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Speakers 
 Dr. Yahia Abdul-Rahman,
Founder and Resident Shariah Scholar and Supervisor,
LARIBA
Author of an English book titled: "LARIBA BANK - Islamic Banking, Foundation for a United and Prosperous Community", 1994 and author of many papers on Islamic Financing & Islamic Financial Instruments. Invited speaker at major International Islamic Finance Forums at Harvard University and in Malaysia, Singapore, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States
More than 37 years of highly diversified experience in International Banking, Project financing, and in the Oil and Gas Industry. Bulk of the experience has been with Atlantic Richfield Co., ARCO (10 years), American Finance House LARIBA (Founder since 1987), Citigroup Smith Barney (17 years) and the Industrial Bank of Kuwait (Member of Founding Team - 4 years) and LARIBA Bank of Kazakhstan (Chairman and Founder from 1993 till 1998.)
Extensive experience in Corporate Strategic Planning (ARCO for 4 years), Equipment and Business Appraisals (Candidate Member of the American Society of Appraisers- ASA), Financial Analysis and Project Evaluation & Analysis, Loan Approvals & Documentation; and Contract Negotiations and Contract Administration (Crude Oil Acquisition with ARCO).
Extensive experience in Management of Non-profit Civic Organizations: as former Treasurer of the International Visitors Council of Los Angeles, IVCLA and many Islamic Centers and Schools in Wisconsin, Texas and California.
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 Mr Nathif Adam,
Head of Investments,
Sharjah Islamic Bank
Nathif joined Sharjah Islamic Bank (formerly National Bank of Sharjah) in the UAE in 2002 during its conversion process to Islamic banking and is currently a Senior Vice President and head of the bank’s investments and international banking division. Prior to joining SIB, he was an executive manager with Qatar Islamic Bank and had responsibility for the bank’s large foreign investment portfolios of real estate, leasing, securities and trade. Nathif is a prominent personality in the Islamic banking & finance industry. In addition to being a noted presenter on the subject globally, he also undertakes practical training on different topics of Islamic banking and finance. In 2004, Nathif co-authored the first book to be written on the subject of Sukuk. The book titled “Islamic Bonds: Your Guide to Issuing, Structuring and Investing in Sukuk” is published and marketed by Euromoney books, London. His educational background includes the Associateship of the UK Chartered Institute of Bankers and MBA studies with Heriot-Watt University, Scotland.
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 Mr. Suhail Ahmad,
President and Chief Investment Officer,
Ittihad Securities Inc.
Mr. Ahmad is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Ittihad Securities Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary and Investment Banking arm of Ittihad Capital Corporation. As the Visionary and Co-Founder of the firm, Mr. Ahmad is dedicated to expanding the company’s Wealth Management and Corporate Finance offerings to the global marketplace through unique Ethical Shariah guided solutions that capitalize on the strong Canadian economic environment.
Prior to joining Ittihad Capital Corporation in 2004 and Ittihad Securities Inc. in 2006, Mr. Ahmad was the President and Founder of Everest Financial Group Inc., a firm established in 1997, providing independent financial advisory, consulting, and risk management solutions to businesses and individuals with the sponsorship and representation of the largest financial institution in Canada, the RBC Financial Group. Mr. Ahmad has held both Securities and Insurance licenses in Canada as the designated officer of the company during this time. Mr. Ahmad has also held the position of Senior Vice-President with an emerging IT company for three years and has also held the position of Sales Manager with an emerging telecom cabling and marketing firm for over 2 years, giving him “hands-on” management experience of early stage and mid-market enterprises.
Canadian born, Mr. Ahmad has a Bachelors in Economics from the University of Calgary, and has completed various professional development courses and financial industry designations including the LLQP and is a qualified Canadian Investment Manager (CIM) with the Canadian Securities Institute. With over 10 years of financial industry experience, Mr. Ahmad is a proud recipient of the Alberta Centennial Award in 2005 for his outstanding contribution to Canadian business.
Mr. Ahmad is currently a member of the Board of Directors for both Ittihad Capital Corporation and Ittihad Securities Inc. He is also the Chairman of the Board for Everest Financial Group Inc. and sits on the Advisory Boards of several private companies.
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Sheik Habib Alli,
UM Shariah Advisory Board
Shaikh Habeeb Alli is a member of Imams Council and Jamiatul Ulama and has served in many programs to better establish a true multicultural Canada. Being an educator and Khateeb he constantly drives home the message that we have to live in harmony with all and must commit our loyalty to the country we now call home by working for congruent alternatives. He is currently working with North American Muslim Foundation whose vision is to make religion relevant to young Canadians through the values of respect and cooperation, et al. He has a passion for Islamic Banking for the last twenty years through his Islamic Studies at Deoband Islamic University, India. He served two years in the banking industry prior to undertaking studies overseas and presently is founder member of UM Financial Shariah Advisory Board. He has authored nine books and presented on Islamic Financing at numerous workshops and conferences. Mr. Alli speaks sis languages and has traveled widely. He believes that Islamic financing is lucrative not because of the huge booty available in the Muslim communities but because it's a spiritual dynamic that has to be exploited, as against the spoils of Globalization.
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Ms. Julane Alt,
Associate General Counsel,
Fannie Mae
Professional Background: Fannie Mae - Associate
General Counsel - 2002 to present. Counsel, GE Capital Corporation, 2001 to 2002. Senior Vice President, Chief Real Estate Counsel, Heller Financial, Inc., 1994-2001. Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Sears Mortgage Banking Group, 1991-1994. Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Independence One Mortgage Corporation, (Michigan National Bank) 1986-1991. Vice President and General Counsel, Regency Savings Bank, FSB, 1984-1986. Vice President and General Counsel, Advance Mortgage Corporation, 1978-1984.
Admitted to bar: Michigan, 1978. Illinois, 2005.
Education: Oakland University, (B.A. magna cum laude – 1975) (B.S. magna cum laude, 1975) Wayne State University ( J.D. 1978), University of Michigan (MBA, 1991)
Member: Michigan and American Bar Associations. Board of Governors for the Mortgage Bankers Association of Michigan 1990 -1991.
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 Mr. Dany Assaf,
Partner,
Ogilvy Renault
Mr. Assaf is Co-Chair of the firm’s competition/antitrust law practice and advises domestic and international clients on all aspects of competition law, including multijurisdictional merger transactions, international criminal cartel cases, and advertising and promotional matters. He has been recognized as one of Canada’s leading competition lawyers by Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Competition and Antitrust Lawyers, Chambers Global - The World’s Leading Lawyers and by the Canadian legal directory LEXPERT. He has also been listed by the 2006 LEXPERT/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada as one of “25 Litigators to Watch”.
Mr. Assaf has advised clients in a variety of industries and has been involved in many of Canada’s most high profile mergers and investigations, including the proposed merger of General Electric and Honeywell, and of Superior Propane and ICG Propane (Canada’s leading merger case) and several other high profile mergers. He also worked on a World Bank project to draft and implement competition legislation in developing countries.
Mr. Assaf has acted for Canadian and international clients in a broad range of international trade and investment matters, including anti-dumping proceedings before the CITT, foreign investment reviews under the Investment Canada Act, procurement reviews under NAFTA and other matters in relation to international trade agreements.
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 Ms Alka Banerjee,
Vice President,
Standard & Poor's
Alka Banerjee is vice president of Global Index Management and the Chairperson of the S&P/Citigroup Equity Indices and the S&P Emerging Market Indices. Alka is responsible for the policy guidelines and methodology governing these indices. She oversees the creation and management of Standard & Poor's global indices, focusing on creating new benchmarks for international equity markets and maintaining the integrity of index calculations.
Alka is also responsible for the S&P/Citigroup Global Property/REIT Index methodology, guidelines and maintenance procedures. She serves on various index committees for various other S&P global indices. She is involved in analyzing the international equity markets, and setting up procedures and guidelines for tracking the performance of stocks, analyzing companies, foreign currency changes, country specific financial regulatory laws and monitoring procedures of international stock markets. Alka was closely involved with the transition of IFC’s Emerging Market Indices to Standard and Poor’s Index Group in 2000, and in the integration of the S&P/Citigroup Indices into the Standard and Poor’s Index family in 2004.
Prior to joining Standard & Poor's in 2000, Alka worked for The Bank of New York where she was responsible for the creation, maintenance and marketing of The Bank of New York ADR Index. Before coming to the US, she worked for the State Bank of India for ten years in India.
Alka holds a Masters in Economics from Lucknow University in India and an MBA in finance from Pace University, New York.
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Tricia Boutros,
Attorney,
Vinson & Elkins
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Mr. Rehan Dawer,
Senior VP, Head of Marketing and Distribution,
Guidance Financial
Rehan A. Dawer is Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing and Distribution, Guidance Financial Group and Guidance Residential, LLC. Mr. Dawer has over fifteen years of experience in developing and managing the distribution channels and marketing initiatives for financial products and services.
Prior to joining Guidance, he served as Senior Vice President with the Private Client Group at Morgan Stanley. In addition to his five years at Morgan Stanley, he held the position of District Manager – Senior Advisor Group with American Express Financial Advisors responsible for managing the sales force along with the marketing efforts of the company’s diversified financial services. Prior to American Express, he was a Financial Analyst – Commercial Lending and Small Business Acquisition with Bank of America.
Mr. Dawer has co-founded and directed several community development efforts and has served on the Board of Trustees for The Columbia Foundation. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, and holds dual degrees in Marketing and Finance.
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 Sheikh Yusuf DeLorenzo,
Chief Shariah Officer,
Shariah Capital Inc
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 Mr. Jacques Demers,
Senior Partner,
Ogilvy Renault
Mr. Demers’ practice is concentrated in the area of corporate finance, with particular emphasis on project finance (mining, energy, infrastructure), banking, infrastructure development and related mergers and acquisitions. He regularly advises both consortia, and members of consortia, of industry and financial parties in connection with specific projects and business opportunities (e.g. alliances, partnerships, joint ventures, etc.) where such parties come together for common or defined purposes. Many of the transactions he has played a lead role in have been “firsts” of their kind in the relevant market. Currently, he is involved in several significant acquisitions of infrastructure and energy assets in Canada, Europe and Latin America.
He has been independently nominated and recognized as a leading lawyer in numerous professional surveys and directories in Canada and internationally including in Chambers' Global Guide as a leading practitioner in (a) corporate/mergers and acquisitions, (b) banking and finance; and (c) projects (PPP/PFI), the LEXPERT Directory as the leading project finance lawyer in Canada, in the LEXPERT Guide to Canada’s 100 Most Creative Lawyers, in the LEXPERT Guide to Canada’s Top 100 Industry Specialists, the LEXPERT/ALM Guide to Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada, Lexpert Guide to Leading 100 Canada/US Cross Border Lawyers, Who's Who Legal, the Best Lawyers in Canada (Banking, Corporate/M&A), Legal Media Group's Guide to the World's Leading Project Finance Lawyers, the International Who's Who of Banking Lawyers, the Guide to the World's Leading Banking Lawyers and the Best of the Best.
Professional Involvement
He served as a member of the special advisory panel to the Government of Ontario in respect of infrastrucutre development and renewal. Mr. Demers is a Senior Partner with Ogilvy Renault and serves the Firm as a member of the Executive Committee and Toronto Managing Partner. He is also a director of several business corporations.
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Mohammad Fadel,
Assistant Law Professor,
University of Toronto
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 Mr. Hesham Hamdy,
General Manager,
Bank of Alexandria
Basel II Diploma, the American Bankers Association
Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors, Inc, USA,
Member of the Global Association of Risk Professionals
Hesham, Joined Bank of Alexandria as member of the new senior management team responsible for reengineering, modernizing and privatizing the bank, with the task of bringing together the strands of risk management. He is leading a small team of experts in the fields of credit, operational and market risk. He is responsible for Risk Management, Central Credit Administration, and Central Investigation & Information.
Hesham is also a member of the Board of Directors in two distinguished companies:
- Egyptian Banks’ Credit Bureau
- Egyptian Iron and Steel Company
Hesham has 25 years experience in Internal Audit, Credit Examination and Risk Management in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. He has held senior positions in esteemed banks, such as Bahrain Islamic Bank as the Manager of Inspection and Internal Audit Department where he designed Inspectors’ Manual as a book of reference to assist all members of the Inspection Department staff to carry out their duties as efficiently as possible. He was managing the credit examination in Riyad Bank as Head of Credit Inspectors undertaking a large number of audit assignments to review the bank’s overall lending activities to ensure that they are being conducted in a safe & desirable manner, through reviews and quality assessments of credit facilities at all branches of the bank including international branches. He worked as the Work-Out & Recovery Officer at the American Express Bank responsible for monitoring all criticized and classified problem credits. He was a member of the Quality Assurance Team at the Egyptian American Bank. He joined National Bank of Abu-Dhabi as Credit Officer, with main responsibility of managing borrowing relationships with corporate customers. Before specializing in the banking field, Hesham gained internal and external audit experience in both Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco) as In-Charge Internal Auditor, and Price Waterhouse & company as External Auditor.
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Faten Hani,
Executive Director,
DIFC Education Centre
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 Mr. Rehan Huda,
Co-Founder and Director,
Amana Canada Holdings Inc.
Rehan Huda is based in Ottawa, Canada and is the Founder and President of Salam Financial, a firm specializing in Shariah compliant financial products and services for the Canadian marketplace. He is also a Director of Amana Canada Holdings, which is in the process of applying for a license for Canadian Islamic bank. Mr. Huda has been a guest speaker on Islamic Economics and Finance in a variety of forums in Canada, UK and the Middle East.
Prior to his work in Islamic finance, Mr. Huda held various positions within the Canadian federal government including Senior Economist for the Department of Finance and Senior Analyst for the Natural Resources and Industry Departments. He was a recipient of the government's Public Service Award of Excellence for his financial and economic analysis related to the awarding of operating licenses to wireless telecommunication service providers. He has also been a management consultant to emerging Canadian telecommunications and energy companies.
Mr. Huda has a B.A. in Economics and Psychology and a Masters in Economics from the University of Manitoba in Western Canada.
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 Mr. Syed Tariq Husain,
CEO,
Emirates Global Islamic Bank
CEO - Emirates Global Islamic Bank Limited – Pakistan (Aug. 2005 to present)
Dubai Investment Group, Dubai, (April 02 to Aug 05), Senior Investment Officer
Investment Advisor; Amman Insurance (Takaful) Dubai, Estithmaar Islamic Real Estate, (London) (JV with Citibank, Formation Properties, (New York)
ANZ Investment Bank (ANZ) – London (March ’97 to April ‘02)
Director of Global Structured Finance and Head of Global Islamic Finance
Director of ANZ Islamic Fund, “First ANZ International Modaraba - Guernsey”
• From May 98 to Jan 99, also Head of ANZ Investment Bank in Pakistan.
ANZ Bank
• Country Treasury & Strategic Planning Manager, Pakistan (Sep 95-Oct 96)
• Regional Coordinator, Middle East, London, UK (Sep 94- Sep 95)
• Planning Manager, Gulf, Dubai, UAE (Feb 94- Sep 94)
• Head of Treasury - Pakistan (Aug 90 – Feb 94)
• Unit Manager, Retail Banking, Pakistan (Aug 89 – Aug 90)
• Senior Internal Auditor, Group Audit, London, UK (July 87 - Aug 89)
A.F.Fergusons, Management Consultants, Manager, Banking, (Jan’ 87 to Jun’87)
Ministry of Financial Institutions, Toronto Senior Examiner, (Oct’83 to Dec’86)
E&Y, Chartered Accountants Toronto, Senior Accountant, (May’82 to Oct’83)
Spicer & Pegler, Chartered Accountants (now Deloitte and Touche)
Audit Junior to Audit Senior, London, UK. (Feb’78 to May ’82)
OTHER
• Chairman “Foreign Exchange Rates Committee” in Pakistan. 1990 - 94 & 1996.
• Deputy Head, Fund Managers’ Association, Pakistan, 1991- 94 & 1996.
• Taught MBA, Karachi Univ. “Treasury Management” & “Corporate Finance”.
QUALIFICATIONS
• FCA, Institute of Chartered Accountants in Pakistan, 1987.
• Chartered Accountant, Institute of Chartered Accountants in Canada, 1986.
• ACA, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, 1981.
• MBA Majors: Finance and Accounts, York University, Toronto, Canada, 1977.
• B.Com (First Class), Hailey College, Punjab University, Pakistan, 1975.
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Mr. Sasha Jacob,
President and CEO,
Jacob & Company Securities Inc.
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 Mr. Naseem Javed,
President,
ABC Namebank
Recognized as a world authority on corporate image and creation of new powerful icons and identities, Naseem founded ABC Namebank International, in Toronto and New York over a quarter century ago.
Author of Naming for Power, his cutting edge research on cyber-branding and image leadership is published around the globe just about each and every single day of the year. Naseem is responsible for personally creating name identities that today have a combined annual turnover of some $40 Billion US. Enter his name in quotes in Google and some 50,000 pages about him will pop up.
He is a powerful and a dramatic speaker and is invited at world's top conferences, he has been profiled in hundreds of magazines and has appeared on hundreds of Radio and TV shows, circumnavigating the globe many times and reflecting on his rich international flavor to his work.
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 Mr. Douglas Johnson,
CEO & CIO,
Calyx Financial
Douglas Clark Johnson leads Calyx Financial LLC, a New York-based firm that provides offshore investment programs to Islamic investors. Johnson founded Calyx Financial in 2002 after serving as managing director of global allocation services for the international investments division of Prudential Financial. In this role, he created and managed a fee-based discretionary portfolio management program that was considered among the most innovative in the industry at the time. He also led the division’s Global Allocation Committee, which set investment strategies across capital markets worldwide. From 1988 to 1998, Johnson held senior portfolio management and international securities research positions with Merrill Lynch in New York. His work in creating fundamental models for global investment strategy was prominent among major Wall Street houses. He holds dual master’s degrees in finance and international affairs from Columbia University.
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 Mr. Omar Kalair,
CEO,
UM Financial
Omar Kalair obtained his bachelors degree in Business Economics and completed post-graduate studies in Business Administration at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada. Before establishing UM Financial, he worked in the finance departments at Hewlett Packard Canada and Airmiles Loyalty Group. In launching UM Financial, Mr. Kalair succeeded in creating financing and deposit products that offer rates and features similar to conventional products yet are usury-free. At the end of 2006 – in just one and half years, UM Financial reached close to $100 million in assets that were used to finance Muslim home purchases. Today, UM Financial has eight regional offices and a staff of twenty. Mr. Kalair was recognized among CIC’s top twenty pioneer Muslim business leaders at the Canadian parliament in Ottawa. Mr. Kalair was invited to speak on Islamic Finance in at the 6th International Islamic Finance Forum in Istanbul, Turkey and the Islamic Finance Forum at McGill University. Mr. Kalair has attended and been a guest speaker on Islamic Economics and Finance in a variety of forums and has been interviewed on the subject by some of the country's leading media outlets such as the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail and CBC Radio. The Toronto Star, Canada’s largest newspaper, is profiling nine entrepreneurs for the year 2007 and has selected Omar Kalair as one of the nine. Additionally, Mr. Kalair has been admitted to a PhD program in Islamic Economics Finance. His thesis study will be on the implementation of usury-free financial products in the Canadian business environment. In founding UM Financial, Mr. Kalair obtained the exceptional ability to see and lead the industry from a technical, marketing, financial and regulatory angle.
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Mr. Laine Kenan,
Executive Director,
Arcapita
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Mr. Irfan Khan,
Vice President,
HSBC Amanah
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 Dr. John Lightstone,
President,
Lightstone Capital
John Lightstone is President of Lightstone Capital Management LLC (LCM), which develops and runs quantitative investment strategies. These strategies take advantage of persistent market inefficiencies across all equity styles. Quantitative strategies have many advantages in selecting stocks from the constrained universe of stocks that are acceptable to an Islamic investor. John Lightstone's paper on Quantitative Methods of Stock Selection in the Construction and Testing of Sharica-Compliant Strategies was published in the proceedings of the Fifth Harvard University Forum on Islamic Finance in April, 2002. LCM is portfolio consultant to more than $400MM of unit trusts with a major US firm. LCM is also sub-advisor to Divine Asset Management. Dr. Lightstone is an Adjunct Professor of Finance at Pace University, Lubin School of Business, White Plains, NY, where he teaches investment analysis and advanced topics in financial management. His areas of research include market inefficiencies, investment strategies, the usefulness of estimate revisions and earnings surprises in predicting stock returns, and the effect of socially responsible guidelines on investment performance. He was formerly a Senior Vice President, Strategic Risk Management at SEI Corporation and a Vice President at Chemical Bank (now J.P. Morgan Chase) responsible for evaluating the risk of various bank products and Director, Financial Services at Union Carbide Corporation. He was coauthor of “Volatile Exchange Rates can put Profits at Risk," published in Harvard Business Review. Dr. Lightstone has a B.A. in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University, a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Finance from New York University. He was a Fulbright Scholar. He is married with two daughters. He is on the Board of Directors of the Meals on Wheels of White Plains and other civic and religious organizations.
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 Jens Lohmueller,
Board of Directors,
UM Investment
Mr. Lohmueller’s mandate is to enhance credit unions; reach into new industries and to attract new membership by leveraging existing services and introducing new products and services to the system.
He has over 25 years ob banking experience with German credit unions in various capacities, as Vice President Corporate Finance with Deutsche Bank, and the most recent experience with the Canadian credit union system. Furthermore, Mr. Lohmueller spent a few years with IDEA International, an international economic development institute and think tank as Director Risk Management and Finance to work on economic development projects with UNDP, World Bank, Cida and other international development agencies.
In co-operation with UM Financial, Mr. Lohmueller has designed and implemented the first Islamic mortgage product in Canada.
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 Mr. David Loundy,
Corporate Counsel,
Devon Bank
David Loundy is Corporate Counsel, a Vice President and a member of the Board of Directors for Devon Bank. He is also in charge of Islamic finance strategy for Devon Bank
At Devon Bank, David has created the products for the Bank’s Islamic finance program and has worked to expand the Bank’s Islamic finance program out to cover over half of the U.S. states to date. He has designed, received any necessary regulatory clearance, and in many cases implemented, more Islamic banking products in the United States marketplace than any other banker in the U.S.
David has revamped the Bank mortgage department, increased the Bank’s year-over-year mortgage volume by several hundred percent, evaluated mortgage investment and securitization programs, participated in commercial loan reviews and approvals for conventional and Islamic financing transactions, and worked to structure Islamic financing transactions to meet specific customer needs.
Before joining Devon Bank, David worked as a law professor and law school administrator, as well as teaching in an executive MBA program at DePaul University, and, for more than a decade, worked as a lawyer practicing in the fields of intellectual property and computer law, with a focus on Internet law issues. He has represented public and private companies and entrepreneurs as they have developed their businesses, structured transactions, and sought to protect their intellectual property and take advantage of new technologies.
A frequent writer and speaker, David has given more than fifty presentations and has more than one hundred publications in his name, including a law school case book “Computer Crime, Information Warfare & Economic Espionage.” Some of his publications and presentations have been translated into French, Japanese, Turkish and Korean.
David Loundy has a Bachelor of Arts in telecommunications from Purdue University, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Iowa College of Law, both with distinction, and has completed the post-graduate diploma program from the Institute of Islamic Banking and Insurance.
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 Christopher Messina,
Managing Director,
Mannahatta Partners, LLC
Mannahatta Partners, LLC is a specialist advisory firm focused on asset management as well as business strategy and product planning for the financial services industry. We develop and advise on investment policies, products and distribution strategies for asset management companies and broker/dealers. We advise on a variety of financial services transactions, including investment product structuring, exchange traded and OTC market development and selected private equity transactions. The firm’s four principals have over 100 years of experience in financial services, with diverse skill sets in investment banking, alternative assets due diligence, derivatives underwriting, broker/dealer creation and management and exchange development.
Prior to co-founding Mannahatta Partners, Christopher was the Chief Operating Officer for the Global Futures business at ICAP. Christopher is a Venture Partner in Silicon Valley, has performed private equity due diligence for global investment firms, has been a strategic consultant to McKinsey & Company and developed a corporate governance factor fund and data service in Australia with Corporate Governance International.
He has worked with Goldman Sachs in New York and Goldman Sachs JBWere in Australia in operational risk, proprietary investments and quantitative research. While at Goldman Sachs in 1999, he was part of the team that created BrokerTec Global, the fixed-income inter-dealer broker that was acquired by ICAP in 2003. He was also part of the team that created the BrokerTec Futures Exchange, later sold to Deutsche Borse as Eurex US.
Prior to his career in finance, Christopher spent three years in industrial sales in Africa. He has an AB in Anthropology from the University of Chicago with a concentration in Islamic History, where he was a National Merit Scholar, and an MBA in Finance from the Australian Graduate School of Management.
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Dr. Yaqub Mirza,
President & CEO,
Sterling Management Group
Dr. M. Yaqub Mirza is President and CEO of Sterling Management Group, Inc.
Since 1984, Dr. Mirza has been actively negotiating mergers, acquisitions and sales of various sized companies located in different parts of the world. After many of the acquisitions, Dr. Mirza is involved as director and officer in the development of the company by evaluating top management to maximize efficiency and profitability and then restructuring, streamlining or expanding the company.
Dr. Mirza has served as a Trustee and Treasurer and later as Chairman of Amana Mutual Fund Trust (1987 to February 2003), and is now an Advisor to the Board of Trustees of the Amana Mutual Funds, which is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an open-end investment company and managed by Saturna. He also serves as an Advisor to the Board and/or on the Board of Directors of numerous other companies.
He served on the Board of Mylex Corporation, a NASDAQ listed, world leader of RAID technology and network management products from December 1988 until September 1999 when Mylex was acquired by IBM for $240 million.
Dr. Mirza was awarded the Entrepreneur Award in 2002 by the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry in San Jose, California.
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 Mr. Umar Moghul,
Associate,
Murtha Cullina
Umar F. Moghul practices in the realm of banking & finance, private equity, and mergers & acquisitions at the law firm of Murtha Cullina LLP. Mr. Moghul has represented an array of financial institutions (both conventional and Islamic) as well as joint ventures and high net worth individuals, in a variety of cutting edge Islamic financing transactions. He has advised on corporate acquisitions (both conventional and Islamic) and growth equity investments, real estate investment transactions, and designed and structured novel Islamic financial and retail banking products. His legal practice also encompasses counseling financial institutions with respect to their obligations under the USA Patriot Act.
Mr. Moghul has published several articles pertaining to Islamic law and Islamic finance and is an adjunct faculty member at the Western New England College School of Law where he teaches Islamic law. Mr. Moghul earned his J.D. from Temple University and his B.A. and M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
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 Mr Trevor Norman,
Corporate Services Division,
Volaw Trust and Corporate Services Ltd
Trevor is the Director of Client Administration with Volaw Trust and Corporate Services Limited in Jersey, Channel Islands, a leading private trust company in the Island with long standing links to Islamic and Middle Eastern financial institutions. He graduated in Business Studies from Oxford Brookes University, having specialised in financial studies. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1983 and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), the International Tax Planning Association and the Institute of Islamic Banking & Insurance in London.
Trevor joined Volaw Trust Company in 1988, becoming a Director in 1989. His primary responsibility is the management of Volaw’s Collective Investment Funds and Special Purpose Vehicle section. Since 1995, he has worked on a wide variety of Shari’a compliant transactions, including several real estate funds, various specialist Shari’a screened equity funds and the award winning Caravan 1 securitisation Sukuk.
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Mufti Yusuf Panchbhaya,
Chairman, Shariah Advisory,
UM Financial
Mufti Yusuf Panchbhaya is the Chairman of the UM Financial Shariah Advisory Board. He is greatly respected amongst scholars for his knowledge and interpretation of Sharia and issues related to North American Muslims. Mufti Panchbhaya is a native of Gujrat, India, and a Graduate in Ifta from an Indian Madressa. He migrated to Canada in 1979 and established Madressa Ashraf Ul Uloom, an Islamic institute for children with over 400 students in attendance. He is in regular contact with Mufti Taqi Uthmani who is the vice-chair of Majmul Fiqh of Saudi Arabia. He also serves on the senior board of Jamiatul Ulema of Canada.
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 Ms. Toni Pelaez,
Vice President,
UIB Capital
Toni Pelaez has completed transactions in the healthcare, consumer products, and retail industries. A director of UIB Capital portfolio company Ellington, LLC and of portfolio company Precision Time, Inc., Pelaez also works closely with UIB Capital's first portfolio investment, The Gardens, LLC. Toni's industry experience includes energy, consumer products, building products, and technology.
Prior to joining UIB Capital, Pelaez was a Vice President in Ernst & Young's Corporate Finance group (now Giuliani Partners). Previously, she was a consultant with Booz Allen & Hamilton. Prior to that, she worked in Credit and Business Development roles at Heller Financial.
Pelaez has a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois-Urbana and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. She also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
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 Mr. Stephen Ranzini,
President & Chairman,
University Bank
Stephen Lange Ranzini is Chairman and President of University Bank of Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is also Chairman and President of University Islamic Financial, the first Islamic Banking Subsidiary of a bank in the U.S.
Mr. Ranzini played the leading role in the acquisition of the Bank in 1988 when he became the nation’s youngest bank holding company President at age 23, and since then has been President and CEO of the Bank’s holding company, University Bancorp (NASDAQ Symbol UNIB). Stephen is responsible for formulating and enacting the strategic plan, annual budget and overall management of the bank. He is the portfolio manager of the Bank’s investment portfolio, and is a registered investment advisor, managing the bank’s clients’ funds. Stephen has successfully established numerous branch locations and broadened the company’s product range to include insurance, mortgage banking, mortgage subservicing, merchant banking, Islamic banking and foreign exchange. The Bank currently manages over $3.9 billion in assets and through its mortgage subsidiary, Midwest Loan Services, serves as a business process outsourcer for over 2.5% of all of the credit unions in the United States.
A magna cum laude graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, at Exeter, Stephen was the first ever Exeter student to be a Westinghouse (Intel) Science Talent Search Semi-Finalist. Stephen graduated from Yale on scholarship and earned a double major in East Asian Studies (Japan) and History.
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 Mr. Christopher Richardson,
Attorney at Law,
Vinson & Elkins
Chris’ practice focuses on international business transactions, including mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, project development, secured transactions, structured finance, Shari’a (Islamic law) compliant transactions, oil and gas contracts, and general corporate and natural resources law. Chris has experience with transactions involving clients, projects, or assets located in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, with a particular emphasis on the energy sector. Chris routinely works closely with attorneys in the firm’s offices in Dubai, London, Tokyo and China to serve clients on a worldwide basis.
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Mr. Aftab Sabir,
Chief Executive Officer,
Salam Financial Inc.
Aftab Sabir is Chief Executive Officer of Salam Financial Inc. and is responsible for product development for the company's suite of Islamic products and services for the Canadian market.
After a brief term at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Toronto, Mr. Sabir moved to Ottawa to work as a financial analyst at Canada’s export credit agency, Export Development Canada. He then moved to Canadian Pacific Railway as a Business Analyst before finally joining Salam Financial.
Mr. Sabir has a B.Sc. from the University of Calgary and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University.
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 Rehan Saeed,
UM Investment, Manager,
UM Financial
Mr. Saeed is the Manager of UM Investment part of UM Financial Inc, an Islamic mortgage financing company, one of the fastest growing Islamic financial institutions in Canada today. The company’s portfolio grew to $100 million within two years of its starting operations. Mr. Saeed has been with UM Financial since the inception. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology from York University in Canada and recently concluded his MBA specializing in Islamic Banking and Finance from the well renowned International Islamic University in Malaysia. While working for his MBA Islamic Finance, he also worked as one of the official trainers on Islamic Financial products at the Kuwait Finance House in Kuala Lumpur.
Mr. Saeed has lived and worked in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Malaysia and presently lives in Canada. He speaks five languages.
Presently Mr. Saeed is in the process of developing Shariah-compliant products for UM Financial within the Canadian business context.
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 Monem Salam,
Director of Islamic Investing,
Saturna Capital
Monem Salam, Saturna Capital’s Director of Islamic Investing, was born in Pakistan in 1972. Raised in Texas, Mr. Salam received his degrees from the University of Texas: BA (Austin) and MBA (Dallas). He worked as Chief Investment Officer for ITG & Associates (Dallas) until 1999, then as a representative with Morgan Stanley (suburban Dallas) until joining Saturna Capital in June 2003. Monem is active with the Muslim community in North America through mosques (past Board member), Islamic Schools, ISNA (past Executive Committee Member), Muslim Youth of North America, and current Chairman of Peaceful Communications, a non-profit organization currently working on a documentary about Muslims in America. Monem has spoken at over 300 Islamic Communities about spirituality, seerah, and Islamic investing over the past three years. Monem was present in Bahrain to receive the "Best Islamic Fund Manager 2005" Award given by Failaka International on behalf of Saturna Capital for their Amana Mutual Funds Trust.
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 Mr. Anthony Scaramucci,
Managing Partner,
Skybridge Capital
ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI – Founder/Managing Partner: Skybridge Capital, LLC; Former Managing Director: Neuberger Berman/Lehman Brothers; Former Partner/Founder: Oscar Capital Management, LLC; Former Vice President: Goldman, Sachs & Co. NY Equities Division; Graduate: Tufts University, B.A., Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa (1986); Graduate: Harvard Law School (1989); Board Member: The Lymphoma Foundation, The Brain Tumor Foundation, Center for Social and Emotional Education (CSEE) and Adventures in Learning.
Mr. Scaramucci has 18 years of investment experience. At Goldman Sachs he was focused on both research and capital market activity. At Oscar Capital Management, Mr. Scaramucci was responsible for overseeing compliance and research for 4 hedge funds and separately managed accounts with assets totaling over one billion dollars. He was the compliance head, as well as on the risk management committee. As the head of research he was on the investment committee, did fundamental company analysis, and studied both micro and macro economic trends. In November of 2001, Oscar Capital was sold to Neuberger Berman. MSD Capital, L.P., the private investment company of Michael S. Dell was a strategic investor. At Neuberger Berman, he was the originator of the Premier Portfolio investment product, which was launched in April, 2003. He served from 2003 – 2005 on the Investment Committee of Neuberger’s Premier Portfolio. Mr. Scaramucci worked on the Neuberger Berman/Lehman integration team and was responsible for distributing Private Asset Management products into Lehman’s private client service division.
Mr. Scaramucci is currently the founder and Managing Partner of Skybridge Capital, LLC, a New York based alternative investment management company, which is currently focused on partnering with emerging managers. The business was formed in March of 2005. MSD Capital, L.P., the private investment company of Michael S. Dell is a strategic investor.
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 Andre Schroer,
Board of Directors,
UM Investment
André Schroer. UM Investment Board of Directors. Former Director Commercial Lending and Product Development, Credit Union Central of Ontario. Responsible for the delivery of Ontario credit union system's commercial lending services including training programs, loan syndications, strategic alliances and product development. Worked with the Ontario credit unions to grow the system's syndicated loan book from $6 million to $800 million. Over half the syndicated book is with smaller rural based credit unions. Former Vice President Lending - Canadian Chartered Schedule II Bank Responsible for the Canadian lending operation, increasing the portfolio from $240 to $480 million in direct and contingent liabilities. Provided direct and ongoing support to eight line branches across Canada in promoting their business development opportunities, as well as in the structuring of their corporate credit proposals. Member of executive management committee, overseeing the strategic planning, budgeting, human resources and credit committees.
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 Mr. Nasim Siddiqi,
President & CEO,
Anchor Finance Group
Nasim Siddiqi is the Founder Director of Anchor Finance Group. He was previously associated with the ANZ Grindlays Bank, Citibank and UBS. He has over 26 years of experience in banking from corporate finance, Islamic finance, institution development, retail banking, real estate financing, structured finance and US treasury.
Nasim has first hand experience of establishing infrastructure for various financial institutions which includes Islamic financing, private equity advisory and strategy consulting.
Nasim is also a co-founder of SCOPRUS a trading platform providing Shari’ah compliant investment alternatives on a global scale. The SCOPRUS team of professionals is capable of offering unique financial products and services based on years of industry and market experience.
Nasim has also participated in the development of Credit Reporting Cell for the Central Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and headed as President - MBA Banking Program (IBA) for ANZ Grindlays Bank.
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 Mr Rushdi Siddiqui,
Global Director,
Dow Jones
Rushdi A. Siddiqui is Global Director of the Islamic Index Group at Dow Jones Indexes. Rushdi joined Dow Jones Indexes in 1997 to oversee an initiative to develop and market Shari’ah-compliant indexes for Islamic-focused investors. In the years since, Rushdi has led Dow Jones Indexes’s efforts to introduce the entire Dow Jones Islamic Market (DJIM) index family, which now includes equity indexes for countries, regions, sectors and social-ethical themes (DJIM Sustainability Index), as well as a fixed-income index (DJ Citi Sukuk Index). While supporting and growing Dow Jones Indexes’s presence in Islamic markets, Rushdi has received a number of awards and has been named to various Islamic-based advisory councils. He has also done well over 200 media interviews including television interviews for CNNfn, BBC, CNBC Arabia and CNBC Pakistan.
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 Mr. Walied Soliman,
Lawyer,
Ogilvy Renault
Mr. Soliman’s practice focuses primarily on public and private financings, corporate governance and regulatory compliance matters as well as on the establishment of structured products for Canadian financial institutions.
Mr. Soliman has worked on both public and private financings for senior and junior Canadian issuers. His corporate governance experience includes playing a leading role in the establishment of board, committee, CEO and chairman mandates for one of Canada’s leading financial institutions. Mr. Soliman regularly advises on regulatory issues, including continuous disclosure and other compliance matters. His structured product experience includes the establishment of dozens of index-linked and equity-linked deposit products for Canadian financial institutions.
In 2003, Mr. Soliman spent five months on a secondment to the legal group of CIBC. In 2002, he spent three months on a secondment to the Ontario Securities Commission in the Enforcement Branch.
Prior to completing his law degree, Mr. Soliman worked as a senior assistant to a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
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 Mr. John Stevens,
Senior Regional Attorney,
FDIC
John S. Stevens is a Senior Regional Attorney in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Chicago Regional Office. John graduated with honors from the IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1989. He has worked for the FDIC since 1988. He represents the FDIC in administrative investigations and enforcement actions against insured banks and individuals affiliated with those institutions. He also advises the FDIC examination and management staff, and provides legal opinions on regulatory matters to bankers and the general public in the FDIC’s six-state Chicago Region.
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 Jonathan D. Strum,
Of Counsel,
Patton Boggs
Jonathan D. Strum is Of Counsel at Patton Boggs, an international law firm based in Washington DC. He practices in the area of international finance with an emphasis on Shariah-compliant finance, international private equity and asset-backed securitization. Mr. Strum has structured deals and negotiated with major securities firms, offshore banks, international institutions and governments. He has coordinated multilateral project finance while advising on the establishment of and financing for overseas projects in Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Mr. Strum is also a Managing Director of Siraj Capital, Ltd., an international investment firm with offices in Jeddah, Dubai and Kuala Lampur specializing in establishing innovative Shariah compliant investment funds and investment opportunities in the GCC and MENA regions.
Mr. Strum is a frequent commentator and analyst on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News Channel, and C-SPAN, Middle East and international issues and is a frequent speaker international conferences most recently as Chair of the CDO Workshop at Securitisation World MENA 2007 (Dubai, March 2007) and on two panels at the Spring ABS conference in Miami (May 2007).
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 Mr. Khalid Usman,
Chairman & CEO,
Ittihad Capital Corporation
Khalid Usman is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Ittihad Capital Corporation, the parent company of Ittihad Securities Inc. Mr. Usman is a Chartered Accountant with over 35 years of business and professional experience in Audit, Finance, Strategic Development, and Management in both private and public company environment. Mr. Usman provides the critical oversight and evaluation of the company’s development projects, business holdings, and financings along with providing the key financial and strategic planning for Ittihad Securities Inc., Canada’s first dedicated ethical Shariah guided investment bank.
Prior to joining Ittihad Capital Corporation, Mr. Usman served as Chief Financial Officer for nine years at Tri-Vision International Ltd. a publicly traded company on the TSX (Toronto) Stock Exchange that owns the world-wide rights to the revolutionary V.gis™ V-Chip Technology helping managing content of TV viewers. He was also an elected Councilor for the City of Markham for three consistent terms and is an active member of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Mr. Usman is currently a board member of Tri-Vision International Ltd. He is also a director with York Region Community Foundation, and Universal Youth Foundation. and former President of International Development Relief Foundation (IDRF). Mr. Usman is a recipient of the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship & Culture’s five years of Community Service Award.
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Dr. Muhammad Zubair Usmani,
Shariah Advisor, Islamic Banking Division,
Anchor Finance Group
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Mr. Bernardo Vizcaino,
Head- Research,
Eurekahedge
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 Sheik Nizam Yaquby,
Shariah Scholar
Sheikh Nizam Yaquby is a well known Shariah Scholar (Islamic Law) specializing in Islamic law of Banking and Finance. Sheikh Nizam has studied with many respected Islamic Scholars all over the world.
He has a degree in Economics from McGill University. He has lectured globally on Islamic finance and other topics in Islamic Law including: Harvard, London School of Economics, Oxford and many other places.
He is a member of AAIOFI, Central Bank of Bahrain, IIFM, Islamic rating agency and Dow Jones shariah boards among many others. Sheikh Nizam has also authored several books and articles in both Arabic and English.
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