Could you provide a brief journey of how you arrived where you are today?
I have over 20 years experience in the financial services industry, working in various investment banking and capital management roles.

Previously, I worked for Qatar National Bank, PricewaterhouseCoopers, GMAC Financial Services, Bank of America, the Chase Manhattan Bank and AT&T Bell Laboratories.

In the mid-90s I was one of the founding members of Price Waterhouse Risk Management Consulting Practice. I then started doing consulting around the world in the space of risk management. My work experience has taken me from New York City to Amsterdam, London, Paris, Doha, Hong Kong and now Beijing.

What does your role involve?
Advisory services is very much about selling subject matter expertise to the corporations, and most consulting firms don’t necessarily have it. A niche firm like ours competes in niches, not head-to-head with the large ones — and one of our niches is Islamic finance.

We have helped Islamic institutions open new windows or new branches and understand how to enter new markets to compete.

We also spend time teaching senior management and educating CEOs and boards of directors on risk management, transparency, compliance, and governance.

What is your greatest achievement to date?
I have managed to make good choices throughout my career that have allowed me the opportunity to work for some great institutions, alongside some very smart people whom I have been able to learn from. And this has enabled me to build a good business and win the support of the banking and regulatory bodies.

Which of your products/services deliver the best results?
We ensure that our clients receive tangible, workable and practical solutions. We focus on getting senior management to have very practical reports on what is going on in their institutions, highlight to them the major issues, and where action needs to be taken to prevent losses and increase revenue.
I feel that it is important to come up with really succinct reports that point management in the right direction and enable them to ask the right questions regarding the critical issues they are facing on a daily basis.

We also do training for the top management so that they can ask the right questions.

What are the strengths of your business?
Our firm is made up of senior executives with extensive experience in the global financial services industry as well as in the consulting field. We’re committed to delivering our expertise in a practical, theoretical and quantitative manner.

When you deal with top management like CEOs and boards, you have to be able to relate to them. Since most of us have been senior executives in financial institutions, we can understand their viewpoint. That’s what differentiates us. In our firm, you won’t find anyone with less than 20 years of experience.

What are the factors contributing to the success of your company?
Operating within the niche of the Islamic finance industry helps, as there are few firms that focus on risk management or strategy in this area.

What are the obstacles faced in running your business today?
The biggest obstacle would have to be the external factors. Today’s global economic climate has affected all businesses. With some markets frozen, most people are hesitant to invest and many are wondering what will happen to the financial services industry.

Where do you see the Islamic finance industry in, say, the next five years or so?
To me, Islamic finance is still one of the cornerstones of the financial world that’s still in good shape, and we must take precautions to ensure that nothing negative happens.

We all must focus on building investor confidence. I think the Islamic finance industry must stay focused on developing strategies for future growth and go about this very methodically, to establish itself as a viable financial system.

In addition, the industry must deal with the shortage of experienced resources and skills that can hamper its growth and impact in the global markets.

Name one thing you would like to see change in the world of Islamic finance.
I believe that what the Islamic finance industry needs is for some organizations to take leadership and standardize the regulations within the industry.