Mr. Riaz Riazuddin
Deputy Governor, State Bank of Pakistan

Dr. Dzuljastri Abdul Razak
Associate Professor
Head, Department of Finance
International Islamic University Malaysia

Dzuljastri bin Abdul Razak obtained his PhD in Islamic Banking and Finance from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in 2011. Prior to joining the academia, he served the banking industry for 25 years. His PhD thesis won 4th placing in the National Inter-Varsity Best Thesis (Ph.D) in 2011.
He has undertaken several research and consultancy project with the industry. One which amounting to RM 70,000 with a local bank on “Customers’ Perception on Gratuity Financing Scheme”. He is currently leading a research grant on the study of Abandoned Housing Project amounting to RM 78,000 under FRGS. To date, he has published more than 10 articles on refereed and index journals. He has also won several awards for his submissions in IRIIE. In addition, he has examined several PhD theses and has supervised numerous post graduate students.
Dr Dzuljastri is currently the Head of the Department of Finance. He teaches Islamic Wealth Management, Marketing of Financial Services and Bank Management. He is also involved in training programs on Islamic Finance local as well as overseas. He holds professional memberships of Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers (AICB) and an accreditation panel member of Finance Accreditation Agency (FAA). He is currently the secretary of the National Entry Point Project (EPP 7) a project mandated by the Ministry of Education to IIUM to undertake the development of curriculum and talent enhancement in Islamic Finance Education.

Mughees Shaukat
Head of Islamic Finance in the College of Banking Financial Studies, Muscat, Oman

Mughees Shaukat is Head of Islamic Finance in the College of Banking & Financial Studies, Muscat, Oman. He specializes in Islamic Economics, Banking and Finance and is a PhD scholar in Islamic Finance. He also holds MSc in Islamic finance, the IFQ certification and a number of other certifications in core areas of Islamic Finance. His focus includes Islamic Economics, Quran and Economy, Macro Economics and Macro Economic Policies in Islamic finance, Islamic Banking, Islamic financial markets SME and Venture Capital & Takaful among other. He has worked as an Assistant Researcher in Islamic banking and finance in INCEIF & ISRA alongside Distinguished Scholars and IDB Award winners. Moreover, Mughees Shaukat delivers specialised trainings in Islamic banking & finance including preparatory training courses for CIMA Diploma in Islamic finance and IFQ. He is also involved in multiple curricula design, course design and delivery and contributes to policy affairs, regulatory and industry, in relation to Islamic finance. He has published a number of articles and research papers in the field of Islamic banking & finance and frequently delivers sessions, high level presentations, policy talks and executive lectures on the same, globally. He is Board Member and senior Advisor in the Rubicon Global Group, USA, The Institute of Halal Investing, USA, Sinor advisor to The One Ummah Foundation, USA, Al-Ghazali Investments Group, Oman, Member of BoD, I-Catalysta, USA, Member, Aladdin Group, Malaysia, Halal Industry and Punjab Halal Development Authority, Pakistan and ‘Exco’ member, at AYS, Halal Finance, Malaysia. Moreover, he is Honorary Lecturer in the London School of Islamic Banking & Finance. London, U.K, Member of The Research Council, Oman as well as Technical Committee for the International Conference on Islamic Business and Finance, Islamabad, Pakistan. He also sits on the Editorial Board of The GLOBAL ISLAMIC FINANCE MAGAZINE. U.K, and international reviewers panel of multiple Islamic Business and Finance Journals. Previously he has been mentoring and teaching integrated management and financial analysis based on his chartered management accounting and business administration background. He is also frequent Columnist and academic/research contributor on various known platforms such as the Global Islamic Finance Magazine, U.K, The Islamic Finance News-IFN, Malaysia, The ‘Rubicon Global Group’- U.S.A The Institute of Halal Investing- U.S.A, The Halal Research council, AL-Huda CIBE, Pakistan and The Business Today, Oman, among others. He can be contacted via: email: mughees@cbfs.edu.om

Mufti Ehsan Waquar Ahmad
Chairman Shariah Board, NBP

Mufti Ehsan is the Chairman Shariah Board at NBP-Aitemaad, ABL and Soneri Mustaqeem Islamic Banking. He is a faculty at tradition Islamic Institution, Jamia-tur- Rasheed, where he teaches Fiqh-ul-Muamlaat and Islamic Finance. Besides this, he is a visiting faculty at IoBM teaching Islamic Banking & Finance and Takaful & Risk Management in Islamic Finance. Alhamdulillah, he possess a unique combination of religious and contemporary education. He graduated as a Mufti and accomplished Master in Economics and Business administration with specialization in Finance from UoK and IoBM. He has served IFIs locally and internationally. He is also a member of Technical Committee for Developing Accounting Standard for IFIs at ICAP & Islamic Capital Market Development Committee at KSE. He also works closely with SBP as member to several sub-committees formed by SBP Shariah Board.

Muhammad Ayub
Professor, IIU, Islamabad

Mr. Muhammad Ayub is currently Professor of Islamic Finance, Director Research at Riphah International University Islamabad, and Editor of HEC recognized journal, JIBM (www.jibm.org). He is also Member of the Shariah Supervisory Committee of Bank of Khyber Pakistan; Member, Economic Reforms Commission, Government of KPK, and Jurisconsult at the Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan. Mr. Ayub served the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) for 28 years in areas of Islamic economics, banking and training. His unique contributions include ‘Islamic Banking Certificate Course’ being offered by SBP/NIBAF since 2005, and the textbook book ‘Understanding Islamic Finance’ that has been translated into Arabic, Malaya Bhasa, Urdu and other languages. In addition to three other books, he has contributed over five dozen papers to various journals and presented many research papers in international conferences on Islamic economics and finance.

Dr. Naseem Razi
Associate Professor of Law Faculty of Shari’ah and Law
International Islamic University, Islamabad

Professional experience
2008 – 2014
An ex-member of Faisalabad Bar Association
Lecturer in Law at Government College University, Faisalabad
Head of the Department of Law at GCUF
Holder of Award of Distinction
PhD: (Interpretation of Statues: A Critical Analysis in Perspective of Islamic Jurisprudence)
Field of Research: Human Rights Issues; Socio-Economic Issues of Pakistani Society and Islamic Banking and Finance

Mufti Dr. Zubair Usmani
Shariah Advisor MCB

Dr. Muhammad Zubair Usmani is a qualified and one of the most experienced Shariah Scholars in the Islamic Banking Industry. He did his Shariah graduation (Fazil Dars-e-Nizami) & Takhassus Fil Fiqh (Mufti i.e. Specialization in Islamic Fiqh & Fatawa) from Jamia Dar ul Uloom, Karachi. He has done Masters in International Relations and Doctorate (PhD) in Islamic Finance from University of Karachi. Dr. Zubair Usmani is author of several books including related to Accounting & Auditing for Islamic Financial system, comparative study between Islam and Christianity and Ijarah (Islamic Leasing). His research papers have been published in various international journals. He has delivered research based lectures / presentations at different national and international seminars, forums, conferences and seminars. Dr. Usmani served as Shariah Advisor to MCB Islamic Banking for 14 years and has been associated with several financial institutions. Currently, he is also a member of Shariah Board of State Bank of Pakistan, MCB Arif Habib Savings, Pak Qatar General Takaful and several other institutions.

Ms. Irum Saba
Assistant Professor, IBA, Karachi

Ms. Irum Saba is a professional with over 12 years of progressive regulatory, research, training and teaching experience with organizations of international repute. Currently, she is working as Assistant Professor in IBA-CEIF on deputation from State Bank of Pakistan. She worked as Deputy Director in Islamic Banking Department of State Bank of Pakistan. She is also honorary secretary of Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals (CIIF), Malaysia. Before joining State Bank of Pakistan she worked with Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and The Islamia University, Pakistan. She has written several articles and chapters in books on the topics of corporate governance, Islamic finance and Islamic microfinance. She is Shariah registered financial planner (Shariah RFP). She has done Chartered Islamic Finance Professional (CIFP) from INCEIF with distinction and currently doing PhD from INCEIF. She did her master’s degree in commerce (M.Com) with distinction and also did PGD in Islamic Banking and Insurance from Institute of Islamic Banking and Insurance (IIBI), London. Her areas of interest are Shariah, Islamic microfinance, corporate governance and Islamic finance.

Prof. Dr. Faruk Balli
Associate Professor New Zealand

Faruk received his PhD from University of Houston in 2007. Prior to joining Massey University, he worked as a research Economist in Central Bank of Qatar, in Dubai University as Assistant Professor and in University of Houston as a Teaching Fellow. His research interests lie on the edge of international macroeconomics and international finance. His research areas mainly cover but not limited to the topics of international finance, macroeconomic aspects of international finance, international portfolio allocation, income and consumption smoothing, and modelling the volatility in asset prices. Currently, Faruk has a number of publications in the selected finance and economic journals including; Canadian Journal of Economics, Economics of Transition, World Economy, International Review of Finance, Empirical Economics, Economic Modelling and Applied Economics. He has acted as a referee more than 15 different journals and currently serves on the editorial boards on the editorial board of International journal of Bonds and Currency Derivatives. Some of his selected works have been presented at the European Finance Association, FMA Annual Meetings, and American Economic Association Meetings.

Seif Ibrahim Tag el-Din
Professor of Economics at Imam University, Saudi Arabia.

Seif Ibrahim Tag el-Din is Author of over 35 research papers, discussion papers and encyclopedia entries. Editor of the journal Review of Islamic Economics.Ph.D. at University of Edinburgh (economics), M.Sc. at Glasgow University (Statistics) and B.Sc. at Khartoum University (economics & statistics). Main research interests are Islamic financial markets, risk-return optimality of interest free finance and economic methodology. Took part in setting up MIHE and developed MA modules in Islamic Banking, Finance & Management. Contributed to the strategic planning and the management process of converting the Saudi National Commercial Bank to an Islamic Bank.

Dr. Amna Noor
Assistant Professor, Islamia University, Bahawalpur

Mr. Mufti Asad Gul
MS (Banking & Finance) Master Trainer , ESAAC Karachi & Islamic Banking Officer, The Bank of Khyber Peshawar,

Dr. Kamran Ahmed Siddiqui
University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Dr.Turkhan Ali Abdul Manap
Islamic Research and Training Institute(IRTI) Islamic Development Bank

Dr. Muhammad Imran
Group Head, National Bank of Oman

Mr. Ghulam Muhammad Abbasi
Director IBD, State Bank of Pakistan

Mufti Najeeb Ahmed
Shariah Advisor Habib Metropolitan Bank

Mufti Najeeb has a distinguish career in teaching Islamic Law/Fatwa, Islamic Jurisprudence and Sharia Standards. He is currently teaching at Jamia Darululoom Karachi and he is also the Principal of Hira Foundation School (O Levels) Karachi. He is a visiting Faculty Member of Sheikh Zaid Institute, Karachi University, PAF KIET University, LUMS Lahore and other Institutions. He has played a role in the preparation of Pakistan’s Halal Standards.
Mufti Najeeb has been a Member of Pakistan Quality & Standards Control Authority (PSQCA) Technical Committee on Development of Halal Food Standards; Member of Committee on International OIC Halal Standards; Member for numerous Committees of State Bank of Pakistan on Islamic Finance & Banking, Sharia Advisor to leading Banks, and also a Sharia Consultant to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP).

Mufti Aziz Ur Rehman
Member of several Sharia Boards with other renowned Sharia Scholars and a Shari’ah consultant for several institutions.

A Sharia scholar qualified to issue religious edicts (Fatwa); Mufti Aziz Ur Rehman represents a rare breed of Sharia scholars, who is able to combine the best of contemporary finance with Islamic Jurisprudential principles.
A qualified Mufti from Dar Ul Uloom Akora Khattak of Pakistan, he specializes in Fiqh Ul Mu’amalaat, Qada and Ifta (Islamic commercial transactions, Shari’ah law and Ifta).
Mufti Aziz hold a Master degree in Islamic Studies as well Shahadatul Aalamiyyah Fil Uloom Al Islamiyah Wal Arabiya. Mufti Aziz has successfully graduated from AAOIFI’s CSAA (Certified Shari’ah Advisor and Auditor) as well as CIPA (Certified Islamic Professional Accountant) programs. He is a Certified Islamic Finance Arbitrator (CIFA) from IICRA and hold Associate Sciences Degree in Islamic Banking and Finance from KIC. Mufti Aziz is also hold Professional qualification in Takaful CTP from Al Huda.
Mufti Aziz is a regular speaker on the Islamic Finance, Micro-finance and Takaful conferences circuit.
Mufti Aziz has authored numerous books and research papers as well as delivering training, and conducting industry leading market research on the prospects of Islamic finance within the UAE and internationally. With a keen aptitude for innovation and learning, he brings the highest standards of Sharia counsel expertise to any Islamic financial institution he is asked to assist, being ideally suited to support multi-discipline services such as consultancy, product’s structuring, trainings and Sharia guidance.
Alongside his daily tasks of consultancy, auditing and working as General Secretary to the Sharia Boards of both Mawarid group and Dar Al Takaful, he is involved closely in developing market leading products. Prior to his current role, he has worked for Dar Al Istithmar of London, Al Wifaq Finance and ISBG Abu Dhabi. He is also working in the academic field as a Corporate Trainer and Systems Analyst for different Colleges and Institutions. Lead Faculty, Master Diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance Westford School of Management Sharjah-UAE
Mufti Aziz has a total experience of 26 years in Sharia and Islamic Banking and Finance.
Mufti Aziz is a Member of several Sharia Boards with other renowned Sharia Scholars and a Shari’ah consultant for several institutions.

Omar Shaikh
CEO, Islamic Finance Council
UK

Omar Shaikh : Omar Shaikh is a Chartered Accountant by profession and specialises in Islamic finance and private equity. He leads the IFC’s activities in the arena of government policy advisory. Omar has been at the forefront of establishing the UK Government’s strategy for making the City a leading Western hub for Islamic finance through the UKTI, HM Treasury Committees and Mansion House trade delegations. He has lectured at various global conferences and universities and is involved in development initiatives relating to waqf , shariah governance and Islamic microfinance. Omar background includes working with Ernst & Young where he was recognised as the UK firms Subject Matter Expert for Islamic finance and successfully led the build out of the Islamic finance offering within the UK office. At EY he also worked with the UK Private Equity team and the multi-award winning EY Islamic Financial Services Group in Bahrain.

Muhammad Shoaib Ibrahim
Managing Director & CEO
First Habib Modaraba, Karachi Pakistan

Mr. Shoaib is associated with First Habib Modaraba (FHM) and holding designation of Managing Director and CEO. Having work experience of more than two decades in Non-Banking Islamic Financial Institutions and Modaraba sector makes him senior most resource person with such long experience of Islamic finance of Pakistan. This experience has given him insight into the financial and technical aspects of the non-banking Islamic financial activities covering financial services, equity market and asset management.
At present, FHM is well positioned in Islamic financial market with handsome equity base, highest assets size with strong profitability within entire Modaraba Sector of Pakistan. FHM is enjoying strong credit rating scale of AA+ as long term and A1+ as short term. Besides, FHM has secured several awards and recognition on best performance, best corporate report, best corporate disclosure and corporate excellence received from reputable bodies during his tenor.
Mr. Shoaib has done Master of Business Administration (MBA) in banking and finance from Institute of Business Administration (IBA). He has also completed Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in Islamic Banking from Centre of Islamic Economics (Darul Ulum), Karachi Pakistan.
Various research papers have been presented by him on Modaraba model and other Islamic financials products at different international forums in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Africa.
On number of occasion he served as Executive Member of NBFI & Modaraba Association of Pakistan. Last year he remained Chairman of said association.

Dr. Shafiullah Jan
PhD, Islamic Political Economy
Durham University

Research Interests : Islamic economics, Development theories, Islamic Political economy, Islamic Banking and Finance

Mr. Mohammad Farrukh Raza
CEO IFAAS UK

Farrukh brings on board exceptionally rich experience across various sectors of the Islamic finance industry where he has led many pioneering Islamic Finance projects in Europe, Central America, GCC and Africa. Farrukh’s experience includes advising the key stakeholders and regulatory authorities on developing the regulatory, legal and tax frameworks for implementing Islamic Finance in several markets. He has also led many market research projects and feasibility studies to launch new Islamic financial operations. Previously he has held senior roles at Islamic Bank of Britain, the first Islamic bank in Europe and also played a key role in rolling out the first Takaful company in Europe. Farrukh holds an MBA in Strategic Management and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK). He is also a member of the UKIFS, Islamic Finance Experts Group (UK), Islamic Finance Commission at Paris Europlace (France), Business & Economics Committee of Muslim Council of Britain (UK) and Mosaic Network of The Prince’s Trust (UK). Farrukh is an influential industry speaker at international conferences and frequently lectures at reputed universities worldwide. He speaks several languages with excellent command on English, French and Urdu.

Mr. Muhammad Ashfaq
Chief Executive Officer at Amanah Institute of Islamic Finance and Economics

Mr. Muhammad Ashfaq is widely recognized as an outstanding and experienced Islamic Finance expert. He has contributed to the further development of the Islamic financial industry through his cutting-edge research and global initiatives for human capital development and organizational capacity building. Mr. Ashfaq has also conducted a number of lectures and facilitated training programs for many institutions and companies on the topic of Islamic Finance, Banking, the Halal industry, Islamic Microfinance, Islamic Insurance (Takaful) and Islamic Law. He recently conducted a TV lecture series on Islamic Finance for Paghiam TV Network. Mr. Ashfaq has spoken on the topic of Islamic Banking and Finance at conferences in more than 20 countries worldwide, and has served as peer-review referee for a number of international conferences. Before joining Amanah IIFE, Mr. Muhammad Ashfaq served as Lecturer/Scientific Staff Member at the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences in Germany. Mr. Ashfaq also worked in the professional industry in various roles including Specialist in Finance at the Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland GmbH Germany (a subsidiary of Pfizer U.S. Corporation), just to mention a few. In pursuit of his passion, Mr. Ashfaq is currently a visiting faculty member of the international MBA program at the Wittenborg Business School in the Netherlands, where he regularly teaches Finance and Management related courses. Mr. Ashfaq holds an MBA in Financial Management from Coburg University in Germany, a Post Graduate Diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance and an MBA in Banking and Finance from the University of the Punjab, Pakistan where he graduated with distinction. Mr. Ashfaq was awarded the Young Scholars Research Award by the Bilkent University, Turkey in 2015 for his cutting-edge research contributions in the area of Islamic Finance and Law. Furthermore, Mr. Ashfaq is the co-editor of “In Welcher Gesellschaft Wollen wir Leben? Befunde zu Wirtschaftsethik in der globalisierten Gesellschaft Grundsätzlich Überlegungen aus Theorie und Praxis in Wirtschaft, Recht und im Speziellen in Ethical Finance & Islamic Banking” a book published in German and English by Rainer Hampp Verlag Germany. He speaks three international languages including German, English and Urdu.

Muhammad Zubair Mughal
Al Huda Center of Islamic Banking and Economics

A passionate individual with a strategic vision in Islamic Microfinance Industry with good Research and Product development skills. Zubair has 11 years experience in his field with the specialized expertise of Islamic Micro Financial Engineering, Poverty alleviation Strategies, Training & Research, Structuring of Islamic Microfinance products and Islamic Financial Publication. Apart from the Chief Executive Officer of Al Huda Center of Islamic Banking and Economics, he is also founding director of “Islamic Microfinance Network” and Chief Editor of “’Islamic Microfinance News” – A dedicated Magazine on Islamic Microfinance. Zubair is Ph. D Scholar and earned a M. Phil degree in Islamic Banking and Finance. He contributed his expertise of Islamic Finance in 30+ countries with different local and Multilateral organization e.g. IFC-World Bank, UNDP, ADBI, USAID etc. for poverty alleviation and social development.

Prof. Dr. Kabir Hassan
Professor of Islamic Finance, University of New Orleans ,USA

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Asutay Durham
University ,UK Assistant professor

Mr. Umer Suleman
Global KYC Risk Lead at HSBC, London, UK

Dr. Muhammad Imran
Group Head, National Bank of Oman

Dr. Furqan Ahmed
Administrator & Sr. Lecturer Pakistan International School & College Muscat Sultanate of Oman

Professor. Mehboob ul Hassan
King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Mr.Sana Ullah Ansari
Assistant Professor, SZABIST