort Benson Limited ("KB") where she had responsibility for Middle Eastern institutional relationships and product development for KB’s Islamic clients. Stella’s team managed assets aggregating over US$2bn and extended over US$250mn of finance to support the trade and commodity purchase requirements of their clients. Whilst with the Bank, Stella was involved in structuring The Islamic Fund, the first Sharia’a compliant global equity product, launched in 1986. The Fund was subsequently distributed by Gulf Bank, Kuwait and National Bank of Bahrain. Prior to leaving KB, Stella was a Director of the Al Meezan Commodity Fund plc, a joint venture initiative between KB and Islamic Investment Company of the Gulf (Bahrain), that invested in base metals traded on the London Metal Exchange. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Islamic Banking and Insurance in the United Kingdom and has served on its Board of Governors within the Islamic Banking Group. Stella has been a member of the Working Group established by the Central Bank of Bahrain (formerly the Bahrain Monetary Authority) with the purpose of developing procedures and documentation for Islamic commodity trading. She has also assisted the DIFC Islamic Advisory Committee with its work on selected strategic development initiatives. Stella represents DDCAP on the Market and Product Development Committee (MPDC) of the International Islamic Financial Market. Stella is a Member of the Islamic Financial Services Board Task Force on Markets and Instruments for Sharia’a Compliant Liquidity Management and is a member of the HM Treasury Islamic Finance Experts Group, serving also on the market Standardisation sub-group. Stella speaks regularly at international conferences and has contributed to many publications including Islamic Banker, Euromoney, Institutional Investor, Arab Banker and New Horizon. She was co-author of Structuring Islamic Finance Transactions published by Euromoney Books and in 2006 co-authored the Islamic Finance Qualification (IFQ) jointly offered by the UK Securities and Investment Institute and the Ecole Superieure des Affaires in Lebanon, contributing the Islamic Asset and Fund Management module. Stella is registered with the UK Financial Services Authority having passed her FSA Registered Representative examination in 1990.

• Mohammed Paracha

  CEO, Al Salam Europe Limited

  Market Players

  Invited

  Mohammed Paracha joined Al Salam Bank-Bahrain in February 2006 as an Executive Vice President and is part of the Bank’s executive management. Mohammed formed part of the team that established the Bank and has been central to its development and successes both in terms of growth and market penetration. Mohammed relocated back to the United Kingdom in 2008 to take the post of Chief Executive of Al Salam Europe, the Bank’s subsidiary responsible for its European investments. Mohammed began his career as an English qualified solicitor with the international law firm Norton Rose where he was responsible for Islamic Finance. He worked both in London and Bahrain where he became responsible for the firm’s Islamic Finance business in the GCC.Over the years, Mohammed has been singled out as a leading industry player in the Islamic Finance sector by many publications and has been responsible for changes to laws to facilitate Islamic banking in jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom, where Mohammed served as a member of the Bank of England Committee responsible for Islamic Finance. Mohammed has worked on many cutting-edge Islamically structured debt and equity transactions in variety of sectors including real estate, aviation, shipping, oil & gas, alternative energy, telecoms and emerging technologies. He regularly speaks at conferences and on a variety of media including television and radio and has received awards in recognition of his achievements.

• Nick Edmondes

  Partner, Trowers & Hamlins

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Nick specialises in Middle East and UK project development, corporate and Islamic finance. Nick's experience includes project development and finance in the Middle East and the UK, privatisation and corporate structuring as well as inward investment into the UK and Europe, particularly for Islamic Banks. Nick has previously lived and worked in the Middle East as resident managing partner of the Firm's Oman office between 1994 and 2000. He is now based in the Firm's head office in London and travels regularly to the region.

• Andy Mulley

  EMEA Head of Issuer Services, Citi

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Andrew has worked in the banking industry for over 20 years specialising in corporate trust, collateral management and structured finance. He was involved with the establishment of the first European corporate trust office for an American bank in the early 1990s before developing a successful collateral and structured finance services business in Europe and Asia and working to launch Citi’s Middle East Issuer Services business.
  Andrew has been involved with some of the earliest structured finance transactions in Europe and Asia delivering transaction solutions to a range of asset classes and structures. He spent 10 years in Hong Kong and Japan in the industry working on both the trustee, services and arranging sides of the business.
  Andrew is an active senior member of the Issuer and Securities industry participating in a number of Industry initiatives and advisory groups. He joined Citi in 2006, where he is EMEA Business Head for Issuer Services.

• Emad Yousuf Al Monayea

  Chairman and Managing Director

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Emad is the Chairman and Managing Director of Liquidity Management House. Emad has more than twenty five years of experience in investments and corporate finance, in both government and private sectors and currently holds key board positions in a number of companies.
  Emad joined KFH in 1999 where he was the Head of International Investment Department, the department responsible for international corporate finance and investment banking services. During his tenure at the International Investment Department and through his department, KFH had won various international awards in the corporate and investment banking arena. Recently, KFH entrusted him in establishing Liquidity House with the mandate to evolve as a Sukuk House. He also worked as the Deputy Head of Direct Investment Department at KFH. Prior to joining KFH, Emad was with Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), the investment arm of Kuwait Government, for 15 years, where he was instrumental in setting-up the Direct Investment Department of KIA.
  Emad is a frequent guest speaker at leading international conferences, including Euromoney conferences, and is a key contributor for the development of Islamic capital market. Emad holds a B.S. Degree from Kuwait University and has completed the Executive Finance Program of INSEAD, France.

• Nasser Alshaya

  Senior Associate, Liquidity Management House

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Nasser Alshaya is currently a Senior Associate at the Investment Banking Group for Liquidity House and handles origination, structuring and distribution of Islamic structured financing including debt capital market issues covering various industries.
  Nasser is acquainted with Islamic financing specialties acquired during his tenor within the KFH Group. Nasser has 3 years of experience in Corporate Finance.
  Prior to joining Liquidity House, he worked and held a position at the International Investment Department of KFH.
  Nasser Holds a Bachelors Degree in Finance and a Masters in International Administration from the University of Miami.

• Adil Awad Babiker

  Head of Legal Affairs, ICIEC

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Adil Awad Babiker is a Sudanese national. Graduated from the University of Khartoum, Faculty of law and obtained his DEA from Université de Paris II. Adil is the Head of Legal Affairs at the Islamic Corporation of the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC).
  Prior to joing ICIEC he was a legal consultant with a leading Bahraini Law firm. He also worked as a Legal Advisor for Arab Satellite Telecommunications. He practiced law before Sudanese courts and worked as in-house lawyer for Sudanese French Bank.
  Adil regularly lectures on legal aspects of export credit insurance and Islamic Insurance.

• Mushtak Parker

  Editor, Islamic Banker

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Mushtak Parker is the Editor of Islamic Banker, the market reference for the global Islamic finance sector. He has covered the sector for more than three decades and has written extensively on the sector - over 3,000 articles.
  He was a correspondent for the FT Group of Publications for more than 14 years, and has contributed on business, finance, governance, sports and the arts to major publications worldwide including Newsweek, The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, Evening Standard, European Fund Manager, Institutional Investor, Emerging Markets, The Middle East, African Business, etc. He is also a columnist for Arab News and a former Editor of South Magazine. He has published two books - one on Human Rights and the other a Directory on Islamic Banking, and has written several bespoke confidential consultancy reports on Islamic finance and various economic topics for major institutions including ministries, central banks, investment banks, commercial banks, insurance firms, accountancy firms and professional bodies. He graduated from the London School of Economics (LSE) with an MSc (Econ) with a Distinction. (mushtakparker@yahoo.co.uk)

• Kashif Jahangiri

  Tax Director, KPMG

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Kashif Jahangiri is a tax director in financial services practice of KPMG Dublin since 2006 and is mainly involved in Islamic Finance. Prior to that, he headed up KPMG’s tax practice in Islamabad, Pakistan. Kashif has a deep understanding of Islamic finance products and transactions. Being a practicing Muslim, he is well aware of the religious principles underpinning Islamic finance products. Kashif is an active member of KPMG’s Global Islamic Finance Group. He has authored articles on Islamic finance and has also spoken on the subject at international seminars. KPMG worked very closely with the Irish Department of Finance and Revenue authorities in drafting the Tax Briefing on Islamic Finance and then in finalising changes to tax laws accommodating Islamic finance transactions in Ireland, including Sukuk. This also contributed to KPMG’s selection by Euromoney as the Best Islamic Assurance and Advisory Services Provider in February 2010. KPMG have won this award for the third year in a row.
  Kashif is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan. Besides, he holds graduation degrees in commerce, business administration and law. Kashif has also co-authored a book on Pakistan’s income and corporation tax law which has been adopted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan as recommended reading for professional students.

• Adam Ismail Ebrahim

  Chief Executive Officer And Chief Investment Officer, Oasis

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Adam Ismail Ebrahim was educated at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, where he received his B.Soc.Sc (Hons) degree. He then completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting and was admitted as a Chartered Accountant and Auditor in South Africa. Adam has also completed the CFA Institute’s Chartered Financial Analyst Programme. Adam worked for Deloitte & Touche in South Africa and in London and has also held positions as analyst, portfolio manager, director, and partner of a prominent asset management organisation before he founded Oasis. He is registered as a Portfolio Manager with the Financial Services Board (South Africa), and currently serves as a member of the South African Minister of Finance’s Collective Investment Scheme Advisory Committee.
  Adam is a CFA Charterholder with twenty years of experience in the financial services industry and five years of experience within the Auditing profession. He is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of Oasis Group Holdings (Pty) Ltd and is the CEO and CIO of Oasis Asset Management Ltd, and Oasis Crescent Capital (Pty) Ltd. These two wholly owned investment management companies are regulated as Asset Managers in South Africa. Adam also serves as a Director of Oasis Global Management Company (Ireland) Ltd, an authorized Fund Administrator within the Republic of Ireland; and he is a Director of both the Oasis Global Investment Fund (Ireland) plc, and the Crescent Global Investment Fund (Ireland) plc. These collective investment schemes are listed on the Irish Stock Exchange. He also serves as the CEO of Oasis Crescent Management Company Ltd, a regulated South African Collective Investment Scheme administrator. In 2006, Adam Ebrahim was appointed as CEO of Oasis Crescent Capital (DIFC) Ltd, a regulated Fund Operator and Asset Manager within the Dubai International Financial Centre. Adam is responsible for the training and development of all investment professionals within Oasis since its inception.

• Miyan Mansur Mannan

  Sharia Consultant

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  Miyan Mansur Mannan, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and has BA (Hons) from Lancaster University. He has over 30 years of professional career in both public accounting firms and international banking. He started his career with Deloites and Touche in London where after qualifying, he moved to Bahrain to work with an associate firm. As an audit principal he was responsible for professional services to all the major clients of the firm, in particular the finance sector.
  Mansur was keen to play a role in the fast growing Islamic banking industry and joined, as head of audit and compliance, what is now the Shamil Bank of Bahrain, a member of DMI group and one of the pioneers in the Islamic banking market. As member of the senior management team, he played an active role in the development of the Islamic structured products, risk and liquidity management techniques, and risk asset reviews. In particular, Mansur assisted in standardising the investor agreements and profit sharing arrangements for funds under management in both the retail and investment banking units of the bank. He also represented the bank in AAOIFI accounting, auditing and Sharia standard setting committees as well as participated in the development of regulatory framework for Islamic institutions. In 2004, he returned to the UK to work with a small team of senior managers to establish the first Islamic bank in this country, the Islamic Bank of Britain. Upon successful launch of that bank in 2005, he moved to Credit Suisse within the emerging market structuring team. There has was responsible for structuring Islamic products and finance transactions. He coordinated the Sharia committee for the bank and lead managed the structuring, review and approval of the Islamic products as well as ensuring that operations properly implemented these products. The structured products ranged from Sharia compliant treasury instruments to equity indices and capital protected transactions. In debt and capital market sectors, his major Islamic transactions include the landmark USD 2.5 bln convertible Sukuk for ALdar, a leading real estate developer in UAE, the first government back Sukuk for Ras Al Khaimah as well as an Islamic USD 1.2 bln bridge facility for a UAE entity. In late 2008, he established his own Sharia consultancy practice and has been appointed as a consultant to Credit Suisse, Dar Capital as well as other institutions. He is currently engaged in Sukuk transactions and advising on the establishment of Sharia compliant funds. In line with his ambition to develop the Islamic market, Mansur has been actively involved with the HM Treasury in the tax and regulatory changes that have taken place to promote Islamic finance in the UK. He is a member of various committees established by HM Treasury on Islamic banking and is also a member of the technical team for Islamic Finance Qualification of the Securities and Investment Institute in UK. Mansur lectures on Islamic finance and contributes articles to Islamic publications.

• Dr Catherine Cowley

  Professor of Ethics, Heythrop College, University of London

  Market Players

  Confirmed

  After several years of working in both the commercial and not-for-profit sectors, Catherine Cowley joined the Congregation of the Religious of the Assumption www.assumptionreligious.org. She studied theology at the Gregorian University, Rome. Following some years in pastoral ministry she obtained a Masters degree in Philosophy and Religion and then a Doctorate at Heythrop College. Her thesis was entitled “The Application of Catholic Social Teaching to Business Ethics with particular reference to the Finance Sector”.
  She is Assistant Director for the Heythrop Institute for Religion, Ethics and Public Life and Secretary to the Association of Teachers of Moral Theology. She teaches various aspects of Christian Ethics at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and is Degree Convenor for the MA in Christian Ethics. Publications The Value of Money: Morality and the World of Finance, T & T Clark (2006) ‘Christian Ethics and the Global Economy’ in World Christianity: Politics, Theology, Dialogues, London: Melisande, (2004) ‘A Christian Reflection on Work, Culture and Society’ in Catholic Shi’a Dialogue: Studies in Theology and Spirituality, London: Melisande, (2004) ‘Money, Finance and Morality in a Global Economy’ in New Blackfriars, Vol. 86, No. 1002, (March 2005) Research interests Social Ethics especially relating to the Economy and the Finance Sector; the Human Person; MacIntyre and Hauerwas; Religion and Public Life