Members

Mr. Hamad Abdullah Al-Oqab has over 28 years of experience in banking, finance and auditing. Mr. Al-Oqab was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Al Baraka Islamic Bank effective March 2019, and he was also designated as a Board Member in March 2021, after having held several positions during the 16 years in Al Baraka Banking Group as a Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Executive. He is currently the Chairman of Al Baraka Bank Lebanon and Vice Chairman of Jordan Islamic Bank. He is also Board Member in Banque Al Baraka D’Algerie and Al Baraka Bank Egypt. He serves as a member of various Board committees of these banking subsidiaries. He is also the Chairman of the Accounting Standards Board of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) and Board Member in Bahrain Association of Banks and Board Member in Bahrain Association of Banks (BAB). Before joining Al Baraka Banking Group in 2005, He worked in Shamil Bank (currently Ithmaar Bank), Arthur Andersen, Unilever and Bahrain Monitory Agency (currently Central Bank of Bahrain). Mr. Al Oqab Hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Bahrain and is a Certified Public Accountant, Chartered Global Management Accountant, and a Certified Islamic Professional Accountant from the Accounting Standards Board of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI).

Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) Partner of KPMG Taseer Hadi & Co. with approx. 30 years post qualification experience in Audit, Assurance and Advisory Services, including over 20 years as partner. Currently serving second term of four years as elected member of the national Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP), principal regulator of Accountancy profession in Pakistan. Past member of Shariah Advisory Committee of the State Bank of Pakistan. Member of Accounting Board of Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), Bahrain. Member of Accounting Standard Board (ASB) of ICAP and Chairman of Working Group on “Accounting and Auditing Standards for Interest Free Mode of Finance & Investment”. Technical Advisor on the Board of International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). Member of IFRS Islamic Finance Consultative Group of IASB. Represented ICAP on number of International forums including South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) and Chartered Accountants Worldwide (CAW).

A Chartered Certified Accountant since May 1999, now a Fellow ‘FCCA’, I worked in the fields of Accounting, Audit, Procurement and Administration. My career covered periods in both of Sudan and Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia I participated actively in the privatization of the telecom industry, where I headed the team which worked with the Consultant (PwC). I continued the head of the ‘Financial Statements and Audit Reports section’ till I left the ensuing company - Saudi Telecom Company - in 2010 to join the Ministry of Finance & National Economy in Sudan, where I headed the Procurement Directorate and, later, the Financial & Administrative Directorate. I left the Ministry in 2019. My activities in the auditing and financial consultancy fields are continuing through the audit firm, Abdelhalim Elsayed & Co for which I am the Principal Partner. I was engaged in the compilation of a book on Intermediate Accounting, in Arabic, as a co-author with a university professor. I was a member of the AAOIFI Accounting Board for the 2016-2019 term, and was re-appointed for the current term ‘2020-2023’.

Mr. Abdulmalik Alsuwayni is a Financial Economic Researcher at the Saudi Arabian monetary Authority (SAMA) in the Islamic finance division. He has an extinctive experience span more than 7 years at Multinational institutions both in private and public sector. He has worked as an auditor in the big four accounting firms, financial controller in the Saudi Ministry of Finance as well as economic policy researcher in the Saudi Central bank. He has contributed to multiple research projects and local initiatives to advance the Islamic finance industry locally and globally. He is a certified public accountant in Saudi Arabia (SOCPA), and holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign as well as a bachelor degree in accounting from the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University.

Dr. Abdulrahman Alrazeen is the assistant secretary general of Saudi Organization for Certified Public Accountants (SOCPA). Previously, he was an associate professor and chairman of the accounting department, at Imam university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He also served as a member of the accounting standards committee of SOCPA for two terms. He was the vice chairman and then the chairman of the First Instance Tax and Zakat Appeal Committee. Now, he is a member of the Tax Appeal Committee and a member of the Bankruptcy Commission in Saudi Arabia, and a member of the AAOIFI Accounting and Education Boards in Bahrain. Dr. Alrazeen received his Ph.D. in 1999 from Cardiff University, UK. He received his master in 1995 from Colorado State University. In the same year, he passed the CPA exam and was recognized as one of the top ten scorers for all the sections in the first attempt. Dr. Alrazeen published several articles, Arabic and English in local and international Journals.

Master of Accounting, Damascus University. Executive Professional Master in Islamic Banking-CIBAFI Diploma of Financial Institutions Accounting, Damascus University. Syrian certified Accountant. Head of the Department of Supervision Islamic banks at Central Bank of Syria. Representative at Shari’ah Advisory Committee that popup Monitory and Credit Council. Lecturer at Belad Asham University (Islamic University). Lecturer at Talal Abu- Ghazala (Global for financial and accounting services). Lecturer at AL Mashora Institution (Islamic Education EST) FOR Post Graduate students. Certified trainer from Arab Trainers Union. Member of scientific Committee of Syrian Association of Financial and Accounting professional Scientific activities: Scientific research submitted for a professional master in Islamic finance "Mechanisms for support profit sharing investment accounts (PSIA) profits and impact of prudential reserves on displaced commercial risks".2018. Published scientific research in AL Baath University Journal about "Impact of unrealized profits in structure of banks capital in Syria ". File 39 year 2017.

Dr. Bello Lawal Danbatta was appointed the Secretary-General of the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) effective 29 January 2018. Dr. Danbatta, previously the Director of the Centre of Consultancy and Executive Programmes at INCEIF, has over 25 years combined experience in the private, academia, as well as in the financial services regulation and supervision sectors across Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He is a Member of the Accounting and Auditing Board of Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), and has chaired various working groups for the issuance of financial accounting standards for Islamic financial institutions. He has also been involved in the development and drafting of standards, guidelines and frameworks for capital adequacy, accounting, as well as supervision and regulation of Islamic finance for various countries. Dr. Danbatta holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Banking and Finance from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), and an MBA in Corporate Finance. He is a Chartered Accountant (Fellow) with the Association of Certified Chartered Accountant (ACCA-UK), a Licensed International Financial Analyst (LIFA-UK), and a member of the Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals (CIIFP), Member of Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), and International Council for Islamic Finance Educators (ICIFE).

Firas Sadek Hamdan born in 1971 in Lebanon. Graduated from Beirut Arab University with a BA in Accounting in 1993. Worked as a Graduate Assistant during his Master’s study in 1994-1995. He started his career in the private sector in 1993 until 1997 where he moved to the ministry of Finance in Lebanon. At the end of 1997 he moved to Banque Du Liban and became a member of the accounting department. In 2017 he became the Executive director of the Human Resources Department at the Central Bank of Lebanon (Banque Du Liban BDL). Since the beginning of his practical experience he was highly involved in the field of accounting and was a certified trainer for International Accounting standards with IMF and EU. In addition to this, he became an expert in Islamic Finance and as a result of this exposure, he became an active member in AAOIFI Accounting Board for three terms and CIPA certified Trainer. His involvement in Islamic Finance made him the coordinator of the Islamic Banking Regulatory Committee at the central bank and the main representative of BDL with IFSB in Malaysia.

Joined Ernst & Young Bahrain office in 2007 and currently serves as a Partner in the Assurance practice and heads Kuwait, Qatar and Oman Cluster in Assurance. Prior to joining the Bahrain office, he was associated with our London Office Over 20 years experience in London, Bahrain, Pakistan and Qatar in financial services, audit and assurance practice. Fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan; and Member of the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan. A member of the Bahrain based Accounting Standards Committee of Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI). Professional Experience: Imtiaz has over 20 years experience of working in professional services firms in London, Bahrain, Pakistan and Qatar in financial services audit and assurance practices. In addition to his audit experience, he has also led a range of consulting assignments, including: Worked closely with the Central Bank of Oman on the Islamic Banking Regulatory Framework; Advised the Central Bank of Oman on the Sharia Compliance product; Worked as a team member on the design of Islamic Sukuk (Bond) for one of the largest conglomerate of Pakistan; Worked on the designing of Islamic (non-interest based) financial instrument for a leasing company; Conducted various valuation studies, involving the ascertainment of fair market value of companies using the discounted future returns method and the asset accumulation method; Supervised an in-depth review of the internal controls of a bank and the reporting thereof to the Central Bank of Bahrain; and Led a number of Engagements around the financial accounting advisory including the new International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) implementation engagements. He also led the big transformation projects relating to the implementation of IFRS standars by large corporates in Qatar and Oman Skills Specialist in Banking Audit including treasury operations Good knowledge of Islamic products. Advises on the structure of Islamic products. IFRS Advice and implementation. Transaction accounting Audit remediation and readiness Strong co-ordination capabilities

Irshad is an audit & assurance partner, based in Bahrain, with over 27 years of professional experience specializing in financial services including Islamic banking, private equity and real estate funds, insurance and capital markets. Prior to joining Deloitte, he was an audit and assurance partner with PwC – Bahrain. He also carries significant industry experience having led the finance function of Samba Financial Group in Saudi Arabia and Ufone (a subsidiary of the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation – UAE). Irshad is responsible for assisting the audit teams and clients across the Middle East region with technical issues related to Islamic finance and IFRS, having been heavily involved in various conversions as well as mergers of conventional and Islamic financial institutions. His expertise also include assisting clients with complex industry and financial reporting issues resulting from business combinations, joint operations and cross-border transactions. Irshad is a Board Member of the Accounting Board of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institution (AAOIFI). He is also a member of the Technical Accounting and Interpretation Committee (TAIC) at the AAOIFI as well as the working groups set up by the AAOIFI which are responsible for drafting various accounting standards. He is on the Editorial Board of Journal of Islamic Financial Accounting (JOIFA) issued by the AAOIFI. He was a member of the Independent Shari'a Audit Committee of the Waqf Fund - Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) which was responsible for drafting the Shari’a audit standards in Bahrain. Irshad has conducted several trainings on Islamic Finance and IFRS and has presented in many Islamic finance seminars across the Middle East region.

Dr. Muhammad AlBltagi is a senior professional in accounting and Islamic finance and banking with international considerable experience that exceeds 35 years in banking and finance field. Currently, he holds the position of the General Director of Shariah Audit, Banque Misr – Egypt. He is an authorized shariah committee member in the Egyptian Financial Regulatory Authority and many different Islamic finance institutions in Egypt. Moreover, He is a co-founder and the Chairman, board of directors, of the Egyptian Islamic Finance Association (EIFA) in Egypt, which is an association that work on capacity building of the workers in the field on Islamic finance industry and raise their awareness of its products. He worked on transferring conventional banks into Islamic, developing the accounting IT systems, developing new products and enhancing the existed ones to comply with shaiah. He conducted several trainings for more than 10000 trainees in key financial institutions worldwide. Dr.Albltagi is teaching the AAOIFI capacity buildings professional programs (CIBA, CSAA, and others) for long years. He is equipped with a Ph.D in Accounting, from faculty of Commerce, Al-Azhar University in 1997. Further, he received his Master's in Accounting, from faculty of Commerce, Al-Azhar University in 1991 .Therefore, he practiced banking since early modern time, which made him able to bridge the experience of the early and modern solutions. He is a senior with a long track history through key financial institutions, banks and regulatories in different jurisdictions. Dr.Muhammad Albltagi has published many books, research papers, academic researches and proposals. However, he participated with honor in more than 100 different international conferences and colloquiums in Islamic banking, furthermore, he organized conducting conferences and workshops, through personal attendance and online recently

Samet Arslan is a financial reporting expert who currently serves as the Coordinator of International Relations at the Public Oversight, Accounting and Auditing Standards Authority of Turkey. He started his career in the former Turkish Accounting Standards Board after graduating from Middle East Technical University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. His areas of expertise include; accounting, financial reporting, IFRS, US GAAP, auditing, financial analysis, financial instruments, revenue recognition, Islamic finance and international communication. Samet played a key role in driving forward and supporting the work in the development of international policies and strategies to engage with the reciprocal organizations, international organizations, and other key stakeholders in the international audit market with leading many projects. He also worked directly on setting accounting standards, and acted as a team leader in many selected file reviews and whole firm reviews of audit firms mainly consisting of Big4 firms. Samet has been acting as a member of the Turkish Review Committee of IFRS Foundation since September 2014 and as a member of the Islamic Finance Consultative Group of International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) since August 2016. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA/SMMM) and a non- practicing auditor in Turkey

Manager of Islamic Banking Department. Holds MBA in International Banking and Finance from the University of Birmingham – UK. Joined the Central Bank of Oman in 1993 at Banking Development Department. Started his career as Assistant Examiner in Money Exchange Section for 6 years and in-charge of Commercial Banking Section for 10 years. Finally, he is Manager of Islamic Banking Department. Represented the Central Bank of Oman in various committees locally, regionally and internationally, including being a member of Technical Committee at the Islamic Financial Services Board.

Mr. Yousif Ebrahim is a proficient banker with over 25 years of experience in the areas of finance and audit. He is the Chief Financial Officer of Al Salam Bank – Bahrain. His professional career began with Gulf International Bank as a Vice President of Internal Audit and as a Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers, within the Audit & Business Assurance services, where he spent 15 years. In 2009, he served as the Chief Financial Officer at First Energy Bank for more than 9 years. Mr. Ebrahim sits on the Board of a number of Al Salam Bank’s affiliate and subsidiary companies, including the Chairman of ASB Biodiesel - Hong Kong. Mr. Ebrahim is a Certified Public Accountant (USA) and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountant