Mujtaba Naseem
Chief Executive Officer
Preliminary Introduction
Distinguished as a Fellow Member of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants – UK, Certified Public Accountants – Pak, and a Fellow Member of Chartered Accountants – Pak, he proudly stands as the Founder of the Institute of Certified Public Accountant-Islamic—a trailblazing entity in the realm of professional Islamic finance. Additionally, he spearheads the innovative Alardz platform, pioneering Fintech solutions for the global Realtor sector. His role as a Board of Director extends beyond borders, contributing to the International Islamic Rating Agency (IIRA) and holding a crucial position as a Board member at DAPP (Diaspora Association of Pakistan Professionals)
His journey includes steering a key Islamic Financial institution in Sudan under the aegis of the Central Bank of Sudan and representing a financial institution in London, entrusted with overseeing the Global investment portfolio. A tenure as CEO and CFO at a distinguished Islamic Financial institution in Dubai, UAE, marked a pivotal chapter where their FINTECH solutions seamlessly integrated UAE GOVT financial transactions, earning global acclaim on the prestigious Global Banking and Finance Review platform as the epitome of smart solutions in the GCC—cementing their position as the fastest-growing Islamic financial institution. In the realm of leadership, he represented the Forum as a UAE Business Leader, engaging in discussions on the transformative impact of VAT in the UAE. His professional journey encompasses serving as an Audit Partner and Group Quality Director for four years within the esteemed global network of audit firms, Crowe Horwath, in Dubai. Prior to that, he held the position of finance head in multiple listed textile institutions in Pakistan, contributing significantly for over six years.
H.E. Khalifa Ali Al Dahri
Sustainable- Middle East
Brief Introduction
A distinguished professional, holds a Doctorate and Master’s degree from the University of Denver, USA, in addition to a Civil Engineering qualification from the USA and a graduate program credential from Harvard Business School, Boston, USA. With a robust presence in prestigious institutions, Dr. [Name] is an international member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the American Concrete Institute (ACI), an active member of the Society of Engineers – UAE, and a contributor to the Environmental Research & Wildlife Development Agency (ERWDA). Additionally, they serve on the Technical Committee of the Abu Dhabi Quality & Excellence Conference at the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ADCC&I) and are a member of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments. As a prominent business personality in the UAE, Dr. [Name] has made significant contributions to various governmental platforms, serving as the head of multiple organizations.
H.E. Dr. Omar Zuhair Hafiz
PHD, USA Chaiman Islamic Ratings
Brief Introduction
Dr. Omar Hafiz, an associate professor of Islamic finance at King Abdul-Aziz University, is a distinguished Saudi academic and practitioner. Born in Al Madina in 1950, he earned his Ph.D. from Indiana University Bloomington, USA, in 1981, and later pursued a bachelor’s degree in Islamic studies from King Abdul-Aziz University in 2005. Dr. Hafiz joined the Department of Economics at King Abdul-Aziz University in 1981, where he served for nearly a decade as chairman of the department and as the director of the university’s first international research center in Islamic economics.
In 1990, Dr. Hafiz transitioned to the Islamic finance industry, contributing significantly to the field through his roles at the Islamic Development Bank for approximately 15 years and other Islamic finance and Takaful institutions for over a decade. A prolific author, he has published several books in Arabic and supervised numerous dissertations in Islamic economics. In 2017, he returned to King Abdul-Aziz University to join the Islamic Economics Institute, further advancing the discipline through his teaching and research.
Shafique-Ur-Rehman
FCPA President ICPAP UAE Chapter
Brief Introduction
A Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant (FCPA) with over 25 years of extensive experience in audit, accounts, and finance, holds prominent positions across esteemed organizations. He serves as a Partner at Ahmad Alagbari Chartered Accountants (UAE) and SJS Accounting and Bookkeeping LLP (USA), as well as Director at FAM Group (UAE). In addition to his professional roles, he is the President of CPA Pakistan-UAE and a Financial Advisor to the Hamdan Bin Mohammad Heritage Centre in Dubai. A seasoned expert, he is also a Value Added Tax (VAT) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) trainer, actively contributing to professional development in the financial sector.
Dr Zakir Hussain
Ex Vice Chancellor GC University
Brief Introduction
Prof. Dr. Zakir Hussain is an esteemed academic and administrator who joined Government College University Faisalabad as Vice Chancellor. With a distinguished career spanning teaching, research, supervision, and administrative roles in both local and international institutions, Dr. Hussain has contributed significantly to academia and public policy. He has held key positions, including Dean at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad and the University of Sargodha, as well as roles with US-AID FAO, Colorado State University, and Kansas State University.
Dr. Hussain’s global experience includes serving as Project Manager at Agricultural Assessment International Corporation (USA), Director at the Ministry of Labor, Manpower, and Overseas Pakistanis, Joint Secretary for RNEP in Cairo, Egypt, and Policy Officer for the Agri-Business Cell as Federal Cotton Commissioner with the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee.
As an accomplished scholar, he has supervised numerous M.Phil. and Ph.D. students and authored over 100 research publications. Holding a Ph.D. in Economics, his academic interests center on rural poverty alleviation, its dynamics, and the formulation of economic policies at both national and international levels.
Faheem Ahmad
Board Member IIRA
Brief Introduction
Mr. Faheem Ahmad was recognized among the top 500 Islamic personalities by Islamica500.
He is the founder of the VIS Group, Pakistan, and possesses extensive top-level management experience in the fields of credit rating and Islamic and conventional financial risk assessment modeling at an international level. In 1997, he formed a joint venture with a leading rating agency from the USA to establish DCR-VIS. Subsequently, JCRA joined JCR-VIS after DCR’s merger with Fitch. Today, JCR-VIS is a prominent financial services provider in Pakistan, recognized by all relevant regulatory authorities as a full-service rating provider.
In 2001, Mr. Ahmad played a key role in establishing the Islamic International Rating Agency (IIRA) in Bahrain. In 2011, he developed and launched a ‘Fiduciary Rating System,’ which evaluates the quality, governance, and Shari’a compliance of Mudaribs. IIRA currently operates in 11 Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Sudan, Turkey, Jordan, Pakistan, Egypt, and the UAE.
In 2002, Mr. Ahmad was part of the founding team of the Association of Credit Rating Agencies in Asia (ACRAA), headquartered in Manila. ACRAA represents 30 rating agencies across Asia. In December 2013, Mr. Ahmad was elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors in recognition of his commitment to ACRAA. During his tenure, he also served as Chairman of the Best Practices Committee, where he led the development of the “ACRAA Code of Conduct Fundamentals for Domestic Credit Rating Agencies” and other significant publications, including Credit Ratings – The Basics Revisited and Rating Shopping.
In 2012, Mr. Ahmad conducted a study funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the development of ‘Idealized Default Curves’ for mapping credit ratings to default probabilities.
Naeem Mohsin
Doctorate from EU
Brief Introduction
Naseem Mohsin is a distinguished academic with a Post-Doctorate from the University of Vienna, Austria, and a Ph.D. from the University of the Punjab, Lahore. He serves as the Chairman of the Department of Education and Special Education at G.C. University, Faisalabad.
As the founding director of the Directorate of Distance Education at G.C. University, Dr. [Name] has made remarkable contributions to expanding access to education. Under his visionary leadership, the directorate now enrolls more than 15,000 students across 86 diverse programs, fostering inclusive and flexible learning opportunities for students nationwide.