Trends in Islamic Investment and Finance Structuring

Brian is the resident managing partner in Trowers & Hamlins' Bahrain office and heads its corporate team in Bahrain as well its international funds practice. He has 20 years' experience working with clients from or investing in the GCC. He advises clients in respect of public and private company mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring and regulation (including corporate finance, company and group structuring, shareholders' and joint venture arrangements, constitutional documents and corporate governance) in addition to a broad range of commercial and contractual matters. Brian also advises a number of banks, private equity clients and sovereign wealth institutions in respect of Bahraini and offshore fund establishment in addition to international private equity investments and disposals. In addition, Brian works on development of board and management incentive platforms, employee benefit trusts, board charters and associated policies for several banking institutions.

Salman has worked and lived in Dubai, Karachi, London, Manama, Muscat and Riyadh. He is the head of Trowers' Islamic finance practice. Salman is regarded as one of the foremost experts in the field of Islamic finance and is ranked by all the leading legal directories. Salman represents issuers, investors and banks in a variety of domestic and cross-border financing matters, including investment-grade and high-yield debt financings, hybrid securities transactions, leveraged buyouts, margin financings, liability management and restructurings. He also has a wealth of experience in capital markets including numerous award-winning and landmark transactions, and leads a team recognised for its expertise in creating innovative cost-efficient structuring solutions for clients on complex Sukuk and other Shari'a compliant transactions. He is one of the very few lawyers to have a specialist primary capital market qualification from ICMA.

Dr. Rizwan Malik is a passionate advocate of Islamic finance with 12+ years of diverse experience in investments, advisory, research, strategy, and business development. Since June 2023, he has been the head of the Islamic Finance Centre at the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF), the training arm of the Central Bank of Bahrain. At present, Dr. Malik is also a member of the Waqf Fund Board of the Central Bank of Bahrain. Prior to his current role, he was an Executive Director, Standards Implementation and Strategic Developments at the Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), the oldest standards-setting organization within the global Islamic finance industry. Prior to AAOIFI, Dr. Malik headed the strategic planning and development team at Muscat National Development and Investment Company (ASAAS) based in Muscat, Oman - a semi-government institution set up by the sovereign wealth fund of Oman and a number of government pension funds.

Irshad is the Audit & Assurance Business Leader for Deloitte Bahrain in addition to his role as the Islamic Finance Leader for Deloitte Global Network. He possesses over 30 years of professional experience and has a strong track record in leading internal and external audits of large multinational groups in diverse industries. Prior to joining Deloitte, Irshad was an audit and assurance partner with PwC Bahrain. The depth of Irshad’s expertise in the industry is underpinned by his hands-on experience of leading financial reporting and tax functions at Samba Financial Group in Saudi Arabia, and Etisalat - UAE. Irshad is a member of important regulatory committees such as the Accounting Board at the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institution (AAOIFI), where he also serves on the Technical Accounting and Interpretation Committee (TAIC) and Independent Shari'a Audit Committee of the Waqf Fund - Central Bank of Bahrain.

Sabeen Ahmad has 25 years of multifaceted experience in financial risk and governance assessments and credit ratings spanning a range of institutions with specialized focus on Islamic finance. She has assumed leadership roles with a performance track in research based articles and public speaking. Sabeen has been engaged in cultivating the organization at IIRA and leading its analytical development since 2012, through ratings in over 16 countries, within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Countries and extending a full range of ratings to sovereigns, financial and non-financial corporates. Sabeen has led IIRA’s contribution to new approaches towards ratings that more comprehensively cater to the varied needs of investors in alternative asset classes such as investment deposits in Islamic banks, collective investment Schemes, Instruments, and social sector financings.

Aslam Shareef is Managing Director of Fairway Kuwait. He has a wealth of knowledge of the offshore finance industry having been involved in the Jerey finance industry for over 18 years. He has extensive knowledge on Shariah Compliant products with client base spread across the GCC. He works with some of the prominent business families and Investment Managers of the GCC. He is an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and holds a diploma in Fund Administration. Prior to Fairway, Aslam was a financial regulator within the funds supervision division of the Jersey Financial Services Commission. Aslam spent 7 years in audit (EY and Deloitte) before moving into the Funds industry, where he was responsible for a fund administration department.