A result-oriented and seasoned IT expert possessing diverse industry experience in futuristic technologies like Big-Data, Data Science & Internet of Things - covering Industrial, Energy & Utility, Petroleum & Gas, Retail, Logistic, Automotive, healthcare. Able to make old fashioned and disconnected industry infrastructure with real-time visualize, available, monitor and predictive behavior.
Passionate to find innovation in invisible spectrum system. proven ability to formulate successful strategies and manage development from concept through deployment with close attention to budget, time, quality, and compliance to product requirements. Focused on solutions for challenging Digitization, Big Data Analytics and machine-to-machine communications applications, well understanding of industrial analytics, DDDM, Big Data Integration, Data Sourcing and Extraction and Internet of things.
Developed 10+ patents covering IoT, IIoT based, Healthcare, Energy/Utility based algorithms and devices.
Business Skills:
► Technology Strategy and Planning
► Product Development and Management
► Cost Reduction Initiation and Implementation
► Customer Focus and Customer Experience Management (CEM)

Dr. Awais received his Ph.D. from Imperial College, University of London. Prior to joining LUMS, Dr Awais conducted European Union research and development projects for a UK based SME. His Ph.D. work related to the development of on-line models for parametric estimation of solid fuel-fired industrial boilers. Dr Awais has also conducted research work on a class of iterative methods pertinent to Krylov subspaces for optimisation, such as the oblique projection and implicitly restarted model reduction methodologies.

Zartash Uzmi received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 2002. His graduate research focused on Multi-user Detection for CDMA systems for which he devised schemes and algorithms for practical implementation of multi-user detectors. He has held positions at Nokia Research center, Bell Laboratories, and Hewlett Packard Company. He is on LUMS faculty since 2002. At LUMS, his current research is focused on scalable and efficient network design and measurements for wide-area deployments as well as data center networks.

Hassanuddeen bin Abd Aziz obtained his BEcons (Hons) from University of Malaya in Malaysia, MBA from University of Rochester in New York, M.Sc and Ph.D degrees from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA in financial economics. Upon completion of his MBA he returned to Malaysia in August 1987 and took up a lecturera??s position at the International Islamic University Malaysia. In 1998 upon completion of his Ph.D, he returned to the University as Assistant Professor. In 2011 he was promoted to the position of Professor. He was on secondment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to hold the S cientific Research Chair in Islamic Finance at the Effat University. He was the Director of Quality Assurance Unit of the University since 1999 to 2009. He was the Deputy Dean at the Office of Corporate Strategy. He has assisted the University to attain the ISO quality management certification and quality awards at the state and national levels. He is also a quality consultant to the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC); Senior Quality Assurance Consultant for Islamic Development Bank(IDB); Technical Expert to the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) - to prepare a document containing proposed criteria, procedures and mechanisms for the selection and ranking of universities from the OIC region; Assessor of the performance of the Islamic University Technology Dhaka, Bangladesh; External Associate Supervisor for Griffith University, Australia; Academic Assessor to the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia - rating of programs offered in Public Universities in Malaysia; Academic Assessor to the Malaysian Qualification Agency; Executive member of the Committee for Best Practices among Public Universities in Malaysia, and Executive member of the Committee for the networking of Quality Directors of Public Universities Malaysia. He is also a member of Islamic Advisory Agency on Quality and Accreditation Federation of Universities in the Islamic World. He was also the Dean of Postgraduate Studies and a member of the National Council of Postgraduate Studies. Presently Dr Hassanuddeen is a Professor at the Department of Finance, Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia.

Dr Farrukh Habib is an expert in Shariah and finance. He is an Advisor, Trainer and Researcher by profession with a strong educational background of shariah, finance and economics. He recently turned his focus towards FinTech, including: crowdfunding, micro-investments, microfinance, blockchain, smart contracts, cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings (ICOs), tokenization, disintermediation, decentralization, and collaborative consumption (sharing economy). He has contributed in several projects, researches, corporate trainings, workshops and consultation work on Islamic finance and FinTech with the focus on blockchain. Currently, he is involved as:

• Advisor of HalalChain (a blockchain & IoT tech-based Halal-ecosystem);
• FinTech & Shariah Advisor of R-Project (a multi-sectoral blockchain-based Islamic global project for Rohingya community);
• FinTech & Shariah Advisor at Five Pillars Singapore (provider of shariah compliance, review and audit services for FinTech)
• Shariah Advisor of Salihin Shariah Advisory Sdn Bhd (provider of shariah compliance, review and audit services)
• Consultant for several other blockchain-based projects, including: medical & health services, construction, real estate, renewable energy, and financial services.

Dr Farrukh Habib is also Researcher at International Shari’ah Research Academy for Islamic Finance (ISRA), Kuala Lumpur; and co-editor of ISRA Journal of Islamic Finance (indexed by ESCI and SCOPUS). He has been doing research in capital market, sukuk, banking and social & ethical finance. He has also been a prolific speaker in several international dialogues, conferences and seminars; and contributor in numerous academic journals, reports, research papers and business magazines.
Dr Farrukh Habib holds a PhD degree in Islamic Finance from INCEIF, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He acquired a master’s degree (M.Sc.) in banking and finance from Queen Mary, University of London, UK. Prior to that, he obtained master’s and bachelor’s degrees from University of Karachi, both in economics. He also received traditional Islamic (Shariah) knowledge through an extensive eight-years-course in Jamia Uloom-E-Islamya Banuri Town, Karachi, acquiring another bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Islamic studies.

M. Nauman Farooqi, Professor & Head of the Department of Commerce. He also serves as the Coordinator for the Norway and The Hague International Exchange Programs. During 2005-6 he also served as the Director of Leadership Mount Allison. Dr. Farooqi brings a unique blend of corporate and academic experience to the Commerce Program. Previously he served as the Chief Executive Officer of a money management firm and successfully launched a multi-million Dollar mutual fund. He has conducted corporate consulting, training, workshops, seminars, and projects in the United States, Canada, UAE, Kazakhstan and Pakistan on behalf of the World Bank, United Nations Development Program, banks, development finance institutions and government departments.Dr. Farooqi was awarded the Paul Pare Excellence Award in recognition of excellence in both teaching and Research at Mount Allison University in 2005 and 2006

Dr. Imam Uddin is an active academician and a researcher in the field of Islamic Banking & Finance. He has got more than ten years of experience in Teaching, research, product development, product management and Sharia’ compliance and authored multiple books and numerous research papers that have been published in the International Journal of Islamic Finance recognized by the AAOIFI, IRTI, and IDB etc. He has earned his PhD in Islamic Finance from University of Karachi, LL.B in International Law from FUUAST & PGD in Islamic Banking & Finance from Center for Islamic Economics (CIE). He has served the Islamic Banking Group, National Bank of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah University Karachi, University of Balochistan Quetta and DHA Suffa University Karachi. Currently he is associated with the College of Business Management Institute of Business Management as an Associate Professor in the Department of Accounting & Finance.

Prof. Dato Dr. Mohd Azmi Omar serves as a Director General of Islamic Research & Training Institute (Irti) at Islamic Development Bank. Prof. Dato Dr. Omar served as a Member of Syariah Committee at Bank Kerjasama Rakyat Malaysia Berhad. Prof. Dato Dr. Omar holds PhD in Finance from University of Wales, Bangor, United Kingdoms.

Mr. Shafqaat Ahmed serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Al Baraka Bank (Pakistan) Limited. Mr. Ahmed served as a Regional General Manager of Pakistan for AlBaraka Islamic Bank B.S.C. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Islamic Bank Limited since 2010. He joined AlBaraka Islamic Bank in August 1992. He has 33 years of banking experience in both Commercial & Offshore unites: 13 years with united Bank Limited, Bahrainm, 3 years with Bank of Credit & Commerce Intl. Bahrain (BCCI) and 4 years with united Bank limited, Pakistan. He serves as Director of Al Baraka Bank (Pakistan) Limited. Mr. Ahmed holds Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Punjab University, Pakistan in 1968.

Dr. Amjad Waheed holds a Doctorate in Business Administration with a major in Investments and Finance from Southern Illinois University, USA and is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Since inception, Dr. Amjad Waheed is the CEO of NBP Fullerton Asset Management Ltd (NAFA), which is a subsidiary of National Bank of Pakistan, with Fullerton Fund Management Company of Singapore as the other joint venture partner. NAFA is presently managing twenty two mutual funds, 2 pension funds and several Advisory portfolios with around Rs. 98 Billion (As of December 30, 2017) invested in these funds.
Before joining NAFA, Dr. Amjad was Head of Equity Mutual Funds & Portfolios at Riyadh Bank, Saudi Arabia, for about 5 years where he was managing around US$ 7.5 billion invested in 22 mutual funds. Prior to that Dr. Amjad was Head of Asset Management at NIT, and Chief Operating Officer of FC-ABN AMRO Equities for several years. Before moving back to Pakistan, Dr. Amjad was Assistant Professor of Finance at Tennessee State University, USA and has published several articles in top journals of the world such as Journal of Banking & Finance and Financial Management.
Dr. Amjad has served on the Board of various companies including BankIslami Pakistan, Siemens (Pakistan) Engineering Co.Ltd., Nishat Mills Ltd., PICIC, Askari Bank Ltd., Millat Tractors Ltd., Fauji Fertilizer Company Ltd., Pakistan Tobacco Company Ltd., Parke-Davis & Company Ltd., Treet Corporation Ltd., Atlas Investment Bank Ltd., Gul Ahmed Textile Mills Ltd., Bata Pakistan Ltd. and Mehran Sugar Mills Ltd. among others. He has also served as Chairman, Mutual Funds Association of Pakistan (MUFAP).

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.

Syed Amir Ali is the President & Chief Executive Officer of BankIslami Pakistan Limited. He excelled in the ambit of Finance, Treasury, Investment & Corporate Banking throughout his association with domestic and international organizations i.e. Price Water House Coopers (PWC), Shell and Meezan Bank Limited. He spearheaded Corporate & Investment Banking Group of Meezan Bank before moving to BankIslami in 2018. His diverse credentials as a Chartered Accountant (Gold Medalist) from Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan and in England & Wales, CFA Charter holder, MBA (Gold Medalist) and LLB are testament to his progression in the financial industry.

Dr. Shafiullah Jan is currently serving Institute of Management Sciences as an Assistant Professor of Islamic banking and finance and heading the research at Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance. Dr. Shafiullah is privileged to be educated at different institutions across three continents. Dr. Shafiullah completed his bachelor in Information Systems with Co-operative option from Carleton University, Canada, in 2003 and received MPHIL in International Finance and Economic Policy from the prestigious Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow, UK. Further, Dr. Shafiullah was awarded a PhD in 2013 from a premier centre, Durham Centre for Islamic Economics and Finance (DCIEF), Durham University, England. Dr. Shafiullah has presented and chaired different conferences nationally and internationally. Dr. Shafiullah has more than 13 years of experience in developing and delivering seminars, workshops, lectures and trainings nationally and internationally with special focus on development sector. Dr. Shafiullah is the winner of President Scholarship from Carleton University and HEC-IMSciences fully funded scholarship for PhD. Dr. Shafiullah main interests lie in Islamic Political Economy, Islamic Economics, Islamic Banking and Finance, Islamic Microfinance, Justice and Development.

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. M. Kabir Hassan is a financial economist with consulting, research and teaching experiences in development finance, money and capital markets, Islamic finance, corporate finance, investments, monetary economics, macroeconomics and international trade and finance. He provided consulting services to the World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Islamic Development Bank (IDB), African Development Bank (AfDB), USAID, Government of Bangladesh, Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC), Federal Reserve Bank, USA, and many corporations, private organizations and universities around the world. Dr. Hassan received his BA in Economics and Mathematics from Gustavus Adolphus College, Minnesota, USA, and M.A. in Economics and Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA respectively. He is now a tenured Full Professor of Finance in the Department of Economics and Finance at the University of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He has 145 papers published in refereed academic journals to his credit. Dr. Hassan supervised 32 doctoral theses, and many of his students are now well placed in the academia, government and private sectors. He is editor of The Global Journal of Finance and Economics and Journal of Islamic Economics, Banking and Finance, International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, International Journal of Excellence in Islamic Banking and Finance and Co-Editor of Journal of Economic Cooperation and Development. Dr. Hassan has edited and published many books along with articles in refereed academic journals. Dr. Hassan is co-editor (with M.K. Lewis) of Handbook of Islamic Banking and Islamic Finance, The International Library of Critical Writings in Economics (Edward Elgar, 2007), and co-editor (with Michael Mahlknecht) Islamic Capital Market: Products and Strategies (John Wiley and Sons, 2011). He is co-author Islamic Entrepreneurship (Routledge UK, 2010). Dr. Hassan has completed a textbook on Islamic Finance, (co-authored with Rasem N Kayed and Umar A Oseni) which was published by the UK based Pearson Publishing Company. Dr. Hassan is now completing an edited volume on Islam and the Economy to be published by the Oxford University Press. A frequent traveller, Dr. Hassan gives lectures and workshops in the US and abroad, and has presented over 270 research papers at professional conferences and gave 103 invited lectures.

Zamir Iqbal heads the World Bank Global Islamic Finance Development Center in Istanbul. He has more than 25 years of experience of risk management, capital markets, and asset management at the World Bank Treasury. Islamic finance is his research focus and he has co-authored several articles and books on Islamic finance on the topics of banking risk, financial inclusion, economic development, financial stability, and risk-sharing. His co-edited book, "Economic Development and Islamic Finance" was published by the World Bank in 2013. He earned his Ph. D. in international finance from the George Washington University and serves as Professional faculty at Carey Business School of Johns Hopkins University.

Mr. Saeed Ahmad is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries, London, He holds a Masters Degree in Finance & Accounting from the London School of Economics (LSE) and BSc (Hons) from Punjab University, Lahore with a gold medal. He also attended Senior Management Program of Harvard Business School at Boston, USA. Mr. Saeed Ahmad has extensive Banking, Finance and Management experience of over 45 years. He started his career with Prudential Corporation, London in 1969 and then moved on to Banking and worked in SIBC Riyadh, an Associate of Chase Manhattan Bank, in Corporate Finance and as Head of Corporate Finance and International in Kuwait Asia Bank, Bahrain. Mr. Saeed Ahmad has worked as Head of Treasury, Credit and Marketing of Paris based Union de Banques Arabes et Francaise (UBAF) at Bahrain, a subsidiary of Credit Lyonnais, Paris for several years. He also headed Islamic Investment and Financial Products Group at Faysal Islamic Bank of Bahrain-Manama, Bahrain. Mr. Saeed Ahmad has also worked in the corporate sector at senior executive positions such as Vice President Finance & Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the biggest Saudi multinational group in Jeddah. Earlier, he was also heading a Group of companies in England. He was appointed by the Federal Government as Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Promotion of Islamic Finance in December, 2013. This apex forum was responsible for developing a roadmap for Islamic Finance in the country. Before joining NBP, as President on March 24, 2017 Mr. Saeed was serving at the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) as Deputy Governor, from January 2014 to March 2017. At SBP he contributed as Chairman/member of several committees playing key role in decision making for the central bank. He chaired Banking Policy Committee, Investment Committee of the Management, Management Committee on Information Technology, Payment Systems Policy Committee. He was also a member of the Monetary Policy Committee and Monetary Operations Committee. To meet the special skill requirements and develop human resources for an expanding Islamic Banking Industry, he played a pivotal role in the establishment of three Centers of Excellence in Islamic Finance in three leading universities of the country. With a focus on smooth flow of financial services to priority sectors including Agriculture, Warehousing Receipts, Microfinance, SMEs, low cost housing, Financial Inclusion, Digital Banking, Mr. Saeed Ahmad has played a key role in developing a number of innovative market instruments. During 2014-17, Mr. Saeed Ahmed was Chairman of the Board of Directors of House Building Finance Company Ltd. (HBFCL), Pakistan Mortgage Refinance Company and EXIM Bank. He was member, Policy Board of Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), State Life Insurance Corporation (SLIC) and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL). Moreover, he is a member of the Board of Governors as well as Board of Trustees of Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Center, Lahore. Mr. Saeed Ahmad also chaired SAARC Payments Council, which is an international forum of SAARC countries to share experiences on payment systems.

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.

Dr. Ishrat Husain is currently Advisor to the Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms and Austerity with the status of Federal Minister. During 2016-17 he was Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington DC. During this tenure he produced his latest book “Governing the ungovernable’” which was published by Oxford University Press. He is HEC National Distinguished Professor, Professor Emeritus and Chairman Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance at the Institute of Business Administration, (IBA) Karachi. He had earlier served as Dean and Director IBA - the oldest graduate business school in Pakistan (established in 1955) between 2008 and 2016. During his term of office he was actively engaged in the transformation of the Institute to become one of the leading Global Business schools. He served as the Chairman, National Commission for Government Reforms for two years from 2006 to 2008 with the status of Federal Minister reporting directly to the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan. The Commission produced a two volume report on governance reforms in Pakistan. He was appointed the Governor of Pakistan’s Central Bank in December 1999. During the next six years, he implemented a major program of restructuring of the Central Bank and steered the reforms of the banking sector. As a member of the economic management team of the Government, he played a key role in the impressive economic turnaround of Pakistan. In recognition of his meritorious services he was conferred the prestigious award of “Hilal-e-Imtiaz” by the President of Pakistan in 2003. The Banker Magazine of London declared him as the Central Bank Governor of the year for Asia in 2005. He received the Asian Banker Lifetime achievement award in 2006. The President of Pakistan conferred upon him the highest civilian award of Nishan e Imtiaz in 2016 for his outstanding public service.
Dr. Husain had a distinguished career at the World Bank for over two decades 1979-1999. Among the key positions he held at the Bank were Resident Representative to Nigeria, head of the Bank’s Debt and International Finance Division, Chief Economist for Africa between 1991- 94 and later as Chief Economist for East Asia and Pacific Region that included China. He became the Bank’s Director Poverty and Social Department and in 1997 he was named the Country Director for Central Asian Republics.
Since his retirement as the Governor he has been actively involved in many national and international assignments. During 2005-06 he was appointed by the Board of IMF as a member of a three person panel to evaluate the IEO. He was a member of the Mahathir Commission 2021 vision for the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). He also advised the IDB for creating its poverty reduction fund. He was appointed by the Board of Asian Development Bank to a two member independent panel to restructure the Accountability Mechanism. He also served on the Middle East Advisory Group of the IMF, Regional Advisory Group of UNDP, the President Advisory Council of IDB and was Chairman World Economic Forum Global Advisory Council on Pakistan until June 2014.
During 2009-10 he was appointed by the Government of Pakistan to chair the Pay and Pension Commission. Between 2011-14 he served as an independent Director on the Board of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP)-- the largest Social safety net and conditional cash transfer program targeted at the poor households of Pakistan. He was reappointed to the Board of BISP in 2017. He served as Convener, Economic Advisory Council, Ministry of Finance until 2017 and Member, Advisory Council to the Minister of Planning, Development and Reforms. He was also one of the two non official members of the Monetary and Fiscal Coordination Board headed by the Minister of Finance until August 2018.
Mr. Husain has maintained an active scholarly interest in development issues. He has authored 18 books and monographs and contributed more than three dozen articles in refereed journals and 27 chapters in books. His book “Pakistan: The Economy of the Elitist State” published by Oxford University Press is widely read in Pakistan and outside. His latest research and writings are focused on CPEC and his book “CPEC and Pakistani economy” has been published by the Centre for Excellence on CPEC in May 2018. He is regularly invited as a speaker to international conferences and seminars and has attended more than 100 such events all over the world since 2006. He chairs/ serves on the Boards of several research institutes, philanthropic and cultural organizations. Dr. Ishrat Husain obtained Master’s degree in Development Economics from Williams College and Doctorate in Economics from Boston University in 1978. He is a graduate of Executive Development program jointly sponsored by Harvard, Stanford and INSEAD.

Program Director, MSc in Strategic Marketing, Cardiff (2008-2012).
Coordinator, Ethnic Marketing Research Group, Cardiff.
Jan 2011-to date: Member of PEEAC (Pan European Education Advisory Committee) – an Executive Committee of the Federation of European Direct Marketing (FEDMA)
2009-to date: Senior Examiner, Chartered Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing, The Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK since 2009
2007-2011: Vice President for UK, the Academy for Global Business Advancement, USA.
2007- 2011: Managing Editor for the Journal of Global Business Advancement (JGBA)
External Examiner, University of Bournemouth (effective Jan 2012)
Past External Examiner, University of Surrey
Past Examiner, Manchester Metropolitan University
1998-2002: Deputy Secretary, Academy of Marketing, United Kingdom
1996-to date: Member of the Association for Consumer Research, USA
1996-to date: Member of the European Academy of Marketing
Program Chair and Conference Director for Academy of Global Business Advancement 5th World Congress, held in Bahrain Nov 15 to Nov 19, 2008
Program Chair and Conference Director for First South Asian International Conference (SAICON 2008) hosted by COMSATS, PAKISTAN in association with the Academy of Global Business Advancement, Islamabad, Nov 12-14, 2008.
Member Plenary Session: Royal Bank International Research Seminar, 22-24 September 2011; Montreal, Canada.
Panellist for the “Ethnic and Minority Marketing” track at the Academy of Marketing Science’s international conference entitled “Cultural Perspectives in Marketing;” January 16-19, 2008, New Orleans, LA. USA.
Guest Speaker and a Panellist - International Conference of Marketing and Retailing held in Kuala Lumpur, May 29 to 31 May 2007.

Tahir is an internationally renowned academic with over sixteen years higher education experience of teaching and research in UK, Austria, Germany and Lithuania. He is the Director of PG International Marketing and Services Management Programmes at Salford Business School and the Secretary General of CIRCLE International (The Centre for International Research in Consumer Location and their Environmant).

Tahir has published in esteemed peer reviewed international journals, contributed book chapters, presented at academic conferences and is the co-author of the internationally acclaimed text book on Events Management. In 2012 he was invited by the Lithuanian Government as an associated professor to deliver guest lecturers to Kaunas University on consumer behaviour and customer relationship marketing.

As an experienced entrepreneur and management consultant -with a background in management, marketing and corporate strategy- Tahir has led government and European funded projects to assist SMEs and multinational organisations to enhance their management and IT capabilities. He is often sought out by news media for his views on consumer issues and has been a guest on BBC News 24

Dr Razaq Raj is Principal Lecturer for Research and Enterprise in School of Accounting School of Accounting, Finance & Economics.

Dr Razaq Raj is an internationally renowned academic with over fifteen years higher education experience of teaching and research in UK, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany and China and South Korea. He is Principal Lecturer for Research and Enterprise and is a Visiting Professor at the Kedge Business School, France and University of Vitez, Bosnia. He has substantial external examining and curriculum development experience of both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in business management, events and tourism.

He has published work on strategic management, economic and financial impacts, cultural festivals and sustainable tourism and religious tourism. He has both organised international conferences and delivered keynote speeches. He has published in a number of peer reviewed journals and conference proceedings. He has published books on Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Management: An International Perspective (Cabi), Event Management: An integrated and practical approach (Sage) and Event Management and Sustainability (Cabi). He has recently published text on Cultural Tourism and 2nd edition of Event Management. He has substantial experience of developing international partnership in Germany and Middle East and also sits on a voluntary sector management boards. He is often sought out by news media for his views on international Terrorism and has been a guest on BBC and Sky News.

He is founding co-editor of the Journal Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage and Series Editor, CABI Religious Tourism & Pilgrimage Book Series (with Dr Kevin Griffin) and on the editorial board of the Journal of Tourism Today, Asian Journal of Development Studies, Revista De Turism (Journal of Tourism) and reviewer on the Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Management and Sustainable Tourism.

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).

Dr. Muhammad Ashfaq, is serving as CEO of Amanah Institute of Islamic Finance and Economics based in Germany and Pakistan. He is widely recognized as an outstanding and experienced Islamic Finance expert with more than 12 years of international experience. Dr. Ashfaq is author of the book “Islamic Banking and Finance in Europe: the Case of Germany and United Kingdom”. He has contributed to the further development of the Islamic financial industry through his cutting-edge research, industry specific trainings and global initiatives for human capital development and organizational capacity building. Dr. Ashfaq has also conducted a number of lectures and facilitated training programs for many financial, academic and multinational institutions on the topic of Islamic Banking and Finance, Islamic Microfinance, Islamic Insurance (Takaful) and Islamic Law. He also conducted a TV lecture series on Islamic Finance for Paghiam TV Network. Dr. Ashfaq is certified coach and consultant from HDW Network (NRW) Germany and certified Train the Trainer from Australian Centre for Education and Training (ACET) Melbourne, Australia. He has also gained certification in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship from International Summer University Carinthia, Austria.

Dr. Ashfaq has spoken on the topic of Islamic Banking and Finance at conferences in more than 30 countries worldwide, and has served as peer-review referee for a number of international conferences and Journals. In pursuit of his passion, Dr. 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. He is also visiting lecturer at Coburg University in Germany where he teaches Islamic Finance.

Dr. Ashfaq passed his doctor of philosophy and his research topic was “Knowledge, Attitude and Practices toward Islamic Banking and Finance: An Empirical Analysis of Retail Consumers in Germany” from the University of Tübingen Germany. Dr. 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. Dr. 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. He was also awarded prestigious LGFW (Baden Württenberg Government Germany) scholarship for his Ph.D. at University of Tübingen, Germany. Furthermore, Dr. 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 is also Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Global Business Magazine & News. He speaks three international languages including German, English and Urdu.

Omar is a Chartered Accountant by profession and specializes in Islamic finance and private equity. He leads the IFC’s government policy advisory activities. Omar has been involved in the UK Government’s strategy for making the City a leading hub for Islamic finance. Omar background includes working with Ernst & Young where he was recognized as the UK firms SME for Islamic finance and successfully led the build out of the Islamic finance offering within the UK office.

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.

Dr. Nasim Shah Shirazi is Senior Economist at Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI), Islamic Development Bank. His areas of interest are Development Economics, Public Finance and Islamic Economics. The focus of his research has been on Development Economics, Public Finance and Islamic Economics. He has number of publications to his credit, including research articles in the national and international journals, books and research reports.
Before joining IRTI, IDB, he has been all along working as a University teacher and researcher over a period of last 31 years. He served International Islamic University, Islamabad holding different positions including Dean School of Economics, Director Research, International Institute of Islamic Economics (IIIE), Director General (IIIE), Dean Student Affairs IIUI. He has worked for Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, International Islamic University Malaysia and Suleyman Demirel University, Almaty, Kazakhistn. He also served Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund in a consultative capacity.

Mufti Muhammad Zubair Usmani completed his Doctorate in Islamic Finance form Karachi University. He is also the Fazil Takhassus (specialist of Islamic Fiqh and Fatawa) from Jamia Darul Uloom Karachi and is also a research scholar and teacher. Besides being the Shari’ah Advisor, Muslim Commercial Bank; he is also the member Transformation Commission Sub-committee, State Bank of Pakistan; Islamization of Economic Committee Chamber of Commerce, Karachi; Implementation of Supreme Court Judgment on Riba Committee, Institute of Chartered Accountant of Pakistan and governing body Al-Markaz-ul-Islami, Dhaka, Banglades.

• Resident Shariah Board Member, The Bank of Khyber, Islamic Banking Division. (2010 – Till Date)
• Visiting Lecturer of Islamic Financial System in Management Science Department of City University & Institution of Management and Sciences Peshawar.(2007–Till Date)
• Member of Majlis-ul-Ulama for Ifta in Timergara. (June 2008 – Till date)
• Trainer in National Institution of Banking & Finance (NIBAF) Pakistan (December 2009 – Till date)
• Member Microfinance Board Al-Huda (2005 - Till date)
• Manager Microfinance & Enterprise Development & Senior Social Organizer Al-khedmut Foundation (2006 till date)
• Trainer in Al-Huda Pakistan (2008 – Till date)
• Trainer in State Bank of Pakistan (April 2009 till date)
• Member Islamic Banking Focus Group State Bank of Pakistan Peshawar Branch (2010 - Till date)
•  Shariah consultant MISFA (Microfinance Investment Support Faculty for Afghanistan) (2013 -  Till date)
• Shariah consultant NRP Microfinance Bank (2014 - Till date)

Abdulazeem holds PhD and Master in Islamic financial law. He also holds three BAs in Islamic law, Arabic language and English Literature; two higher studies diplomas in Islamic law and in Human sciences. He was Sharia expert and trainer at Emirates Islamic bank and a Shariah board member and consultant for Islamic financial institutions, including RHB Islamic bank in Malaysia, Mithaq Takaful Abu Dhabi and Five Pillars Associates, Singapore. Currently he is holding the position of Shariah Manger at Oman Arab Bank in Muscat, Oman.

AkmalHanuk is Founder & CEO of IBFC-UK, Islamic Banking and Finance Centre. He is the member of UKTI committee in Islamic Finance, Trustee and treasure of Muslim council of Wales, chair and independent member of The Standards and Ethics Committee- Cardiff Country Council, member of study of Islam in UK school of Religious and Theological Studies, co founder and executive director of EBSP Leadership, Equality and diversity Training Center and member of Cardiff School of Management.

Dr. Mohamad Akram Laldin is currently the Executive Director of International Shari’ah Research Academy for Islamic Finance (ISRA). Prior to joining ISRA he was an Assistant Professor at the Kulliyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University, Malaysia (IIUM). In the period 2002-2004, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. At present, he is a Member of Bank Negara Malaysia Shari’ah Advisory Council, Member of Shari’ah Advisory Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Member of HSBC Amanah Global Shari’ah Advisory Board, Member of Yassar Limited (Dubai) Shari’ah Advisory Board, Member of EAB (London) Shari’ah Advisory Board, Chairman of Islamic Advisory Board of HSBC Insurance Singapore, Shari’ah Advisor to ZI Shari’ah Advisory Malaysia, Member of Shari’ah Advisory Council International Islamic Financial Market (IIFM), Bahrain, Committee member of AAOIFI Shari’ah Standards, Bahrain and other Boards locally and internationally. In addition, he is also a member of the Board of Studies of the Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance, International Islamic University Malaysia. Dr. Akram holds a B.A. Honours degree in Islamic Jurisprudence and Legislation from the University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan and a Ph.D. in Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence (Usul al-Fiqh) from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom. He has presented many papers related to Islamic Banking and Finance and other Fiqh topics at national and International level and has conducted many training sessions particularly on Islamic Banking and Finance for different sectors since 1999. He is a registered Shari’ah advisor for Islamic Securities with the Securities Commission of Malaysia and has acted as Shari’ah advisor in the issuance of several sukuk. In addition he is also prolific author of academic works specifically in the areas of Islamic Banking and Finance. He is the recipient of Zaki Badawi Award 2010 for Excellence in Shari’ah Advisory and Research.

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

Dr. Naseem Razi is an Associate professor of Law in the Faculty of Shari’ah and Law at International Islamic University, Islamabad. She is well known speaker and has presented almost 27 research papers at different national and international conferences local and abroad. She has 25 research publications in HEC recognized journals and ISI Indexing International journals. She is holder of a distinction award awarded due to her services as Head of the Department of Law at Government College University Faisalabad. Last year in 2017, she achieved HEC Thematic Research Grant Program (worth 4 million).

Mufti Irshad Ahmad Aijaz is appointed as the full time Shariah Adviser to the Bank. He comes from a leading family of scholars. His father, Maulana Muhammad Ashfaque Ahmad, is better known for translating in English the famous ‘Tafseer e Usmani’.He graduated from Jamia Uloom Islamiyyah, Binnori Town, Karachi and he has done his Shadat-ul-Aalamia (Masters in Arabic and Islamic Studies) from there as well.Afterwards, he completed his Takhassus fi al-Iftaa (Specialization in Islamic Jurisprudence and Fatwa) from Jamia Darul Uloom, Karachi. Mufti Irshad Ahmad is well versed in Islamic economics. Mufti Irshad has passed an Islamic economics course “Contemporary Business and Banking and its critical evaluation in the light of Shariah” from the Centre for Islamic Economics, Jamia Darul Uloom, Karachi.Mufti Irshad has also recently completed his MBA program from (AMI) Iqra University, Karachi.He is also presently associated with Iqra University as Lecturer in Islamic Studies and is enrolled in the MPhil program with specialization in Islamic Finance at (AMI) Iqra University, Karachi.

Mr. Muhammad Shoaib Ibrahim is the CEO and Managing Director of First Habib Modaraba (FHM). With more than two decades experience in non-bank Islamic financial institutions and Modarabas, he is a senior expert on this topic in 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. Under his leadership, at present, FHM is well positioned in the Islamic financial market with a strong equity base, sound assets size and profitability within the modaraba sector of Pakistan. FHM holds a strong credit rating scale of AA+ in long term and A1+ in short term. Moreover, FHM has secured several awards/accolades on best performance, best corporate report, best corporate disclosure and corporate excellence from reputable bodies, such as NBFI and Modaraba Association, ICAP and ICMAP, Management Association of Pakistan, and SAFA an apex body of SAARC during his tenor as CEO of FHM. Mr. Shoaib holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in banking and finance from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA). He has also completed a Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in Islamic Banking from the Centre of Islamic Economics (Darul Ulum), Karachi Pakistan. He is country correspondent of Islamic Finance News, Malaysia and also has presented research papers on the modaraba and other Islamic financial products at different local and international forums. On number of occasions he served as Executive Member of the NBFI & Modaraba Association of Pakistan. In the year 2015, he also remained Chairman of said association.

Mr. Mohammad Shoaib, CFA is the Chief Executive Officer of Al Meezan Investment Management Limited, the largest Shariah compliant asset management company in Pakistan. He has over 25 years of experience in managing investment portfolios. Currently with Al Meezan Investments he is managing investments of about US$658.4 (as on Sep 30, 2015) million under 12 mutual/pension funds and discretionary clients’ portfolios, and leading a team of 130 employees of the organization
He is an MBA from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi of 1988 and has also taught in his alma mater, several courses ranging Security Analysis to Finance & Accounting.
He got his CFA charter in 1999 and later founded the CFA Association of Pakistan in May 2002 with 40 members. He was the first President of the CFA Association of Pakistan (CFAAP) and during his leadership CFAAP achieved several milestones including the “Innovation Award” in 2006 and the “Strategic Planning Award” in 2008 from the CFA Institute.

Sultan Choudhury is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Director at Al Rayan Bank PLC, formerly known as Islamic Bank of Britain (IBB). The Bank’s longest- serving employee, Mr Choudhury joined the Bank when it was formed in 2004 and was part of the founding management team of Western Europe’s first authorised Islamic Bank.
Since then Mr Choudhury has set up Al Rayan Bank’s Head Office operations and Branch Network. He has also led the development and implementation of its full product range and service delivery channels. As a result, Al Rayan Bank now offers the largest range of Islamic retail financial products in the UK and has attracted over 50,000 customers. Most recently, Mr Choudhury successfully oversaw the Bank’s acquisition by Masraf Al Rayan QSC (Al Rayan), a Qatar- based Islamic bank.
Mr. Choudhury is a member of various community and advisory groups and has contributed significantly to the development of Islamic Financial Services in the UK.
Mr. Choudhury previously held roles at Charles Schwab Europe, Barclays Private Bank and Deloitte. A Chartered Accountant (ACA), he holds a BA (Hons) in Economics & Econometrics from University of Nottingham and an MBA with distinction (University of Aston). Mr Choudhury is also a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment for whom he sits on the Employer Panel for the Islamic Finance Qualification.

M. Ishaq Bhatti is Associate Professor and the founding director of Islamic Banking and Finance Programme at Latrobe University (LTU); the first ever in Australasian region. Previously, he has taught at Monash, Griffith, International Islamic University, University of Alberta and visited Rider, Magberg, Hitotsubashi, Auckland and Middle Eastern Universities. He is an author of more than 100 articles, 6 books and a member of the editorial board of various journals. His major areas of research, scholarship and teaching are in Quantitative finance, Islamic finance, Applied Econometrics and Statistics. He is a winner of the national ALTC award 2010, LTU citation award 2010, faculty's teaching award and 2013 LTSU best teacher's award. He was a member of the team who won AusTrade project, Victorian Dept of Education ESL financial modelling project 2007, Iraqi Central Bank training 2010, HEC of Pakistan, Turkey Central Bank Training 2013, Islamic Development Bank, and the Australian Research Council Discovery Grant jointly with Suren Basov. He is an Advisory Board member of the National Zakat Foundation (NZF), Australia and work closely with Zakat@ICV' and NILS-No interest loan; Qard Hassan. He is currently editing Islamic Business Series (http://www.gowerpublishing.com/default.aspx?page=5097&series_id=616&calcTitle=1) publisher is Informa Plc, the publishing arm of Taylor & Francis, Routledge & Ashgate.

A qualified Mufti and Shari’ah Scholar, has a total experience of 27 years in Shari’ah, IB and Finance.
He is a regular speaker on Islamic Finance, Micro-finance and Takaful conferences circuit. He is a Member of several Shari’ah Boards and a Shari’ah consultant for several IFIs
PhD in Islamic banking and finance is under process.

Dr. Mehboobul Hassan is working as Professor of Economics, at College of Business Administration, King Saud University,Saudi Arabia. In addition to instructor at post- graduate levels, hetakes care the academics and research activities of the Islamic Banking Center, established under the endowment of Shaikh Saleh Kamel at the Department of Economics, King Saud University. Dr. Hassan possess the unique combination of teaching and research in Islamic as well as conventional economics. He has worked as Professor and Associate Dean at Business Administration and Islamic Banking and Finance departments at Al-Khawarizmi International University College, United Arab Emirates. He has also served as Professor and Dean of Department of Business Administration at Sindh Madressatul Islam University, Karachi, Pakistan. Under the Foreign Faculty Hiring Program of Higher Education Commission of Pakistan he has served as Foreign Professor at Applied Economics Research Centre, University of Karachi and International Institute of Islamic Economics at International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan. Dr. Hassan has workedat the renowned education and research institutions of Japan, Pakistan, UAE and Saudi Arabia. His focused areas are Islamic Economics, Development Economics, Welfare Economics, Comparative Economics and Islamic Banking and Finance. He is serving as an advisory member for developing new courses and programs in Islamic Banking and Finance Studies. He has supervised M.Phil. and Ph.D. researches and has good numbers of publications in renowned research journals.He has been invited as a Speaker, Chair, Discussant, Panelist and Subject Expert in the Conferences, Seminars and Workshops at local and international levels.

Dr. Dai JianBing has a doctor degree in history from Fudan University, Shanghai,China. He is the vice-president of Hebei Normal University and works as a Ph.dstudent supervisor for the said university. In the meanwhile, he is working as theacademic committee member of Chinese Coin Association & Singaporean Asian CoinAssociation. Professor Dai is the editor for Chinese academic journals such asChinese Economic History Studies, Chinese Coins and Asian Coins. He has publisheddozens of research papers and monographs. Among them are Chinese Coins in theModern Period, Money and War, Chinese Silver Coins History in Modern Era, theFinancial History of Chinese Currency in Modern Era.

Dr. Karim Ullah Karim Ullah has a PhD on designing Islamic Financial Services, from Brunel University, London, UK. Currently he is the founding Head of the Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance (CEIF) at Institute of Management Sciences, Pakistan. Karim has two gold medals for being the top most student in his sessions for graduate and post-graduated programmes. In 2015, Karim lead a team of faculty who won the prestigious financial innovation challenge fund, to establish the CEIF, with the support the State Bank of Pakistan and UK’s Department for International Development. Karim Ullah has scholarly international books, papers authorships, and conference presentations on Islamic Financial Services including a book on Islamic financial services with the KoganPage: London, NewYork, and New Delhi, opinion articles with various publishers including Thomson Reuters, and a recent book on Takaful (Islamic Insurance) that just that won the HEC’s outstanding book of the year award 2015/16. Karim got trainings of International Finance Corporation, World Bank, on customizing and developing training contents, conducting trainings, and evaluating the trainers. He has extensive experience in conducting delivering lectures and trainings on Islamic financial service with regulators and other collaborating Islamic financial institutions. Karim Ullah regularly presents his scholarly work in various global forums, including in UK, Pakistan, Bangladesh, UAE, and Greece.

Prior to joining the University of Hull, he was a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool and formerly worked at the Alliance Manchester Business School. Saeed’s research has been published extensively in leading academic journals and he is currently involved in several research projects with colleagues in the UK and abroad. His main research area covers the relationship between accounting information and stock prices, while his other broad areas of research expertise include corporate governance and risk, empirical finance, and accounting regulation.

Dr.Wu JingPing has a doctor degree in law from Renmin University, Beijing, China.He specializes at the history of Republic of China (1912-1949) and Financial Historyof CHINA. Professor Wu has worked as the dean of History Department and the headof Asia Study Center of Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Professor Wu is currentlyworking as the director of Chinese History of Finance Center of Fudan University andthe editor in chief of the Journal of Chinese History of Finance. He has publisheddozens of research paper and more than 20 monographs in the relevant research fields.Among them are Diplomacy of the Republican China (2012), Finance of ModernChina: The relationship between businessmen and government (2016).

Pakistan was one of the pioneers of Islamic economics and finance in the last century. It is very encouraging to see that COMSATS Institute of Information Technology as a dynamic academic institution with a wide outreach has committed itself to reinvigorate this tradition. The GFIF 2013 provided a comprehensive survey of the different branches of Islamic finance and its regulatory framework. It flagged a wide range of topics and methods of research in this field, and it was a prolific meeting place for academics and practitioners from Pakistan and abroad. The culminating point of the GFIF 2013 was the announcement of the establishment of an Institute of Islamic Finance at CUI. This institute will combine research, teaching and training with academic rigour and practical relevance. With its wide networks and international strategic links, the CUI Institute of Islamic Finance has the potential to bring Pakistan back to the centre of the academic discourse on Islamic finance. But it has also the potential to bring together academics and practitioners with expertise in finance and in economics development plus representatives of the proactive State Bank of Pakistan to come forward with financial innovations to push Islamic finance to the next level: The real challenge is not the Shari’ah compliant emulation of commercial banking but the support of economic development on a wide scale. There is a need of innovative tools and concepts for the financing of large infrastructure projects in an undercapitalized economy, for the support of financial inclusion through microfinance, for seed financing for projects of people with entrepreneurial talents but insufficient collateral through ‘micro-equity’ or crowdfunding, for the financing of the further expansion of successful SMEs or rural cooperatives, etc. The CUI Institute of Islamic Finance will have all the ingredients for conceptual and applied research in these areas as well as also for the dissemination of new ideas through academic teaching and for support of their implementation through training programmes.

The conference was a great success, it was really a meeting of some of the greatest and the best experts in Islamic finance including academics, regulators, as well as practitioners, from the World Bank, The Islamic Development Bank, IRTI, INCEIF, Central Banks, NGO’s, as well as universities in the USA, UK, Malaysia, Germany, Italy, Pakistan, Kazakistan, Bangladesh, to mention just a few.

The speakers at the conference were treated with the great hospitality and generosity that is typical of the Pakistani culture; in fact there was no time to listen to the news with "around the clock" activities during the conference and in the hours after the presentations.

I have made a lot of new professional contacts at GFIF 2013, which I hope will lead to a very fruitful relationship between COMSATS and Lebanon.