KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Professor Alija Avdukic, Professor in Political Economy and Islamic Finance at University of Dundee, United Kingdom
Bio: Professor Avdukic teaches and supervises research on Islamic Political Economy; Islamic Moral Economy; Islamic Banking, Finance and Management; Political Economy of Development in the Muslim world and Islamic studies-related subjects. He is the Deputy Director of the MSc Islamic Finance at the University of Dundee, visiting professor for master’s programme in Islamic banking and finance for the joint programme School of Economics, University of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) with University of Bolton (UK). He is also a senior research fellow at Ibn Rush Centre for Excellence (UK). Finally, he is a visiting research fellow of Durham Centre in Islamic Economics, Banking and Finance (UK).
Professor Khaled Hussainey, Professor in Accounting at Bangor University, United Kingdom
Bio: Khaled Hussainey was appointed Professor of Accounting at Bangor Business School in April 2024. He previously held positions at Portsmouth, Plymouth, Stirling, Manchester, and Ain Shams universities, amassing over 25 years of teaching experience. His research focuses on corporate narrative reporting and has earned him recognition in the “World Ranking of Top 2% Researchers” database by Stanford University. He has published over 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including Accounting and Business Research and British Accounting Review, and has contributed to several books. Hussainey has received research grants from institutions such as the ESRC and Qatar National Research Foundation. He serves as Co-Editor of the Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting and is an Associate Editor for multiple journals, including the International Journal of Finance and Economics.
Sheikh Dr. Nedham Mohammed Yaqoobi
Bio: Sheikh Dr. Nedham Mohammed Yaqoobi is an internationally renowned Sharia scholar in the Islamic banking industry. He has a strong foundation in traditional Islamic sciences, having studied with senior scholars from across the Muslim world. He holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies as well as a degree from McGill University in Canada. Sheikh Nedham has taught Islamic subjects in Bahrain and delivered lectures worldwide. He serves on numerous international boards, including the Shari’a Council of AAOIFI, the Dow Jones Islamic Index, the Central Bank of Bahrain’s Shari’a Committee, and the IIFM Shari’a Council. In addition, he is a member of several other local and international Shari’a boards. He has edited a number of Arabic manuscripts and produced more than 500 audiovisual lectures and lessons in both Arabic and English.
Prof. Dr. Mohammed Kabir Hassan, Professor in Finance at University of New Orleans – USA
Bio: Professor Mohammad Kabir Hassan is a globally recognized scholar in Islamic banking and finance, and a long-standing faculty member at the University of New Orleans, where he holds the Moffett Chair in World Resource Prices and Economic Development, the Hibernia Professorship of Economics and Finance, and the Hancock Whitney Chair Professorship of Business. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Wiley journal Review of Economics and Finance, a Senior Fulbright Scholar, the inaugural Hamid D. Habib Chair of Finance at IBA Karachi, an Honorary Professor at the University of Jordan, and a member of the International Advisory Board of the University of Asia Pacific, Bangladesh. He is an AAOIFI Board Member on the Ethics and Governance Committee, and Chair of the AAOIFI Education Board.
Over 35 years of teaching, he has supervised more than 90 Ph.D. dissertations, mentoring international cohorts who now serve in academia, central banks, and industry. A prolific, highly cited researcher with 650+ publications, 43,000+ Google Scholar Citations, and a Google Scholar h-index of 93, his work spans Islamic social finance (zakat, waqf, takaful), corporate finance, governance, and financial development, including influential studies on sukuk and economic growth.
His professional service includes extensive editorial leadership across high-impact journals, “Meet the Editors” forums, conference stewardship, and global evaluation roles for universities and research bodies. Honors include the Islamic Development Bank Prize in Islamic Banking and Finance (2016). He consults for the World Bank, IMF, and Islamic Development Bank, advancing evidence-based, inclusive finance that integrates ethical principles into mainstream markets across the Global South.
Professor Mehmet Asutay, Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Political Economy & Finance. Durham University – UK
Bio: Mehmet has a BA in Public Finance from the University of Istanbul (Turkey); continued for MSc in Public Finance at the University of Istanbul; has a Postgraduate Diploma in Economic and Social Policy Analysis, University of York (UK); MA in Economics of Public Policy, Department of Economics of the University of Leicester (UK); Ph.D. in Political Economics, University of Leicester (UK). Mehmet joined the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University in 2005 and later moved to Durham University Business School in January 2014 with the transfer of all Islamic finance-related programmes to the DUBS. Mehmet teaches and supervises research on Islamic Political Economy; Islamic Moral Economy; Islamic Banking, Finance and Management; and Political Economy of Development in the Middle East, including Turkish Political Economy and Kurdish Political Economy. He is the Director of the Durham Centre for Islamic Economics and Finance, the Programme Director for MSc in Islamic Finance and MSc in Islamic Finance & Management, and the Director of the Durham Islamic Finance Summer School. Mehmet is the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Islamic and Society, Editor-in-Chief of the Review of Islamic Economics, and in the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management and Borsa Istanbul Review. He is a board member of the IAIE (International Association for Islamic Economics).
Dr Salah Alhammaadi, Rector of Arab Open University – Kuwait
Bio: Dr. Salah Alhammadi is the Rector of the Arab Open University, Kuwait. He holds a PhD in Economics and Finance from the University of Reading (UK), an MBA, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Texas (USA).
With more than 20 years of academic and professional experience, Dr. Alhammadi is a specialist in Islamic finance, sustainable development, corporate governance, and risk management. Before becoming Rector, he served as Vice Rector for Academic Affairs and Scientific Research at AOU Kuwait, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director of the MSc Islamic Finance program at Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education (UK), and Visiting Professor at institutions including Durham University and universities across the Gulf region.
His research has been widely published in international indexed journals, focusing on Islamic finance, risk management, and sustainability. He is a frequent speaker at global conferences and serves on editorial boards of journals in Islamic economics and finance. Dr. Alhammadi is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).
Hamza Bawazir , Secretary General – General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions (CIBAFI)
Mr. Hamza K. Bawazir is a highly experienced Islamic finance professional with over 18 years of expertise in Shariah compliance, product development, risk management, and corporate governance. He has held senior leadership positions, notably serving as Head of Shariah at Saudi National Bank, where he oversaw Shariah advisory and compliance across multiple banking segments. Mr. Bawazir is widely recognized for his significant contributions to the advancement of global Islamic finance standards through his active participation in prominent international organizations, including AAOIFI and IIFM.