azerbaijan: emerging market islamic banking and finance

APPOINTMENTS
NEWHORIZON October–December 2008
On the move
UK-based
Gatehouse Bank
plc, has named
Michael Clarke
(left) as its new
director, capital
markets. Clarke
joins Gatehouse
from Abu Dhabi
Islamic Bank,
where he
worked for seven and a half years in
multiple roles, including assistant vice
president of financial institutions.
Clarke has also previously worked with
NatWest Bank in the UK, US and Hong
Kong, and Jordan International Bank.
Datuk Mohammed Azahari Kamil is the
new CEO of Asian Finance Bhd. Kamil is
the first Malaysian to be CEO of a foreign
Islamic bank in Malaysia. He will bring
close to 30 years of experience in fund
management and corporate finance. Kamil
moves from Amanahraya Investment Bank
(Labuan), where he was managing director
and CEO. Kamil replaces Faisal Alshowaikh
at Asian Finance, who recently resigned.
Qatar-based Al Khaliji has appointed
Rosmah Ismail to lead the bank’s Islamic
banking activities. Ismail moves from ABN
Amro in Malaysia, where she was in charge
of the bank’s global Islamic finance.
Dr Salman Khan has taken up the role of
head of Shari’ah of the Dubai office in the
Shari’ah division of Abu Dhabi Islamic
Bank. Dr Khan has much varied expertise in
Shari’ah and advisory services, including allround
knowledge of corporate, retail and
investment banking products, Shari’ah
review and coordination. Dr Khan is also an
Islamic finance trainer, and NIBAF-certified
Islamic finance practitioner. Previously, he
worked as senior product manager at Dar
Al Istithmar, and at BMB Islamic, both UKheadquartered
Shari’ah advisory firms.
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank has also appointed
Ali Al Shaqoosh Al Mueen as senior vice
president, head of branches in the UAE. Al
Mueen will be responsible for all branches
in the Emirates, and also further expansion.
He has previously built up 20 years of
experience in the banking industry in the
region, including in roles with Citigroup
and Standard Chartered Bank.
Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) has announced
the appointment of two senior additions
to its management. Dr Adnan Chilwan has
been appointed chief of retail and business
banking at DIB. Over 14 years in the
industry Dr Chilwan has worked for many
banks in the region, both conventional
and Islamic. These include Dubai Bank,
Commercial Bank of Qatar, Mashreq Bank,
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank and HSBC.
DIB’s second appointment is of Mohamed
Al Nahdi as chief of central operations, to
focus on business in the UAE. Al Nahdi has
worked in banking operations, project
management, corporate banking and
personal banking for 26 years. Having
started his career with HSBC, he held many
senior posts before becoming chief retail
banking officer at Dubai Bank.
European Islamic Investment Bank (EIIB)
has appointed Keith McLeod as finance
director. He replaces Atif Raza. McLeod
trained with Price Waterhouse (now part
of PricewaterhouseCoopers) and was
previously executive director at UBS Global
Asset Management, where he was also head
of fund services and logistical reporting.
Jacques Bernard has been appointed chief
investment officer of National Bonds, the
Shari’ah-compliant national savings scheme
of the UAE. Bernard previously served as
head of investment funds at Global
Investment House, Kuwait. He also worked
as chief investment officer at Banque Ferrier
Lullin & Cie Geneva, a subsidiary of UBS,
as managing director with Prudential
Finance in New York, and as head of
Citibank Asset Management Group in
London.
Reef, the Islamic real estate finance firm
in Bahrain, has announced two new
appointments. Ali Salem joins as head of
retail and placement, and Mukhtar Al
Toblani has been named the new head of
sales and marketing. The appointments
form part of Reef’s plan to expand and
bring a new approach to Islamic mortgage
finance in Bahrain.
HSBC Amanah has named Khaled Rasheed
as regional head for Middle East and North
Africa. Rasheed will oversee Islamic banking
business, including private, consumer
and commercial banking as well as personal
finance. He will also be in charge of the
unit’s regional expansion. Rasheed has
worked with HSBC in the Middle East since
1996.
Oliver Agha
(right), global
head of Islamic
finance at an
international
law firm, DLA
Piper, has been
appointed to
the Accounting
and Auditing
Standards Board
and Auditing
and Governance Standards Committee
of Bahrain-based AAOIFI. Agha
spearheaded the development of DLA
Piper’s Islamic finance team in 2007.
22 IIBI
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