Speaker Bios
ISLAMIC & ETHICAL FINANCE
Sunday, 18 November 2007
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Georges Makhoul
Nasser Mohammed Bin Hussein Alshaali
Michael Ainley
Dr Humayon Dar
Nik Norishky Thani
Farhan Bahman Al Bastaki
Andrew Critchlow
Eduard Holtz
Prof. Dr. Malik Muhammad M. Al-Awan
muneer khan
Afaq Khan
Eric Meyer
Shaykh Yusuf
Geert Bossuyt
Abdul Wahid Al Ulama
Mohammed Abdel-Haq
Mohammed Ami
Hassan Motala
Rushdi Siddiqui
Michael Bergmeijer
Ibrahim Mardam-Bey
Dato’ Dr Nik Norzrul Thani b. Nik Hassan Thani
Georges Makhoul
Managing Director, President, Middle East and North Africa.
Mr. Makhoul is responsible for Morgan Stanley's firmwide business in the region. Until 2005, he had been the Investment Banking Head for the European Retail Industry, based in London. He had spent seven years in Tokyo leading the Telecommunications and Media Investment Banking group in Japan. Prior to Morgan Stanley he was the Managing Partner of the Info-communications and Entertainment consulting practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Japan. He had joined Price Waterhouse in New York in 1994. Before PW, he led a National Science Foundation Research Center at Columbia University in NYC. He started his career withStrategic Operations and Management at Belcore. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University, and a B.E. in Electrical Engineeringfrom the American University of Beirut. He is fluent in English, French and Arabic with working capability of Japanese.
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Nasser Mohammed Bin Hussein Alshaali
CEO, Dubai International Financial Centre Authority
N
asser Al Shaali was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the DIFC Authority in November 2006. In this role, Mr. Alshaali also serves on the Board of the DIFX and Dubai Statistics Centre.
Prior to this, Nasser held the position of Chief Operating Officer at the DIFX, where he helped to launch the region's only international exchange for a range of financial products and attracted leading regional and international companies. During this time, he also saw the DIFX established as the world's largest Sukuk (Islamic bond) exchange.
In 2004, he was appointed to the Corporate Planning department at the DIFC Authority, where he was engaged in strategy formulation, risk assessment, performance management and special projects. This followed on from his work as a freelance consultant on strategy and business development, business diagnostics, marketing and technology for several regional firms based in Dubai.
Mr Al Shaali moved to the UAE in 2001, when he assumed a management role involving strategy, business development and planning with the Technology and Media Free Zone (TECOM) and investments and subsidiaries, comprising 13 operating companies in sectors including: energy; telecoms; ICT; education; broadcast and print media. He also served
on various committees ranging from business development and HR to IT projects and activities.
During his work with TECOM, Nasser was seconded to The Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, as a consultant on the Dubai TV and Al Bayan diagnostics. He also worked to establish Dubai Media Incorporation (DMI), with tasks including the nomination and structuring of the board of directors and the transition and integration of the interim management team.
Nasser began his career freelancing as an emerging technologies consultant for global and local firms in Washington. During this time he also served with C&O Resources, conducting strategic research and analysis of US Mideast policy for selected governmental and private clients.
Nasser received a BA in Philosophy and International Relations, with an ancillary specialization in Communication Technologies, from the American University, Washington DC, in 1998.
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MICHAEL AINLEY
FINANCIAL SERVICES AUTHORITY
Michael Ainley is Head of Wholesale Banks and Investment Firms Department with overall responsibility for supervising 350 foreign banks in London as well as over 2,500 investment firms, including asset managers, hedge funds and corporate finance and private equity firms.
His previous career has been mainly at the Bank of England. From 1995-1998 he was a Senior Manager, supervising the Middle East banks in London. From 1988-1994 he was Assistant Chief Cashier in the Banking Department, with responsibility for the Bank's banking business. Prior to that he was an Adviser (Middle East and OPEC) to the Overseas Director. The previous six years, 1980-1985, were spent at the IMF in Washington DC, working as Adviser to the UK Executive Director and then to the Executive Director for Saudi Arabia.
Michael was educated at Harrow County School, Magdalen College, Oxford (MA in Modern History) and the University of Wales (M.Sc in Economics). He became a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in 1993. He has published various academic papers and several articles in the field of international finance.
Michael is 56 and his wife, formerly Headmistress of South Hampstead High School for Girls, is now studying for a Ph.D in Psychology at London University. They have two daughters and live in London.
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Dr Humayon Dar
CEO of BMB Islamic.
Dr Humayon Dar is amongst the foremost Sharia technicians in the world today, renowned for pioneering numerous industry setting innovative techniques in Islamic banking and finance, his name is synonymous with many of the most sophisticated Islamic products currently on offer. Known as a champion for integrating Islamic banking and finance in the mainstream financial markets, he continues to play the role of a catalyst in bridging the gap between Islamic and conventional finance.
Dr Dar belongs to the first generation of qualified Islamic economists, with formal training in conventional and Islamic economics, as well as classical Islamic jurisprudence at the International Islamic University Islamabad. His higher studies include an MPhil and PhD (both in Economics) from Cambridge University where he conducted research on Islamic finance. His post-doctoral research has exclusively been on Islamic economics, banking and finance.
As a member of BMB Islamic’s Sharia Supervisory Board, he also participates in Sharia coordination in addition to his various roles as CEO of BMB Islamic. Additionally, he serves as member of Sharia Supervisory Boards of some other banks, including Hong Leong Islamic Bank Malaysia.
Deeply committed to the industry, Dr Dar’s external appointments are numerous. Amongst others, he currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Arab British Chamber of Commerce, Charity Bank Limited, and also serves as an Honorary Senior Visiting Fellow at Cass Business School. He is also associated with Institute of Islamic Banking & Insurance and is a member of the editorial board of its flagship publication New Horizon. A prolific author, he sits on the editorial boards of Review of Islamic Economics and International Journal of Islamic Financial Services.
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Nik Norishky Thani
Executive Director, Islamic Finance Dubai International Financial Centre
Nik Norishky Thani is the Executive Director of Islamic Finance at Dubai International Financial Centre. He was a Fulbright scholar at Georgetown University, Washington D.C. where he focused on Islamic law and finance for his Master of Law (LL.M) and graduated top of his class with Distinction and Dean’s List. He is a fellow at the Center for International Environmental Law, a Geneva based international body that promotes sustainable economic development. Nik Norishky Thani also underwent the Program of Instruction for Lawyers at Harvard Law School in Boston, Massachusetts. He has extensive experience in advising and structuring Islamic financial instruments for over ten years, in particular Islamic Sukuk. Prior to DIFC, he was the Head of Islamic Capital Markets for MIMB Investment Bank Malaysia and Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad. He was also previously attached with Aseambankers Malaysia Berhad and Commerce International Merchant Bankers (“CIMB”). Nik Norishky Thani was also a Petronas scholar and holds a law degree (LL.B) from the University of Cardiff, United Kingdom. He was a former student of Malaysia’s premier school, the Malay College Kuala Kangsar.
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Farhan Bahman Al Bastaki
Chief Executive Officer Waqf Trust Services Ltd.
Farhan is the Chief Executive Officer of Waqf Trust Services Ltd. (“Waqf Trut”), a new joint venture between Dubai Islamic Bank and the DIFC Investment. Operation out of the DIFC, Waqf Trust is the first exclusive Sharia compliant trust service provider. Farhan had lead the steering committee responsible of setting up Waqf Trust.
Farhan is a member of Mohammed Bin Rashid Program for Leadership Development, a program which identifies and fast tracks the next generation of leaders in Dubai.
Farhan was appointed Senior Manager in the Asset Management & Capital Markets, part of the Investment Banking Group of Dubai Islamic Bank in early 2005, where he is responsible of structuring funds of different types for the Bank. Prior to his current position, Farhan held the post of Senior Manager, Structured & Project Finance Departing of Dubai Islamic Bank.
Farhan’s career was always in the banking industry, as he started his first job right after graduation with ANZ Grindlays Bank as an Executive Trainee in the Trade Finance Department, and progressed with ANZ to the post of a Senior Officer, Corporate Finance Support Unit. With the acquisition of Grindlays Bank by Standard Chartered Bank, Farhan joined the new bank’s team as a Business Development Manager, Cash Management Department. Farhan then joined Citibank N.A. as a Business Relationship Manager in the Business Banking Unit managing the small and medium corporate relationships.
Farhan holds a Bachelor degree in Applied Sciences in Business Administration Management from the Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai Men’s College.
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Andrew Critchlow
Managing Editor, Zawya Dow Jones
A
ndrew Critchlow is managing editor of Zawya Dow Jones, the Middle East news service produced in partnership with ABQ Zawya. Andrew was educated at Barnard Castle School and Durham University, where he read a Masters degree in Middle East politics at the Institute for Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies.
He worked as a staff writer for Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) in London (2000-2002) before taking up the position of Senior Gulf correspondent in Dubai for the magazine. Andrew covered the occupation of Iraq in 2003 winning Emap Plc’s Business Journalist of the Year Award in 2004 for his reporting from Baghdad and Basra.
Andrew worked for three years with Bloomberg News & Television in Dubai as the news agency’s Gulf OPEC correspondent and deputy bureau chief. He regularly contributes with expert comment on energy, finance and Middle East business issues on channels such as CNBC and the BBC.
As managing editor for Dow Jones Newswires in the Middle East he overseas a team of 20 reporters and correspondents working for the Zawya Dow Jones News Services, the region’s most respected business information provider.
Before embarking on a career in journalism Andrew served in the U.K. Armed Forces as a Grenadier Guard completing operational tours in the Middle East, Northern Ireland and Africa.
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Eduard Holtz
Head of Private Banking South East Asia
- MeesPierson Singapore
Eduard Holtz (39) studied business economics at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam.
He started his career with MeesPierson as an investment advisor in 1994. In 1999 Eduard moved to the Netherlands Antilles to take up the responsibility of Head of MeesPierson Private Wealth Management in Curacao. In 2003 Eduard moved to MeesPierson Singapore to take up the responsibility of Head of Private Banking South East Asia. After successfully growing the business in Singapore Eduard was asked in October 2006 to assist the Joint Venture between Maybank and Fortis Insurance in Malaysia in its endeavors to develop the offshore Takaful services.
Eduard is married and has three children.
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Prof. Dr. Malik Muhammad M. Al-Awan
Chief Academic Officer of INCEIF University
A 
multi-disciplinary scholar of Islamic jurisprudence and author of numerous books and research papers in International Finance, Dr. Al-Awan serves as an Advisor to Central Banks and Government regulatory authorities for monetary and fiscal policies. He has been a senior corporate executive with over thirty years experience as a banker and insurance industry executive in the United States having been President/CEO of Sturbridge Insurance Corporation for more than ten years. He was Chairman of the Board at Technical Communication Corporation, a NASDAQ Company involved in high technology manufacturing from 1998 to 2002 and served as President/CEO of Regional Technology Corporation in Massachusetts during 2004-2005.
Prior to assuming his current position as Chief Academic Officer of INCEIF University, he was Vice Chancellor & Provost at Global Studies Institute USA for more than ten years. He received his LLM degree in Comparative Law from Boston University Law School and was awarded a Ph.D. in Monetary Economics from Clark University in 1976. He has been on the Economics & Finance Faculty of Clark University, Boston University, and University of Connecticut. He was Professor of Business Law at Johnson & Wales University during the nineties. He joined INCEIF in 2006 as the Distinguished Professor of Islamic Finance & Sharia and assumed the responsibilities of Dean of the Faculty in early 2007.
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muneer khan
Head of Islamic Finance Group
- Simmons & Simmons
M 
uneer is a partner in our Dubai office and Head of our Islamic Finance Group. He has extensive experience of advising on Islamic financing structures, with a particular focus on Shariah compliant structured products, Sukuk and investment funds. He has spoken widely on the subject of Shariah compliant financing techniques and asset management. Muneer has also advised the UK Government on Islamic finance issues sitting on HM Treasury’s Islamic Finance Technical Group. Muneer qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 2000 and joined Simmons & Simmons as a partner in 2006.
Muneer's recent experience includes:
- advising a Middle East based Islamic bank in relation to the first ever Shariah compliant Chinese private equity fund
- advising on a unique US$5bn Shariah compliant alternative assets fund for Far East and Middle East based investors
- advising a Middle East based Islamic bank in relation to a Shariah compliant US$1.5bn real estate development project in Dubai
- advising an international bank on the establishment of a Shariah compliant MTN-type Sukuk issuance programme
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Afaq Khan
Chief Executive Officer
Islamic Banking,
Standard Chartered Bank
A 
faq Khan is the Chief Executive Officer for Islamic Banking and is responsible for the global Islamic Banking business of Standard Chartered Bank.
Afaq is a member of the Islamic Finance Advisory Council of Dubai International Financial Centre.
Afaq joined Standard Chartered in 2003 with a mandate to launch the Islamic initiative for the Bank. The past 4 years he has successfully led the setting-up of a global Islamic business for Standard Chartered covering retail, corporate and investment banking, across multiple geographies and products.
Afaq has over 20 years of Banking experience with International Banks including HSBC and Citibank. At HSBC he worked for HSBC Amanah (HSBC's Islamic Banking arm) where he was Global Head of the Asset Finance and Advisory Group. He was involved in a number of landmark transactions. Notably, he headed the team which structured and successfully placed the first Sukuk for the Government of Malaysia. Furthermore he has chaired in the Board of several Islamic Investment Funds. At Citibank, he held several senior positions in Financial Institutions, Product Management and Corporate Bank. He was Also a Senior Credit Officer at Citibank.
Afaq holds an MBA from the University of Western Illinois.
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Eric Meyer
President, Chief Executive Officer, and Executive Chairman
I 
n 1998, Forbes magazine identified Eric Meyer as “an emerging force” in hedge fund investing. In 2005, Banker Middle East magazine identified Mr. Meyer as “a pioneer in Islamic finance.” Today, as President, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of Shariah Capital, Inc., Mr. Meyer is widely recognized for his skill and creativity within the worlds of both Western finance and Islamic banking.
Initially, Mr. Meyer established himself as this pioneer of Islamic products with his creation of Meyer Fund Management in 2005, and its predecessor Meyer Capital Partners in 2001 where he served as founder and CEO, respectively.
His success in developing, at his own initiative and expense, the infrastructure for a Shariah compliant fund of hedge funds was a groundbreaking achievement in the Islamic Finance industry. Assisted by prominent Shariah scholars and supported by their fatawa, Mr. Meyer devised the innovative tools and screening methodology that underscore new Shariah compliant long/short and market neutral funds of hedge funds. Mr. Meyer also developed faster and more efficient software for determining whether specific securities are Shariah compliant and a sophisticated Web-based software engine that provides “real time” portfolio monitoring for Shariah scholars and managers.
Mr. Meyer’s commitment to Shariah finance and the Gulf are well demonstrated. He regularly speaks at both Islamic and traditional finance conferences throughout the world, typically introducing and analyzing the latest innovations in Islamic finance. Of particular note is his establishment of “Shariah Conferences” which are semiannual conferences hosted by Shariah Capital that promote interaction between Wall Street and Islamic investors.
Mr. Meyer has been widely reported in the press, particularly for his innovations in Islamic finance as well as for his access to Middle Eastern investors. Over 30 articles/features on his innovations have appeared in such publication as the Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Associated Press, Banker Middle East, Islamic Business and Finance, Stamford Advocate/Greenwich Times, as well as on CNN.
Prior to his focus on Islamic finance, Mr. Meyer established himself in both hedge fund management and in early stage private equity (venture capital) with his creation and management of MD Strategic in 1994 and MD Ventures in 1995. MD Strategic was a long/short equity hedge fund that generated substantial returns. MD Ventures was an early stage investment partnership that invested in networking and internet companies. MD Ventures seeded investments that included later investors such as Dell, Intel, Hewlett Packard, General Atlantic, Apax Partners, Morgan Stanley Venture Partners, UBS and Bell South. Three of these seed investments culminated in public offerings.
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Shaykh Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo
Chief Shariah Officer and Board Member
S 
haykh Yusuf is a well-known and respected Shariah advisor and Islamic scholar whose career spans more than 30 years. Based in the Washington, DC area, he serves as a Shariah advisor to over 20 global financial entities, including index providers, banks, mutual funds, real estate funds, leasing funds, institutional investors, home finance providers, alternative asset managers and others.
Shaykh Yusuf is the author of “A Compendium of Legal Opinions on the Operations of Islamic Banks”, the first English reference on the fatawa issued by Shariah boards. His three-volume publication has become the standard reference for Islamic financial institutions. In addition, Shaykh Yusuf wrote the introduction to “Islamic Bonds”, the 2003 book that introduced Sukuk and transformed the world’s Islamic capital markets. His written work has appeared in journals and newsletters and as chapters in books, including Euromoney’s “Islamic Asset Management”, “Islamic Retail Finance and Islamic Finance: Innovation & Growth”. His entries on the terminology of Islamic Finance appear in The Oxford Dictionary of Islam.
Shaykh Yusuf is also a special consultant, appointed by the Asian Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah to the International Financial Services Board (“IFSB”) on the subject of Sukuk. IFSB is the international standard-setting body of regulatory and supervisory agencies that have a vested interest in ensuring the soundness and stability of the Islamic financial services industry, broadly defined to include banking, capital markets and insurance.
Shaykh Yusuf has served as a judge in Islamic product reviews and has been a keynote speaker at numerous Islamic conferences. He has been interviewed by and quoted in the Financial Times, The New York Times, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, Banker Middle East, Islamic Business & Finance and other publications.
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Geert Bossuyt
Head of Structuring for the Middle East in Global Markets’ Emerging Markets Group - Deutsche Bank
G eert Bossuyt is Head of Structuring for the Middle East in Global Markets’ Emerging Markets Group and as such is also in charge of Deutsche Bank's Shari'a products platform which he built from scratch to one of the leading and most innovative players in the Islamic financial industry. He joined Deutsche Bank in August 2001 and worked in the Global Equity Derivatives' origination and distribution group. Geert Bossuyt came from a managing director position at KBC Securities in the Netherlands after having worked for them in the equity capital markets division in Brussels. Geert graduated as an actuary and a commercial engineer from the University of Leuven, Belgium, and holds a Masters in Accountancy and Finance from the Cooreman Institute in Brussels.
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Abdul Wahid Al Ulama
Group Chief Legal Officer Dubai World
Place of Birth: Dubai, United Arab Emiratesert Bossuyt
A 
bdul
Wahid is a UAE national. Following his experienced legal career in private practice he was appointed to the position of Group Chief Legal Officer of Dubai World, one of the largest holding companies in the world.
Dubai World is a decree entity established in March 2006 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Dubai World is wholly owned by the Government of Dubai. Companies that are under Dubai World include Nakheel World (developer of The Palm islands, The World and various projects representing in total more than a quarter of land space in Dubai), DP World (one of the largest Ports operator in the world), Istithmar World, Limitless World, Economic Zones World, Dubai Multi-Commodities Centre, Dubai Drydocks, Dubai Maritime City and numerous other companies.
In his capacity as Dubai World's Group Chief Legal Officer, Abdul Wahid reports directly to the Chairman, H.E. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem. He plays a major role in Dubai World’s strategy, corporate governance, planning, restructuring and expansion, and in leading Dubai World through major and complex financial transactions.
Abdul Wahid has been referred to in publications as being an “energetic and capable lawyer”, and an “extremely business minded practitioner”.
Abdul Wahid is a member of Dubai World’s Board of Directors. He also serves as a board member of many other companies in the Dubai World group and other UAE companies. He represents Dubai World on the US-UAE Business Council which was recently founded in Washington and he has been elected as the Co Vice Chair of the Board. He is a member of the Dubai International Financial Centre’s (DIFC) Islamic Finance Advisory Council (IFAC) in Dubai.
Prior to joining Dubai World, Abdul Wahid was a Partner with the largest UAE law firm, Al Tamimi & Company Advocates & Legal Consultants. He was also the Managing Partner of their associate office in Qatar.
Abdul Wahid has written articles on a variety of topics for his previous law firms’s in-house newsletter and for external newspapers and magazines. He is regularly asked to speak at conferences on a variety of topics ranging from investment to Islamic Finance. Abdul Wahid is also regularly involved in legislative initiatives both on a governmental and federal level in the UAE.
Abdul Wahid was the first in his batch of students at law school at UAE University where he obtained his LLB. He is a Chevening scholar who later obtained his LLM (masters) from the University College London (UCL) specialising in international trade and maritime law.
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Mohammed Abdel-Haq
Managing Director and Global Head of Amanah Private Banking HSBC Private Bank (UK) Ltd
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ohammed Abdel-Haq joined HSBC Private Bank (UK) Ltd in August 2004 as the Managing Director and Global Head of the newly established Amanah Private Banking Department in London. Recently, under his direction, he and his team were ranked first for Global Islamic Banking Services at the Euromoney Awards for the last 2 years.
Mohammed has a wealth of experience in private banking, a field in which he has been active with institutions such as Citigroup and Deutsche Bank since 1993.
Mohammed has written many articles and papers on the subject of Islamic Finance and Private Banking.
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Mohammed Ami
partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and leads PwC’s Islamic Finance practice in the UK
M 
ohammed Amin is a partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and leads PwC’s Islamic Finance practice in the UK. Amin’s personal specialisation is the taxation of financial institutions. He wrote the Alternative Finance Arrangements (Islamic Finance) section of the LexisNexis Butterworths Finance Act Handbook for 2005, 2006 and 2007, and the corresponding section in Simon’s Direct Tax Service which is the leading tax encyclopaedia in the UK.
Amin is a member of the HM Treasury Islamic Finance Experts Group, established by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury to advise the Government on Islamic Finance strategy.
Within PwC, Amin also:
· is an elected member of PwC’s Supervisory Board.
· serves on the firm’s audit committee.
Externally, Amin:
· is a Council member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT)
· serves on the Technical Committee of the Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT)
· serves on the Business and Economics Committee of the Muslim Council of Britain
· serves on the Islamic Finance For Business Working Group set up jointly by International Financial Services London and British Expertise.
Amin graduated in mathematics from Clare College, Cambridge. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, an associate member of the ACT and a fellow of the CIOT.
Amin was recently included in the judging panel for the Muslim Power 100, a list of the hundred most influential Muslims in the UK, as well as being included in the list itself.
Amin regularly contributes articles on Islamic finance to a range of professional and trade magazines. His blog on finance and treasury taxation (address http://pwc.blogs.com/mohammed_amin) features a podcast of Amin’s lecture on the taxation of Islamic Finance for the Institute of Islamic Banking and Insurance as well as other presentations and articles on Islamic Finance.
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Hassan Motala
Executive Director of Oasis Group Holdings (Pty) Ltd.
H 
assan Motala was educated at the University of Durban-Westville in South Africa, where he completed his Bachelor of Accountancy and his Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting. He subsequently qualified as a Chartered Accountant and Auditor in South Africa, after completing his articles at Deloitte & Touche. Hassan has been a CFA Chartholder since 2005.
Hassan has been with Oasis since 2001 and is registered as a Portfolio Manager with the Financial Services Board in South Africa. He has nine years of professional expertise, of which six years have been within the investment management field. Hassan is also a member of the Investment Analysts Society of South Africa.
Hassan Motala currently holds the position of Executive Director of Oasis Group Holdings (Pty) Ltd. He is also an executive Director of Oasis Asset Management Ltd, and Oasis Crescent Capital (Pty) Ltd; the two regulated and authorized Asset Management companies in South Africa. Effective from 1 February 2007, he was appointed as the Senior Executive Officer of the Oasis Crescent Capital (DIFC), an entity that is regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority.
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Rushdi Siddiqui
Global Director Islamic Indexes,
Dow Jones Indexes
R 
ushdi Siddiqui is Global Director for the Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes. In this capacity he supervises more than 70 Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes that underlie hundreds of Shari’ah-compliant mutual funds, exchange traded funds and structured products. He also oversees the Dow Jones Islamic Market Index Shari’ah Supervisory Board of six international scholars.
Mr. Siddiqui strongly contributed to the development of the Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes and pioneered their use as benchmarks for Shari’ah-compliant investment products. He has traveled the Muslim world extensively, presented at key Islamic Finance conferences globally, and has done more than 200 interviews. Mr. Siddiqui received several awards: The American Muslim Achievement Award for his contributions and dedication to Islamic Finance (2007), Failaka Award for Best Contribution to Growth & Development of Islamic Funds (2006), Deloitte/IIIF Award (Special Contribution to Islamic Finance (2005), CERT Award for Excellence in Islamic Finance (2004), and Sh. Mohammad Rashid Bin Makhtoum Award for Innovation in Islamic Finance (2003).
Mr. Siddiqui has been with Dow Jones Indexes since 1998. His background is in investment and commercial banking and teaching. He has taught at NYU’s School of Professional Studies (Privatization & Economic Reform), Dow Jones University of Principles of Islamic Investing, Bahrain and the Institute of Banking & Finance (Islamic Indexes & Funds) and has published a chapter in Euromoney's Asset Management, Law Review Article at University of Chicago Law School. Mr. Siddiqui is Chairman of the Islamic Finance Forum in Dubai, UAE; Board member of the Arab Bankers Association of North America and is a member of the Advisory Committee at IIFM (Bahrain) and the Advisory Board at DIFC’s IFAC (Dubai).
Mr. Siddiqui has bachelor degrees in management and marketing, from New York University, N.Y., an MBA from Baruch College, N.Y., and a juris doctorate from Albany Law School of Union University, Albany, N.Y.
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Michael Bergmeijer
Managing director of Dow Jones Consumer Media Group in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA)
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ichael Bergmeijer is managing director of Dow Jones Consumer Media Group in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Mr. Bergmeijer is responsible for all business and non-editorial aspects of Dow Jones’ consumer publications, including The Wall Street Journal’s print and online operations in Europe. He also manages the recently acquired U.K.-based publishing company FinancialNews Limited. Based in London, his role is to direct the growth of Dow Jones Consumer Media Group in the region, particularly through the development of local language online and vertical publications.
Prior to assuming his current position in March 2007, Mr. Bergmeijer was vice president and managing director of Dow Jones Newswires International, having overall responsibility for business and editorial operations in EMEA and Asia-Pacific. Previously, he was vice president of Dow Jones Newswires international business operations. Prior to moving to London in January 2000, he was managing director and senior editor of Dow Jones Newswires in the Asia-Pacific region where he was responsible for the newswires’ editorial and business operations, based in Singapore.
Mr. Bergmeijer’s journalism career began in January 1984 when he joined AP-Dow Jones Newswires in New York as a national copyreader. He transferred to Rome in November 1986 as chief Italian correspondent, and in February 1990, he moved to Milan. In October 1993, he was named managing editor of the Dow Jones Asian Equities Report in Singapore.
In June 1994, Mr. Bergmeijer was named managing editor of Dow Jones Information Services for Asia-Pacific. Based in Singapore, he was responsible for the development and production of Dow Jones Telerate’s editorial services and products in the region. In January 1996, he was named senior editor for Dow Jones Newswires in the Asia-Pacific region, and he assumed the additional position of managing director in April 1998.
A native of Oegstgeest, the Netherlands, Mr. Bergmeijer received a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Amsterdam. Following a year of graduate work as a Fulbright Scholar in American studies at Smith College in Northampton, Mass., he earned a master’s degree in history from the University of Amsterdam. He also has a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies in Bologna, Italy, and was a special research student at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Md.
While a student in Amsterdam, Mr. Bergmeijer held several assistantships, and he received an award from the Dutch Council of Foreign Relations for the best master’s thesis in international affairs.
Mr. Bergmeijer is married to Marina Caruso and has two daughters.
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Ibrahim Mardam-Bey
Chief Executive Officer at Siraj Capital Ltd
I 
brahim Mardam-Bey is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Siraj Capital Ltd and a Senior Strategic Advisor and a Member of the Board of Directors of BSEC Bemo Securitisation SAL. Mr. Mardam-Bey possesses a broad range of skill sets, competencies and experiences unique in the international finance, investment banking and Islamic Finance world. As an executive he has held numerous senior positions, as an entrepreneur he has been a principal in several successful ventures. In addition to his operating duties at Siraj Capital; Ltd Mr. Mardam-Bey also maintains an active role in corporate governance and public speaking.
Some of his accomplishments prior to co-founding Siraj Capital Ltd include serving as Chief Financial Officer of a Telecom company, Strategic advisor and Non-Executive director of an educational software company, Chief Marketing officer and member of the founding team of one of the MENA regions’ leading Structured Finance Banks.
Mr. Mardam-Bey is a frequently requested keynote speaker and published author. He has written and contributed on topics of international finance, Islamic Banking and Sukuk, and has been featured in the following publications: Euromoney, Banker Middle East, Sukuk Insider and others. He has recently authored a chapter in Euromoney’s published book entitled “Islamic Retail Banking and Finance: Global Challenges and Opportunities.
Mr. Mardam-Bey is a member of, the Arab Bankers Association of North America, the London based Arab Bankers Association, and Young Arab Leaders. Mr. Mardam-Bey has received numerous business and professional recognitions and awards for his pioneering work on several international Sukuk transactions.
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Dato’ Dr Nik Norzrul Thani b. Nik Hassan Thani
Zaid Ibrahim & Co
Dato’ Dr Nik Norzrul Thani is a partner of Zaid Ibrahim & Co., the largest law firm in Malaysia and the only ASEAN law firm with an office in Singapore as well as associate offices in Jakarta and Bangkok.
Dato’ Dr Nik graduated with LL.B (Hons) from University of Buckingham, LL.M from Queen Mary College, University of London and Ph.D in Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London and is a Barrister of Lincoln’s Inn. In addition, he also possesses a Post-Graduate Diploma in Syariah Law and Practice (with distinction) from the International Islamic University Malaysia. Dato’ Dr Nik is also a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FINSIA) and Chartered Institute of Marketing (United Kingdom).
He is a member of various international/national committees including the London based International Law Association (ILA) Committee on International Securities Regulation and Central Bank of Malaysia’s Law Reform Committee on Islamic Banking and Finance. Dato’ Dr Nik has also been appointed as a Director of Tabung Haji (Malaysian Pilgrimage Board) and Al Rajhi Banking & Investment Corporation (Malaysia) Berhad.
Previously, he was working in a firm of accountants and at a bank in Kuala Lumpur. He was a Visiting Fulbright Scholar, Harvard Law School in 1996/1997, Chevening Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Centre of Islamic Studies, Oxford University in 2004/2005, and was formerly the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Laws, International Islamic University Malaysia. Prior to joining Zaid Ibrahim & Co he was practising with the international law firm, Baker & McKenzie. He is the author of “Legal Aspects of The Malaysian Financial System” and the co-author of “The Law and Practice of Islamic Banking & Finance”.
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