RFI SUMMIT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- CEO of Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre
Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar is the CEO of Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre.
Prior to his current role, Al Awar was the CEO of Dubai International Financial Centre for the period from 2009 to 2012. During his overall 8-year tenure with DIFC that saw him hold various executive positions, he leveraged his exceptional skills in strategic planning, operational management and financial control to help develop DIFC into a global financial hub.
Ajay Madiwale works for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva, where he leads IFRC's work on localizing humanitarian aid and engagement with key Multilateral Institutions such as the World Bank. Previously, he was based in the IFRC Delegation to the United Nations in New York, where he represented IFRC during the negotiation of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals, Financing for Development, and on issues of Migration and Forced Displacement. Before joining the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, he worked for the Overseas Development Institute in London and has experience in human rights research and coordination in Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, and Nepal. He holds an MSc from the School of Oriental and African Studies, and MA from Jawaharlal Nehru University, and a B.A. from Bard College at Simon's Rock.
Job Titles:
- Member of Several Committees
Al Awar has served as member of several committees and boards in Dubai including the Economic Committee of the Executive Council of Dubai, Dubai Free Zones Council, Bourse Dubai and the Investment Committee of the Emirates NBD Real Estate Fund.Al Awar holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder, US. He has also graduated from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Program for Leadership Development, an executive education program, through affiliation with Cranfield University, UK, IMD and INSEAD.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Innovation Fund
- Managing Director, MBRIF Accelerator
Alex Collins is the Managing Director of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Innovation Fund (MBRIF) Accelerator, a public-private partnership conceived by the UAE Ministry of Finance. The Accelerator offers world-class services and coaching to member companies, to accelerate their businesses, elevate capabilities, unlock value and achieve scale. Via the Accelerator, Alex and his team identify, develop and nurture high potential innovators from around the world to thrive in the UAE.
Alex is passionate about working with start-up, scale-up and rapid growth businesses to help them innovate & grow. He believes that governments have a big role to play in nurturing these businesses' in order to unlock tangible economic and social benefits.
Alex has built a range of game-changing digital products for private and public organizations across the MENA region, including a virtual advisor platform targeted at start-ups and scale ups. This platform helps these companies to grow their business and develop new capabilities.
Amer provides holistic values-based advice on the client wealth and strategic investment consulting to VALUEworks' key clients on their banking and private equity investments.
Prior to joining VALUEworks, Amer spent over five years at Rothschild Bank serving international clients with a focus on entrepreneurs and global families. He originally moved to Zurich in 2010 to join a multi-family office where he was responsible for all merchant banking. Amer started his career in London, where for almost a decade he was advising entrepreneurs and family businesses on private equity and M&A at First Capital and direct investments at First Ventures.
Amer studied Manufacturing and Management at Cambridge University as post-graduate and earned a Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Commerce with Japanese from Birmingham University, which included a year on scholarship to Japan. He holds a Diploma in Accounting and Finance (ACCA) and an Investment Management Certificate (IMC) from the CFA Institute.
Arthur Wood has been an Impact Investing pioneer since 2005 after he joined Ashoka as a Leadership Group member in Washington DC. There he was in charge of one of Ashoka's [the global leader in Social Entrepreneurship] core programmes with the brief on "how do you change the way Philanthropy and Social Society are funded?"
Benjamin McCarron is a leading expert in responsible finance. A former fund manager, he has 13 years experience in mainstream finance and sustainability. He set up Singapore-based Asia Research and Engagement Pte. Ltd. (ARE) to help financial institutions, companies, and civil society organisations understand the financial relevance of sustainability and governance. He is also a specialist consultant for the Asian Corporate Governance Association (ACGA).
Benjamin's work includes:
In 2015 he co-authored with WWF the publication Sustainable Finance in Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Following this report the Association of Banks in Singapore issued responsible lending guidelines for its members
In 2014, investment bank CLSA commissioned him to develop a sustainability framework for investment analysts to assess their coverage universe of 1000+ Asian companies
Aviva Investors / UNCTAD stock exchanges survey "Sustainable Stock Exchanges II" on ESG requirements for companies, published in 2012
The Future of Fish in Asia, which won the global Farsight award for the best piece of ESG/ financial research of 2011
He is a regular speaker on sustainability and responsible investment in Asia and has been quoted or interviewed for a number of major international and Asian publications including the Financial Times, CNN, the Independent, the Observer, the Business Times and Today.
Benjamin passed his investment management exams in the UK before the millennium. He studied Mathematics and Philosophy at Oxford.
Job Titles:
- CEO of the Responsible Finance & Investment
Blake Goud is the CEO of the Responsible Finance & Investment (RFI) Foundation, a position he has held since the organization's incorporation. He was the Chief Research Officer for ME Global Advisors where he focused on MENA financial sector development and the growth of the Islamic economy. He was responsible for leading ME Global Advisors' research efforts as well as advising on the content of the events organized by ME Global Advisors. His primary area of interest global Islamic banking, capital markets and opportunities to increase financial inclusion in Islamic finance through crowdfunding and microfinance.
Blake has nearly a decade experience researching Islamic finance and working in the financial sector in a compliance and investment officer role for a small US-based investment advisor and broker-dealer. He was the Community Leader for the Thomson Reuters Islamic Finance Gateway from 2012 to 2015. At Thomson Reuters, he conducted research and analysis on the Islamic finance and Islamic economy sectors, set discussion points for large-scale events and one-on-one sessions with leaders of the Islamic finance industry. He drafted white papers following events including the IILM roundtables in London, UK and Washington, DC and was a principal author of the GIES 2013 Review following the Global Islamic Economy Summit organized in collaboration with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre.
His published research includes papers on Islamic microfinance, renewable energy microfinance and public finance using the esham structure to develop a flexible alternative for tax increment finance. He received his B.A. in Economics from Reed College in 2003.
Job Titles:
- Chief Risk Officer at SEDCO Capital
Christian Gueckel is the Chief Risk Officer at SEDCO Capital and responsible for risk management and responsible investments. He joined SEDCO Capital in 2014 as Head of Research. Christian is a member of SEDCO Capital's Investment Committee, Management Committee, Risk and Compliance Committee and Cyclical Asset Allocation Committee. Christian has over 18 years of professional experience in portfolio management, risk and other roles (Swiss family office, Man Group, HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein (now Commerzbank), Sparkasse). Christian holds a master-equivalent degree in finance and an MBA. He is a CFA charter holder and holds the FRM, CAIA and ERP degrees.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of DVA Consulting Sdn
- Member of the Global Group in Islamic Finance & Investment
Daud Vicary Abdullah is the Managing Director of DVA Consulting Sdn. Bhd and the former President and Chief Executive Officer of INCEIF, The Global University of Islamic Finance. He has been in the finance and consulting industry for over 44 years, with significant experience in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Since 2002, he has focused exclusively on Islamic finance where he has contributed to a number of books on the subject and has co-authored a book on Islamic finance entitled "Islamic Finance: Why it makes sense." He is also a frequent speaker and commentator on matters relating to Islamic finance.
Prior to INCEIF, Daud was the Global Islamic Finance Leader with Deloitte. He was also previously Acting CEO of Asian Finance Bank, an Islamic bank based in Malaysia, and was the first Managing Director of Hong Leong Islamic Bank.
He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance (CIIF), a Distinguished Fellow of the Islamic Banking and Finance Institute of Malaysia (IBFIM) and a former Board member (2003 - 2007) of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI).
Currently, Daud is a member of the Global Group in Islamic Finance & Investment (Global IFIG), under the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UK; a member of the Steering Committee for The Royal Awards for Islamic Finance (RAIF), a member of the Islamic Finance Committee at the Malaysia Institute of Accountants (MIA) and remains as a Special Advisor to INCEIF.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager at Abu Dhabi Global Market
David is a senior manager at Abu Dhabi Global Market, the international financial free zone in Abu Dhabi. David works in the Banking and Insurance division and is responsible for assessing applications for authorization. David is also responsible for leading or supporting a wide range of initiatives, including the ADGM insurance strategy, developing the FSRA's risk-based regulatory approach, and implementing ADGM's Sustainable Finance Strategy Pillar Four initiative to create a Sustainable Finance Hub and Ecosystem.
Prior to joining the FSRA, David was with the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) of the Bank England and its predecessor organization, the Financial Services Authority, since 1999, where he led teams supervising insurance groups, including major international groups.
Deia is an investment banking professional with more than 18 years international business experience in Paris, Geneva and Zurich. She has a demonstrated track record in originating, structuring and executing complex transactions both on debt and equity side within her strong network of relationships with top corporates, business owners, NPOs, MDBs and institutional investors.
Throughout her various positions, she has developed an in-depth understanding of debt financing and capital markets on a global basis, with a strong focus on emerging markets and innovative solutions.
She is currently Director in the recently created Impact Based Finance team of Société Générale Corporate and Investment Banking, whose mission is to identify and implement new financing solutions for the SDGs, using impact-based business models and digitalization to reduce the cost-to-impact while creating long term value for all stakeholders.
Deia holds a MSc in Finance from University of Paris and a PhD in International relations and Diplomacy from CEDS Paris.
Job Titles:
- Triodos Investment Management As Director Emerging Markets
Dirk Elsen joined Triodos Investment Management as Director Emerging Markets in January 2012. From 2002 to 2011, he served as Chief Executive of SNV, an international development organization implementing advisory, advocacy and knowledge brokering work in 36 countries across four continents. Before that, Dirk worked at Shell, the World Bank and ABN AMRO, working as a corporate and operational lawyer on projects in Africa and Asia, structuring trade finance business and serving in various senior relationship management roles. Dirk serves on several boards in The Netherlands and beyond including the board of directors of Caspian Impact Investments Private Ltd. in India.
Dr Amal Daraghmeh Masri - Has an honorary Doctorate from GODSU University-USA. Decorated by French Republic with Chevalier Legioned de Merite d'Ordre National.First Prize Winner of "Best Woman Entrepreneur in MENA". Featured in the book of 100 Most Inspirational Women in the World by Pauline Lang Foundation.Listed as One of Ten Global Women Entrepreneur & Leaders" by the International Council of the Small Enterprises-USA. Won the title of "Arab woman Role Model-Amal is CEO of Ougarit Group, Editor in Chief,and Founder at Middle East Business Magazine. She is the Chairwoman of Palestine-France Business Council. Dr Masri holds many positions in local business organizations working for the advancement of women in Palestine and across the region:these include being the head of Local Economic Council of AlBireh Municipality, board member of Islamic Reporting Initiative IRI-UK, former President of Business Women Forum & TED speaker.
Regionally and internationally. She is founder and former board member of Middle East Business Women's Network,member of the Arab International Women's Forum-London and sat on the board of the steering committee of the Fostering Women Entrepreneurs in the ME initiative.
She is shareholder of Mixberry Media-USA and a member of the Palestinian-American Chamber of Commerce. She is H President of Palestine Accueil(FIAFE Paris).
Mrs Masri organizes and heads economic events that tackle economic issues such as unemployment.
Job Titles:
- Business Consultant
- Economist and Energy Expert
- Member of Oxford Energy Policy Club
Cornelia Meyer is a business consultant, macro-economist and energy expert as well as a media commentator. She is also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MRL Corporation and Chairman and Chief Economist of LBV Asset Management. MRL provides et altera the Chief Economist and CIO services to the (European Family Office) EFO-Alliance, Europe's premier platform for family offices. The company also advises a multitude of multilateral organisations and multinational corporations on a wide range of geo-economic issues. Ms Meyer's experience stretches over five continents on a vast range of assignments and projects as an economist, a financier, adviser, regulator, manufacturer and principal in the energy and other industries. Her particular focus are emerging markets.
Cornelia has a strong media presence, as a commentator and guest presenter on various business and political TV news stations. These include: the BBC, CNN, CNBC Arabia, and Bloomberg. Cornelia regularly contributes her analysis to the BBC and was a regular contributor and identified as thought leader on emerging markets by CNN for their emerging markets programme. Cornelia writes regular columns and Op-Eds for various publications such as Arab News and "Finanz und Wirtschaft". Cornelia provides the major macroeconomic column for Swiss National Public Radio.
Cornelia started her career in Japan, where she became the economic policy adviser
to the Honourable Yoshiro Mori, then Minister of International Trade and Industry. Afterwards she held several senior positions in energy, development and investment banking covering Asia, Russia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East out of Tokyo, Manila and London for institutions such as UBS, the ADB and Citigroup.
Cornelia's career became more broadly industry based when she joined General Electric and later moved to BP. In 2010 she founded MRL Corporation, which is an advisory firm. Ms Meyer served as the Chairman and then Strategic Advisor to the Board of Gasol plc, at the time an AIM listed independent gas (to power) company.
Cornelia held various non-executive board memberships in commercial enterprises and not for profit organisations, such as the Royal United Services Institute, the UK's premier think tank for defence and security. She also used to chair the business and economic group of a US government funded "Track II" diplomatic mechanism for Middle East Security.
Cornelia is a member of Oxford Energy Policy Club and serves on the Advisory Boards of the Istanbul Finance Summit and Euromoney. She was a member of the World Economic Forum`s Global Agenda Council for Energy Security. The World Economic Forum has subsequently identified her as a thought leader in geo-economics.
Cornelia was educated at the St.Gallen University, the London School of Economics and Tokyo University. She speaks seven European and Asian languages.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner of Exergy Capital Management LLP
Dr Erich Becker is the Managing Partner of Exergy Capital Management LLP, an advanced energy investment firm headquartered in London and backed by the Winton Group, a global investment management and data science company. Dr Becker has more than two decades of professional experience in the global energy and infrastructure sector spanning the fundamental core disciplines of engineering, financial advisory, commodity trading and risk management and, for the longest part, originating, executing, managing and exiting principal investment in both companies and projects.
He has global transaction experience and has built a number of investment platforms targeting both corporate as well as infrastructure investments. Dr Becker has spent most of his career working in London and was based in New York and Vienna.
He started his career in power plant design and engineering at VA Tech Elin GmbH and worked for leading financial investment firms including Goldman Sachs Group, Och-Ziff Capital Management Group and Macquarie Group.
Dr Becker earned a Doctorate in applied thermodynamics and a Master's degree in process engineering at the Technical University of Vienna, Austria and graduated with a Master's degree in business administration from the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration.
Dr Mohammed R. Kroessin is a development economist with over 15 years experience of working with Islamic development and financial institutions. He has formerly worked for Chambers of Commerce and the Centre for Enterprise in the UK, was Asst. CEO of Muslim Aid and is now heading Islamic Relief's Global Islamic Microfinance Unit.
Dr. Boris Battistini is a Partner at Metellus AG, an investment firm based in Zurich and London, specialising in early-stage equity investments in technology and life sciences. He is also a Co-Founder and Board Director of the Swiss Finance and Technology Association and a Senior Research Fellow in Entrepreneurship at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich).
Dr. Daniel Diemers is an advisor to executives in the financial services industry for Strategy&, PwC's strategy consulting group. Based in Zurich, he is a Partner with PwC Switzerland. He is a member of our Financial Services practice in Europe and the Middle East. He has 16 years of consulting experience in financial services and covers themes such as strategy, operating models, digital innovation, and regulatory and risk management.
He also has a particular focus on strategy development and implementation in the wealth management and private banking sector and has worked with leading banks and wealth and asset managers across Europe and the Middle East.
Daniel Diemers has contributed to our global wealth management platform by co-authoring viewpoints and presentations, as well as participating in industry forums and conferences.
Before going into consulting, he ran his own business, developing internet-based, early-warning systems, and did academic research on how the digital transformation impacts economy and society.
After retirement, Dr. Meier has been founder, Chairman or member of the Board of Directors of several venture capital companies, funds and foundations. Previously, he was member of the Roche Group Executive Committee and its Strategy Committee and for over 16 years Chief Financial Officer of the Roche group, and for 12 years a member of its Board. He also was founding Chairman of the Board of Directors of Givaudan AG as well as member of the Board of Directors of several Swiss Corporations. Before joining Roche, he was a member of the Executive Committee of Handelsbank National Westminster, responsible for the development of investment banking operations, member of the Executive Committee of Motor Columbus Ing. and Division Chief at the World Bank in Washington.
Dr. Meier holds a master's and a doctor's degree in business administration and economics from the University of St. Gallen; he also did post-graduate studies at Columbia University in New York. In 1999, the University of Basel awarded him the title of an honorary PhD, and in 2011, the University of St. Gallen awarded him the title of "Ehrensenator". Dr. Meier has written several books and articles in the field of capital markets and currencies.
Job Titles:
- Founder of Responsible Impact Investing
Dr. Ingeborg Schumacher Hummel is founder of Responsible Impact Investing and consults institutional clients and asset managers on the development and implementation of a RI strategy.
She brings more than 20 years experience in Sustainable/ Responsible Investments, including 12 years at UBS Asset Managements to develop the SRI funds at UBS.
Beside a PHD on the "role of pension funds in Socially Responsible Investing" she built up a center of excellence for foundations and implemented a strategy of Responsible Investing for two private banks.
Since several years she is an expert in Mission Investing. Beside client mandates she is organizing workshops, publishing articles and working on research projects. As a member of the board of Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlagen she has initiated a series of events "FNG Dialog" and regularly moderates panel discussions.
Dr. Jemilah Mahmood began her mandate as Under Secretary General for Partnerships at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in January 2016.
Before joining the IFRC, Dr. Mahmood was the Chief of the World Humanitarian Summit secretariat at the United Nations in New York. She is well known as the founder of MERCY Malaysia, which she led from 1999-2009. Her previous appointments include Chief of the Humanitarian Response Branch at UNFPA; Senior Fellow at Khazanah Nasional Berhad in Malaysia's Sovereign Wealth Fund, Khazanah Research and Investment Strategy Division, and Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the Humanitarian Futures Programme at Kings College in London. In 2006, she was one of 16 members appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the Advisory Group of the Central Emergency Response Fund.
Dr. Mahmood has held many Board positions in NGOs and INGOs and is the recipient of numerous national and international awards for her contribution to civil society and work in support of marginalized communities. She is currently the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Humanitarian Leadership Academy and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Foundation, both in the United Kingdom.
Dr. Mahmood is an Obstetrician and Gynaecologists and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists United Kingdom.
Dr. Sayd Farook is a veteran C-suite professional with a strong knowledge management and strategy execution track record.
Sayd is the founding Vice Chairperson of the RFI Foundation, a London based non-profit backed by financial industry leaders promoting the convergence and expansion of responsible finance practices. Sayd is also an Advisor to the Executive Office of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Most recently, Sayd served as the Vice Chairman and CEO of Middle East Global Advisors, a leading intelligence and connectivity platform and a Projects Advisor to the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Center, Government of Dubai.
Previously, he was the Global Head Islamic Capital Markets at Thomson Reuters, where he advised and served large corporates, multilaterals and governments in the Middle East, North Africa and South East Asia.
During the duration of his five year leadership stint at Thomson Reuters where he oversaw the Islamic markets strategy, he conceived and led his 25 strong team to achieve a number of industry firsts besides growing and leading a profitable and highly visible business. He also advises and produces a number of research based insights for government entities in the GCC including Dubai, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia such as the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Center, The Executive Office, Central Bank of Bahrain, Economic Development Board Bahrain, Tadawul Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Development Bank.
Prior to his role at Thomson Reuters, Dr. Sayd was a legal and structuring advisor at Dar Al Istithmar, a boutique advisory firm based in Oxford and owned by Deutsche Bank, Oxford Center for Islamic Studies and Saudi Bin Laden Group.
Prior to this, he led the growth and innovation strategy at the Centre for Islamic Finance at the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance.
Sayd has advised, taught and drafted standards for regulators and universities throughout his career and sits on the editorial advisory board for two prominent blind peer reviewed academic journals. Dr. Sayd has a Doctorate in Financial Economics (specifically focusing on Islamic banking and risk management), a first class Honours in Business and a Law Degree (LLM) from the University of Technology Sydney. He is also a fellow Certified Islamic Professional Accountant (CIPA).
Job Titles:
- Professor and Manager of the Islamic Finance Program at College of Islamic Studies ( CIS ) Hamad
Dr. Tariqullah Khan is Professor and Manager of the Islamic Finance Program at College of Islamic Studies (CIS) Hamad bin Khalifa University Qatar Foundation Doha since 2009. Before that he worked as the Division Chief of Islamic Banking and Finance at the Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI), Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Jeddah. At IRTI, he also officiated as Division Chief for Islamic Economics and Development Cooperation, and worked as Editor of the Islamic Economic Studies Journal.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Co - Founder
- Specialist
Fred Werneck is a specialist in private investments and financial structuring, with over 17 years of experience across various markets and financial products. He acted as Chief Investment Officer of IFIT Fund Services from 2013 to 2016. Prior to joining IFIT, he was the fund manager of responsAbility Ventures I, a venture capital fund for businesses that address basic needs of low income population in emerging markets. During his nearly 5 years at responsAbility, Fred led equity and quasi-equity investments in multiple sectors and continents, heading a team that analysed some 2'000 SMEs and microfinance institutions. Fred is Brazilian and worked in investment banking (M&A) in South America from 1999 to 2006, before earning an MBA at London Business School. He also led carbon credit-related investments at Climate Change Capital, a London-based USD 1bn AUM asset manager. Native Portuguese speaker, he is fluent in English and Spanish, speaks French and is learning German.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chairman of Arabesque Partners
Georg Kell is Vice Chairman of Arabesque Partners, an AngloGerman asset management firm offering a quantitative approach to sustainable investing.
He was the founding Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact, the world's largest voluntary corporate sustainability initiative with over 8,000 corporate signatories from more than 160 countries. Through his leadership, Georg helped to establish the Global Compact as the foremost platform for the development, implementation and disclosure of
Georg started his career as a research fellow in engineering at the Fraunhofer Institute in Berlin. He then worked as a financial analyst in various countries in Africa & Asia before joining the United Nations in 1987. A native of Germany, Georg holds advanced degrees in economics and engineering from the Technical University of Berlin.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board for the Women 's Rights Division at Human Rights Watch
Princess Sarah is an advocate for women's, newborn, child and adolescent health and wellbeing in humanitarian and fragile settings.
As UNHCR Patron for Maternal & Newborn Health, Special Advisor to WFP on Maternal & Child Health and Nutrition, and Co-Chair of the Newborn Health in Humanitarian Settings Initiative, Princess Sarah supports efforts to reduce maternal, child and newborn mortality and morbidity in populations affected by violence and conflict, and champions the health, wellbeing, empowerment and contribution of girls and women in fragile and humanitarian settings. She is supported by and partners with the Women Deliver Humanitarian Advocacy Initiative.
Princess Sarah led Every Woman Every Child Everywhere (Everywhere), an unprecedented global multi-stakeholder movement to integrate humanitarian and fragile settings in the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health, a roadmap adopted by the World Health Assembly to end all preventable deaths of women, children and adolescents by 2030.
Princess Sarah is a member of the Advisory Board for the Women's Rights Division at Human Rights Watch; a member of UNHCR's Advisory Group on Gender, Forced Displacement and Protection; a member of the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health Advisory Committee: and, the Towards Global Learning Goals Advisory Board.
She holds a BA in International Relations from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, and an MSc in Development Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Heiko is the founder of specking+partners ltd., a Zurich based consulting firm supporting individuals, intermediaries, foundations and corporations internationally with respect to their responsible engagements. Heiko has over 25 years of experience in the fields of ethical investments, philanthropy advisory, responsible behaviour and long term business strategy.
Having worked for service providers in the field of social and environmental investments he later joined a Multi-Family Office in Zurich to set up their Charity Services, guiding the clients in their philanthropic efforts and managing their projects globally. He then headed the Philanthropy and Social Responsible Investment Advisory at Credit Suisse Solution Partners advising the premium clients of the bank. Heiko holds an MBA in Business Administration from the University of Frankfurt/Main and is a qualified Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP).
Since 2014, Heiko is on the board of the Light for the World Association in Switzerland, an NGO that provides eye health services and enhances the inclusion of disadvantaged people in developing countries. Heiko is a committee member of the Swiss chapter of Philanthropy Impact, UK, and he is a co-founder of the recently established Mindful Finance Academy. Given his passionate interest in water, organic land-use practises and regenerative agriculture, he regularly organises conferences and events on these topics, rising awareness on viable solutions and bridging the gap between investors' interest and project opportunities.
Hussam Sultan is an experienced international Islamic banking and finance professional whose interests include product development, commercial banking, Sharia authenticity, poverty alleviation, Fintech and environmental sustainability. He is currently working as Head, Commercial Banking at HSBC Amanah Malaysia Berhad. Prior to that Hussam worked as an advisor to Fajr Capital on Islamic product development, Shariah compliance and select strategic projects. He had previously held positions at HSBC Amanah in both the UK and Dubai offices, Fajr Capital and Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD). He played a pivotal role in growing the HSBC Amanah business in the UK and was involved in the launch of innovative Islamic retail and corporate banking products at BIBD. Hussam has a BEng in civil and structural engineering from University College London (UCL), UK, an MSc in Environmental Management for Business from Cranfield University, UK, with research focus on sustainable banking. He also has certifications in Islamic banking and finance, marketing, finance and project management.
Inge Relph is known as an insightful strategist and policy innovator, who sees a significant opportunity for the financial sector to drive a new wave of systemic change and to collaborate to achieve the Environmental and Social Development Goals. She led the sustainability practice of a Swiss Fintech, is a Board member of the Responsible Finance and Investment Foundation and a member of the G20 Sustainable Finance Innovation Inquiry, advising on digital finance innovations like blockchain and tokenisation for social and natural capital markets. She also advises Procivis a Swiss digital identity company looking at digital trends and democracy.
Whilst holding executive positions with British Gas and British Airways Inge co- founded the London Chamber of Commerce Women in Business group, followed by the Arab International Women's Forum, a platform to build business and understanding in the Middle East. Moving into international development, she became Senior Policy Advisor to ‘The Elders', a group that included President Carter, Mary Robinson, Kofi Annan and Gro Brundtland, during the landmark SDG and COP21 negotiations. A stint in Egypt, mentoring women leaders through conflicts in Iraq, Libya and Syria, confirmed her motivation to direct the best to the poorest, especially women for global economic growth and stability. Party to a number of consultations at the Vatican, Inge believes that leaders need to be nurtured from within and has led many corporate events on values driven leadership. She is currently Executive Director of Global Choices, a new USA Family Foundation educating intergenerations on the crucial economic, social and environmental decisions we have to make now for our planetary wellbeing.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager at MicroSave
Isvary is a Senior Manager at MicroSave with a regional focus on Southeast Asia. She has held diverse roles across government, consulting and multilateral organisations. She started her career as a founding member of the Clean Energy team at the Singapore Economic Development Board, promoting investments in and building what was then a nascent sector. She subsequently managed a start-up clean energy and sustainability consulting firm. She has since gained experience in local economic development and financial inclusion through projects with Agence Française de Développement (AFD) in the Palestinian Territories, the UN in the ASEAN region and more recently with MicroSave in India. Her contributions span the areas of strategy development, project design and partnership management across a variety of stakeholders.
Job Titles:
- Bahrain Economic Development Board As Chief Economist
- Chief Economist
Jarmo Kotilaine joined the Bahrain Economic Development Board as Chief Economist in September 2012. He previously served as Chief Economist of the National Commercial Bank (NCB) of Saudi Arabia, having initially worked on setting up the research function for NCB Capital, the investment arm of the NCB Group.
Dr Kotilaine worked for a number of years as an economic and financial consultant with a primary focus on emerging markets. He advised the Spanish stock exchange, Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME) and headed the financial services practices of UK-based global consultancy firms. During this time, Dr Kotilaine's main clientele consisted of banks, stock exchanges and financial regulators, some of which he has continued to serve as an external advisor.
Dr Kotilaine studied economics and economic history at Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard. He subsequently joined the faculty at Harvard where his primary research focus was the long-term economic and institutional development of Eurasia as well as on international trade and finance.
Job Titles:
- Venture Partner With Vectr Ventures
Jason W. Best is a technology entrepreneur who co-authored the crowdfund-investing framework used in the JOBS Act to legalize securities-based crowdfunding in the U.S.A. He and his business partner led the 460-day grass roots campaign to change 80 year old securities laws in the United States. He has twice been invited to provide US Congressional testimony on early-stage finance, consulted with current and former SEC Chairpersons and Commissioners and attended the White House, Rose Garden ceremony for President Obama to sign The JOBS Act into law, on April 5, 2012. Since then, professional investors, corporations, financial institutions, government ministries and multi-lateral organizations including the World Bank, engage his firm, CCA, to create successful investing, policy and educational strategies in early-stage finance. CCA has worked on innovative finance advisory initiatives in 35 countries.
Jason is also an Venture Partner with Vectr Ventures, a Hong Kong-based private investment company where he invests in FinTech in the US and Asia. He currently serves as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at UC Berkeley's Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology. He co-authored the World Bank's groundbreaking research "Crowdfunding's Potential in the Developing World" and is also co-author of "Crowdfund Investing for Dummies", published by Wiley. The US State Department's Global Entrepreneurship Program selected CCA as a Key Partner and has sent CCA on State Department Missions to 16 countries to provide consulting and education on entrepreneurship and crowdfunding. Jason is also co-author of the Strategic Roadmap for Crowdfunding in Chile for the Ministry of Economy and the Inter-American Development Bank. CCA has also co-founded and supported the development of crowdfunding associations in the US, Mexico, Chile, Hong Kong and Europe.
Jason has been a member of the executive leadership teams of three Web-based software companies in San Francisco, CA where he has lived and worked for 15 years. The most recent firm, Kinnser Software, where he led strategy, business development and marketing, was twice named, by Inc Magazine, as one of the 500 fastest growing private companies in the United States. He earned his master's degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, the top international MBA program in the world. His undergraduate degree, in Business Management, was earned at William Jewell College.
Job Titles:
- Founder and Managing Director of Moxie Future
- Member of the UK Parliament
Jessica Robinson is the Founder and Managing Director of Moxie Future - the world's first insights, education and community platform empowering women as responsible and impact investors. As well as running Moxie Future, Jessica works as a strategic advisor to institutional investors, think tanks and governments on all things relating to green finance, sustainability and responsible investment.
Prior to this, Jessica was Head of Asia for the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (UN-PRI), following a long stint as Chief Executive and Board Director of the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA), one of Asia's leading think tanks working to promote sustainable finance and responsible investment across the region.
She also led the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change and played an active leadership role in the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance (GSIA) and the Global Investor Coalition on Climate Change (GIC).
Jessica has an extensive background in professional services and business consulting, focusing on financial services, environmental finance and sustainability industries. Through varied roles, she has had experience of working and living in Asia (in particular, China and Hong Kong), Europe and North America, and across a range of different sectors, markets and regulatory environments.
She frequently contributes articles, authors reports and speaks at conferences on issues including green financing, financial market developments, climate finance policy and broader sustainable finance issues. She also provides input to several advisory panels and working groups on green finance and sustainability issues, and was a member of Hong Kong's Financial Services Development Council's Green Finance Working Group, responsible for making policy recommendations to the Hong Kong government on green finance.
Beginning her career working for a member of the UK Parliament, Jessica has worked in a number of policy and public affairs roles, subsequently joining one of the ‘Big Four' professional services firm as a consultant, providing advisory services to a range of financial institutions including investment banks, insurers, reinsurers and asset managers, notably on issues related to governance and risk management. Thereafter working in environmental and carbon financing, she was a director of a leading China-based developer of energy and emission reduction solutions, in addition to working with a number of start-ups in the Asia-Pacific region.
She holds an MSc in Applied Environmental Economics from the University of London, an MSc in Politics from the London School of Economics and a BA in Economics from the University of Manchester, UK. She also holds a Professional Diploma in Financial Management from the ACCA and the FT Post-Graduate Diploma for Non-Executive Directors.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer of Ethis Ventures Singapore
Joann Enriquez is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Ethis Ventures Singapore, a platform developer of the First Islamic Real Estate Crowdfunding company which crowd funds for affordable housing development in Indonesia. Ethis Ventures is the holder of the one of the six peer to peer lending license issued by Securities Commission Malaysia and is in the process of registration in Brunei, South Africa, and others. Ethis Ventures is also the first crowdfunding company signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, the largest Corporate Sustainability Initiative.
Joann has a double Bachelors in International Studies and Business Management from De La Salle University. She has a Masters in Business Administration and pending Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, USA and has recently completed her Master's in Islamic Finance Practice from the International Centre for Islamic Finance, Malaysia.
Joann has worked and consulted for various prominent financial and technology companies in the Silicon Valley while based in San Francisco, California most of her adult life. While in California, she was an active contributor to the CAIR, Council on American Islamic Relations and was very active in Interfaith programs specifically around Children and Motherhood.
She strongly believes that Fintech, Islamic Finance, and Women empowerment can all be achieved under the umbrella of MuslimWomenTech.org, one of the CSR initiatives of Ethis Ventures.
She hopes to leave legacies that will live beyond her; and eventually give back to her roots in the Philippines especially to the marginalised Filipina Muslim who have yet to be heard and represented in trade and commerce and in policy formulation of the Nation.
Job Titles:
- Senior Project Manager, Swiss Sustainable Finance
Kelly Hess has been working in the field of sustainable finance for the last 8 years. At Swiss Sustainable Finance she is responsible for implementing different workstreams and liaising with members and other stakeholders to coordinate publications, events and other tools used to promote the topic of sustainable finance and foster the use of sustainability considerations within the financial industry.
Prior to joining SSF, Kelly spent 5 years at RobecoSAM in various positions related to Sustainability Indices. She was responsible for the development and commercialization of new sustainability indices within the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) family.
Kelly holds a Masters in Environmental Sciences from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich and a Bachelor of Science from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
Mr. Khaled Al-Aboodi joined the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group in November 2001 as Deputy Director General of the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), the Private Sector arm of IDB & since 2007 till now as Chief Executive Officer of (ICD).
Mr. Al-Aboodi has over 35 years of experience serving the developing Finance industry in the Middle East and USA. He started his tenure with Ministry of Finance & National Economy of Saudi Arabia in 1982 as an Economic Researcher, served as Director of the Environment Unit, Acting Director of the International Financial Institutions Department.
In 1995 he moved to Washington DC to serve as Assistant to the Saudi Executive Director at the World Bank; and was later appointed Alternate Executive Director for Saudi Arabia at the World Bank Board until 2000.
Later in 2000, he joined the Saudi Public Investment Fund (Ministry of Finance) as Senior Economist where he was in charge of several privatization operations.
Mr. Khaled Al-Aboodi is a Saudi National, and holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics from King Saud University, Riyadh (1982), and a Master Degree in Economics from the Northeastern University, Boston, USA (1987).
Job Titles:
- President and Co - Founder of Swiss Impact Investment Association
Klaus-Michael Christensen is President and co-founder of Swiss Impact Investment Association. Klaus-Michael believes that growing the aspiration of providing a social & environmental positive "Impact" in society through investment and entrepreneurship is the critical paradigm-shift needed in achieving the SDGs and a better collective future.
In the Swiss Impact Investment Association he organises the annual Zug Impact Summit in Switzerland. The Summit offers investors a unique opportunity to network with global thought leaders, governments, entrepreneurs, financial institutions, corporations, social and environmental activists, NGOs, charitable foundations, faith groups and impact investors to discuss how to influence society positively through investment and entrepreneurship. Last year's Summit witnessed the announcement of the Zug Declaration and the Zug Guidelines.
Klaus-Michael is a Danish national with an entrepreneurial mindset. He has broad managerial and technical experiences within both the financial and IT sectors. He is a founder of several companies in Switzerland. He joined the banking and wealth management industry in Switzerland in 2001 where he worked for organisations such as Rothchild Bank, Lloyds TSB, Coutts, and Société Générale. Klaus-Michael founded a real-time financial-data company and co-founded a private equity firm for biotech and IT investments. He is educated in Boston, Massachusetts, at Bentley University, earning degrees in Economics, Finance and Marketing.
Marc Bichler is a lawyer by training and a diplomat by choice. The topic of sustainable development runs as a common thread through his professional career. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Luxembourg in 1990 and has consecutively served as Deputy Director for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Action (1995-2000), as Deputy Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the United Nations in New York (2000-2005), then as Director for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Action and Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal with residence in Luxembourg (2005-2012). From November 2012 to April 2014, he was the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in New York and is serving since August 2014 as Luxembourg's Ambassador-at-Large for climate change. In his successive functions, Mr. BICHLER grew extensive expertise and experience in the field of sustainable development in general and of financing for sustainable development, including on innovative financing in the fields of microfinance, financial inclusion and climate finance, in particular.
Job Titles:
- Head of Islamic Finance for Refinitiv
Mustafa is the Head of Islamic Finance for Refinitiv (formely. He is responsible for leading the Islamic finance and Islamic markets business for the organization, providing knowledge solutions and bespoke services to government entities, multilateral organizations and leading financial institutions to support them in fulfilling their aspirations and executing their strategies in the Islamic markets space. These include the delivery of knowledge solutions, research, consulting services and market engagement.
Prior to joining Refinitiv, formerly the Financial & Risk business of Thomson Reuters, Mustafa was a leading consultant with Ernst & Young. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales and holds a Bachelors degree in Mathematics from Imperial College in London.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of BIMB Investment Management Berhad
Najmuddin is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of BIMB Investment Management Berhad that manages RM950 million of shariah compliant assets covering equity, sukuk and money market.
He was formerly an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd in the Investment Management Division, an Assistant Director at CIMB-Principal Asset Management and a Deputy Director at Bank Negara Malaysia. He has more than 16 years of experience in the financial services industry.
Najmuddin graduated with a MBA and Bachelor of Science of Business Administration from the University of Missouri - St. Louis, USA, registered with the Federation of Investment Managers Malaysia ( FIMM ) and hold the Securities Commission's Capital Markets Services Representative's License.
Nameer Khan is one of the Middle East's Top 50 Fintech Influencers and Co-Founding Board Member of the MENA Fintech Association. Nameer Khan represents the next gen millennial leadership globally and is internationally recognized as a Fintech strategist with specialization in innovation. Nameer is currently working closely with multiple financial regulators across the region including Arab Monetary Fund and the 22 arab countries as an executive committee advisor and establishing a well knitted fintech framework to create a conducive fintech ecosystem. Also helping banks and insurance companies to transform into future forward organizations. Nameer is also on the board of multiple startups the world over and helping them with their scale ups. Nameer is a firm believer in commitment, persistence, smart work and most importantly creating a platform for the youth to build their talent and bringing some excitement to fintech. He is a key player in developing an optimal fintech ecosystem in MENA.
In his capacity as Chief Financial Officer of Masdar, Abu Dhabi's renewable energy company, Niall Hannigan brings to the CFO role more than 28 years' experience in accounting, auditing, financial management, risk management, business and financial strategy, financing, commercial negotiation and business development. He is a qualified chartered accountant and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.
Having worked in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa and on the Indian subcontinent, Mr Hannigan has strong international and multicultural experience, and thrives on working in diverse geographies and marketplaces.
He is a business-focused finance executive with a strategic mindset and a commercial outlook, having developed his skills across a variety of sectors, including renewable energy, real-estate development and services, asset management, and manufacturing sales and distribution.
Prior to joining Masdar, Mr. Hannigan served as CFO for Zabeel Properties from 2008 to 2010 and was responsible for advising the board on the medium to long-term development strategy, including asset positioning, funding, development phasing, optimal development mix (across asset classes and income streams), and asset disposition strategies. He also directed business development, risk management and commercial asset management activities, while heading key commercial and financial negotiations on behalf of the company.
Mr. Hannigan was the regional CFO for Emaar Properties from 2005 to 2008. He managed the financial and risk management of the company's international real-estate development operations throughout the Middle East and North Africa region.
In addition to his role in Masdar, Mr Hannigan serves on several Masdar-related boards, including Masdar City Services LLC; Masdar Energy Holding LLC; Masdar Energy Limited; Masdar Holding LLC; Masdar Energy UK Limited; Masdar Offshore Wind UK Limited; Masdar Offshore Wind Scotland Limited; Masdar Energy B.V.; Masdar Solar & Wind Cooperatief U.A.; Jordan Wind Project Company PSC (Tafila); Baynouna Solar Energy Company, Tesla Wind (WEBG), Serbia, and Krnovo Green Energy (Montenegro).
Job Titles:
- General Partner & Venture Catalyst, Alpha Omega Venture Partners
Following a 20-year career in banking and finance in Asia and United States, Mr. Wong has been actively contributing to the impact investing and social entrepreneurship space in Hong Kong and Asia through his work as an independent advisor to family offices, foundations and governments. He also serves as an advisory council member of Impact Investing Policy Collaborative, a global network of researchers and policymakers working on ecosystem building and policy innovation.
On a personal level, Mr. Wong has invested in a number of social startups that have created disruptive solutions to address sustainable food, education and environmental challenges. He holds an MBA and dual Bachelor degrees in Operations Research and Economics with Distinction, all from Cornell University. He is a frequent Op-Ed contributor to the South China Morning Post and blogs about his experience on impact investing at Investing Through a Social Lens.
Leading HSBC's innovation agenda across the MENAT region, Pam is a collaborator across the various business lines to link emerging technology with business strategy. She oversees the Dubai Innovation Lab, aimed at transforming the bank's products and processes through strategic partnerships, driving innovative culture and serving as an incubator for new ideas. Pam has worked in a variety of roles and geographies spanning more than 20 years in financial services, bringing a wealth of experience and a creative mindset to open new opportunities in the bank.