IIFM - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Director
• Director View Profile
• General Manager of National Bank of Kuwait ( NBK ) View Profile
• General Manager of National Bank of Kuwait SAK ( NBK ) Kingdom of Bahrain

Mr. Ali who joined the Banking industry in 1980 has gained a wide knowledge and comprehensive international experience in both Conventional and Islamic Banking that enable him to effectively manage one of the most active international branches of one of the largest and the best Bank in the Middle East. Ali is very active and directly involved in the Islamic Banking since 1980, and has developed and structured various Sharia compliance products, financial solutions and documentations that has served the industry since 1980 and established the base for today's Islamic Banking and Liquidity Management. Ali is currently the General Manager of National Bank of Kuwait SAK (NBK) Kingdom of Bahrain since 1990 and his major achievements including and not limited to the restructure of NBK's Conventional Wholesale Branch, the incorporation of the Conventional Retail Branch, the merger of both branches and the establishment of NBK's Islamic Banking. He is currently managing an asset over BHD2 billion that generating revenue of 150 million with an operation and activity that covering the MENA region. During the last 20 years, he is directly involved in the Group strategic expansion and remarkably contributed to the Group's performance. Ali has graduated from the University of Bahrain, attended various courses and seminars in different worldwide Universities and Institutions that has substantially enhanced his knowledge and widened his experience to become a multi task professional who is familiar with International Banking Practices and Regulatory Framework.

Job Titles:

• Board of Directors
• Board of Directors / Executive Committee

Job Titles:

• Director
• Director View Profile

A leading authority in the field of Islamic Banking & Finance, Dr. Adnan Chilwan is widely seen as a driver of change and innovation and a key figure in the progression of this segment which is quickly evolving into a global phenomenon. With an extensive banking career spanning over two decades with both reputed conventional and Islamic banks in the region, he currently serves as the Group Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Islamic Bank, the world's first Sharia compliant player and the largest Islamic Bank in UAE. With Group assets of in excess of USD 75bln, a market capitalization of over USD 11bln, and workforce of more than 9000 employees across a vast network of branches and entities in all emirates as well as the growing international operations in Asia, Middle East and Africa, he leads an organization which is fast being recognized as a formidable force in Islamic Finance and one of the most progressive institutions in the world today. Renowned as a visionary and a resident expert in the field, Dr. Chilwan's contribution to the development and advancement of the industry has been acknowledged by many notable regional and international organizations. Apart from being ranked amid the top CEOs in the region over the years, he is also positioned amongst the top 3 most powerful and influential Indian business leaders in the Arab world. Many attribute the tremendous turnaround of DIB in the recent past to his astute business acumen and uncanny ability to carve out opportunities in the most challenging times. A regular contributor with articles and blogs, Dr. Chilwan has developed a keen following leading to him being recognized by LinkedIn as the "Most Social Executive" consecutively for 2016 and 2017 for his continuous, inspirational and engaging input on the professional platform. His key role in the transformation of the organization he leads into what is today undoubtedly seen as a modern and progressive face of Islamic finance earned him the ‘Banking Innovation Award' two years in a row, at the 2017 & 2018 Indian Innovator Awards, during the Entrepreneur of the Year Annual Awards ceremony. With such a plethora of accolades, it is no wonder that, Dr. Chilwan was voted the ‘Islamic Banker of the Year' at the Islamic Business and Finance Awards 2018 for the third consecutive year and the coveted ‘Outstanding contribution to the Islamic Economy' award at the Islamic Business & Finance Awards 2019, by CPI Financial, along with the prestigious "Excellence in Global Islamic Finance & Banking Award" in 2018, accorded by the organization to individuals who have truly made a legacy in their respective fields. Recently ranked as the #1 "Top Indian Leader making an impact in the Middle East Award 2019 " and ranked #7 at the "Top 50 International CEOs Heading Local Companies", by ForbesME, the awards follow his dominance at the Pride of the Nation Series Awards and Business Summit by AsiaOne Magazine in India where he was awarded the prestigious ‘Global Indian of the Year 2018' in the Global Leadership Category. This year also saw him being recognized with the "CEO Leadership Achievement Award 2019" by The Asian Banker. Dr. Chilwan was also honoured with the Leadership Excellence Award at the recent BME Last updated: Dec 26, 2019 Industry Awards 2019, another testament to the respect and admiration he commands in the industry. Dr. Chilwan represents DIB in boards of various strategic investments, subsidiaries and associates including holding the prestigious position of President Commissioner at PT Bank Panin Dubai Syariah TBK whilst also serving as the Chairman at DIB Bank Kenya Ltd, amongst others. He continues to drive the proliferation of Islamic finance through his consultative role to governments and related bodies within and outside the UAE as well as through numerous forums and seminars in various educational institutions, including University of Cambridge, UK, City University of London and Skyline University to name a few. A passionate cricketer and an avid sportsman, Dr. Chilwan has a PhD and a MBA in Marketing to his credentials. He is a Certified Islamic Banker (CeIB), a Post Graduate in Islamic Banking & Insurance and an Associate Fellow Member in Islamic Finance Professionals Board.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Management Team
• Head of Compliance & Internal Shari'Ah Department View Profile
• Head of Shari‘Ah Compliance for the Kingdom of Bahrain

Job Titles:

• Director / Dr. Dadang Muljawan Satria / Director View Profile
• Executive Director at Bank Indonesia

Dr. Dadang Muljawan is currently an Executive Director at Bank Indonesia, and previously as a Vice-Chancellor of the Planning, Finance, and Business Development of UIII and. He holds a BSc in Engineering Physics from Bandung Institute of Technology, an MBA from PPM Graduate School of Management, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Loughborough University, UK. His areas of interest cover financial supervision and regulations, financial assessment both at the micro and macro level, and Islamic economics and finance. He has been exposed to more than 20 years of experience in the Central Bank of Indonesia as an economic researcher, was involved in a number of the IFSB Working Groups and joined the IFSB when developing the prudential database for Financial Soundness Indicators (FSI). His research appears in various journals including Buletin Ekonomi Moneter dan Perbankan, Applied Financial Economics Journal of International Banking Regulations, etc.

Job Titles:

• Director
• Director View Profile

Khalid Ismaili Idrissi joined the Islamic Development Bank 2007. He is currently the Manager of the Legal Operations in IsDB. With over 16 years of experience in the Islamic Banking including project finance, public private partnership, equity investment, Shariah compliant investment funds, treasury transactions and sukuk issuances, he led and contributed to the development of several structured financing products and generally the development of the private sector financing practice within the Bank. He holds a Ph.D, Executive MBA and LL.M. He is also Certified Shariah Advisor and Auditor (CSAA) by the AAOIFI.

Job Titles:

• Director
• Director View Profile
• Executive Vice President, Head of Shariah Division

Mr. Hamza is Executive Vice President, Head of Shariah Division, Legal & Counseling Group at the Saudi National Bank (SNB) formerly National Commercial Bank (NCB). He has 14 years of professional experience starting with Bank Aljazira as a Shariah Auditor responsible for the Treasury and Corporate Groups. He then joined SABB as a Shariah Auditor and then as a Shariah Advisor and later moved to Corporate Division handling products development. Later he joined NCB as the Head of Shariah Support and Development, supporting all NCB business groups including Treasury, Corporate and Retail. Mr. Hamza holds an Executive MBA certificate.

Job Titles:

• Chief Executive Officer
• Director
• Head
• Chief Executive Officer and Head Group Islamic Products of Standard Chartered Saadiq View Profile
• Director View Profile
• Islamic Banker

Khurram is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Head Group Islamic Products at Standard Chartered Saadiq - the Global Islamic Banking business of Standard Chartered Bank. As a career Islamic Banker, Khurram has more than two decades of core Islamic banking experience across Consumer, Wealth Management, Private Banking, Transaction Banking and Financial Markets. He has led the development and roll out of the bank's Islamic banking proposition across SCB footprint in Asia, Africa, Middle East, Europe and North America. He has been an active contributor to the Islamic banking industry and regularly provides advice to regulators and industry bodies. Khurram is proud to have worked alongside some of the top scholars in Islamic Finance industry.

Job Titles:

• Director
• Director View Profile

Mr Mardini joined Brunei Darussalam Central Bank in 2011. He is currently the Assistant Managing Director, Monetary Operations, overseeing the central bank's currency management, monetary management, payment and settlement systems and reserve management. He started his career at Brunei Investment Agency (BIA) in 2002, where he spent almost 10 years covering bonds, equity, and foreign exchange, including at BIA's London Office (2003-2007). He underwent an internship program at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., the oldest and one of the largest private banks in the U.S., in New York (2007-2008). Mr Mardini was also posted at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC as a Senior Advisor in the South East Asia Constituency (2016). With more than 20 years of experience in finance and investment, his expertise is mainly in macroeconomics, fixed income, foreign exchange, commodities and equity. Mardini is currently a member of various committees within the central bank including the Financial and Monetary Stability Committee, Islamic Finance Development Committee, Sustainable Finance Task Force and Central Bank Digital Currency Working Group. He is also a Board Member and Member of the Brunei Institute of Leadership and Islamic Finance (BILIF). Mardini graduated with a BA in Business Administration from Universiti Brunei Darussalam, and holds a Diploma in Management from University of Kent at Canterbury, U.K.

Job Titles:

• Director
• Managing Director
• Director View Profile
• Managing Director for Bank ABC Islamic and Group Head of Islamic Banking for Bank ABC View Profile

Mr. Hammad Hassan is currently the Managing Director for Bank ABC Islamic and Group Head of Islamic Banking for Bank ABC. Mr. Hammad has over twenty three years of banking experience in Corporate & Consumer Banking, Global Transaction Services and Islamic Finance. He has been with Bank ABC Islamic since 2005. Prior to joining Bank ABC, Mr. Hammad worked for over eleven years with Citigroup and its affiliate in Saudi Arabia, Samba Financial Group. Mr. Hammad joined Citigroup in Pakistan in 1994 and moved to Samba Financial Group in 1997. In 2005, Mr. Hammad joined Bank ABC Islamic as the Head of Coverage. In his current role, he is the Global Head for Islamic Banking for ABC Group as well as the Managing Director for Bank ABC Islamic, Bahrain. Mr. Hammad holds a Master's degree in business administration (MBA) and B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Management Team
• CEO, Secretary to the Board and Spokesperson
• Chief Executive Officer & Secretary to the Board
• Chief Executive Officer & Secretary to the Board View Profile
• Chief Executive Officer of International Islamic Financial Market ( IIFM ) View Profile
• Director View Profile

Mr. Ijlal Ahmed Alvi has wide-ranging experience in financial services industry with regional and international financial institutions including IIFM 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.

Job Titles:

• Chairman of the Board of Directors
• Member of the Management Team
• Chairman View Profile
• Executive Director of Banking Supervision of Central Bank of Bahrain View Profile

Mr. Khalid Al-Hamad has held several senior posts at the Central Bank of Bahrain. His current responsibilities include supervision of all banking institutions, including Islamic banks, licensed by the CBB, as well as inspection of all financial institutions, comprising banks, insurance firms, investment firms, capital market licensees and ancillary services providers. Mr. Al-Hamad began his career in 1987 with the Bahrain Monetary Agency, the predecessor of the CBB. From 1990 till 2003, he served as Acting Director, Inspection and then as Director, Banking Supervision. In 2003, he joined Ernst & Young in Bahrain, serving as Senior Consultant on Risk Management & Regulatory Services. He rejoined the CBB in his current post in February 2006. Mr. Al-Hamad has a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from the University of Portland, USA, and a Strategic Leadership and Executive Management Program certificate from the University of Columbia, New York. Mr. Al-Hamad is Chairman of the International Islamic Financial Market (IIFM), Chairman of the Waqf Fund for Research, Education and Training in Islamic Finance, Deputy Chairman of Accountants Affairs Committee, Member of AAOIFI Board of Trustees, an Associate Member of Toronto Strategic Leadership, and Member of GCC Banking Supervision Committee.

Job Titles:

• Falher Is Currently Executive Manager - Head of Treasury and Capital Markets of Kuwait Finance House - Bahrain

Mr. Lilian has more than 25 years' experience of Corporate and Investment Banking. He is a member of the executive management team of Kuwait Finance House, Bahrain, heading wholesale banking activities including treasury, capital markets and FI. He has also served on the Board of LMH, a 100% subsidiary of Kuwait Finance House, incorporated in Kuwait and whose mission was to particularly focus on the primary and secondary Sukuk market for KFH Group. As representative of KFH, he is a board member of the International Islamic Financial Market (IIFM) and he is the chairman of its Executive Committee. He has contributed to the development of various Shari'ah compliant structured products and investment schemes. Lilian is also a visiting teacher of Islamic Finance at the University of Paris Dauphine. Prior to joining KFH in 2005, Mr. Lilian spent 9 years with BNP Paribas holding various positions in Europe and the Middle East. He ended his duty at BNPP as Head of Investment Products for the Middle East region, dealing extensively in Equity, Bonds and Structured Products.

Job Titles:

• Director
• Member of the Executive Committee
• Director & Chairman of IIFM Executive Committee View Profile
• Falher Is Currently Executive Manager - Head of Treasury and Capital Markets of Kuwait Finance House - Bahrain

Mr. Lilian Le Falher is currently Executive Manager - Head of Treasury and Capital Markets of Kuwait Finance House - Bahrain Mr. Lilian has more than 25 years' experience of Corporate and Investment Banking. He is a member of the executive management team of Kuwait Finance House, Bahrain, heading wholesale banking activities including treasury, capital markets and FI. He has also served on the Board of LMH, a 100% subsidiary of Kuwait Finance House, incorporated in Kuwait and whose mission was to particularly focus on the primary and secondary Sukuk market for KFH Group. As representative of KFH, he is a board member of the International Islamic Financial Market (IIFM) and he is the chairman of its Executive Committee. He has contributed to the development of various Shari'ah compliant structured products and investment schemes. Lilian is also a visiting teacher of Islamic Finance at the University of Paris Dauphine. Prior to joining KFH in 2005, Mr. Lilian spent 9 years with BNP Paribas holding various positions in Europe and the Middle East. He ended his duty at BNPP as Head of Investment Products for the Middle East region, dealing extensively in Equity, Bonds and Structured Products. Mr. Lilian Le Falher holds a Master in Management (Banking and Finance) from Toulouse Business School (France) and he is a CFA Charter holder.

Job Titles:

• Vice Chairman
• Chartered Banker
• Director General of Labuan FSA
• Vice Chairman View Profile

Mr. Nik Mohamed Din bin Nik Musa is the Director General of Labuan FSA, the regulatory authority of Labuan International Business and Financial Centre. He assumed the position of Director General with effect from 1 May 2021. Prior to his appointment as the Director General of Labuan FSA, Mr. Nik Mohamed Din was the Director of Money Services Business Regulation, Central Bank of Malaysia since 2016 and was responsible for the regulation, supervision, policy-making and development of cross-border remittance, currency exchange and currency wholesale business in Malaysia. He has been with the Central Bank of Malaysia since 1991 and had served in various areas within the Central Bank, including bank regulation, Islamic banking and takaful as well as market development of international finance of the Labuan IBFC. Mr. Nik Mohamed holds a Chartered Banker certificate from the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers, a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Accounting from the University of Bristol and a Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Warwick.

Job Titles:

• Director
• Director View Profile
• General Manager of BNP Paribas Bahrain Conventional Retail Branch

Mr. Rami Falah is the General Manager of BNP Paribas Bahrain Conventional Retail Branch (CRB) and the Head of Islamic Banking of BNP Paribas Middle East & Africa. He has over 20 years of experience in international banking. He started his career with Arab Bank in 1996 in the credit department, before becoming a Relationship Manager within the financial institutions department. In 2004, he joined BNP Paribas as a Senior Relationship Manager before becoming the Head of Islamic Banking in 2006. In 2021, he was appointed General Manager of BNP Paribas Bahrain Conventional Retail Branch in addition to his position as Head of Islamic Banking. Mr. Rami Falah has closely been involved with the execution and marketing of Islamic transactions with different business lines of BNP Paribas. As the Head of Islamic banking, he worked on landmark international deals, overseeing everything from product design to delivery. He holds a Masters Degree in Finance from International Capital Market Association (ICMA), UK.

Job Titles:

• Director
• Chief Administrative Officer at GFH Financial Group
• Director View Profile

Mr. Salah Sharif is Chief Administrative Officer at GFH Financial Group, a key player in the strategic as well as day-to-day management of the Group's core corporate support functions. In addition, he is responsible for ensuring that the highest standards of operational excellence are achieved for the Group's Special Purpose Vehicles and Project companies. He also serves as a Board member in several project/operating companies that fall under the GFH Financial Group brand. An industry veteran with over 30 years of international exposure and experience in both conventional and Islamic financial institutions, Mr. Salah is conversant with industry best practices in all aspects of commercial, wholesale banking, and in the industrial and infrastructure advisory sector. Prior to his appointment at GFH, Mr. Salah was the CEO of Cemena Holding Company (CHC), an industrial subsidiary of the Group which was one of the largest cement holding companies in the MENA region. Previous to this, he held a number of senior roles in leading, global financial institutions, including Operations and Facilities Manager, Middle East & North Africa at American Express in Bahrain and at Standard Chartered Bank in Bahrain where he held various managerial and executive positions including Head of Operations. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of South Wales, UK.

Job Titles:

• Director
• Director View Profile
• Is Director General, Financial Market Department at Central Bank of Sudan

Mrs. Fathia Mohamed Salim is Director General, Financial Market Department at Central Bank of Sudan.