SPEAKERS — 11th World Islamic Economic Forum
Chokri Mousaoui (1983) is a Cleantech entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Eternal Sun, a venture capital backed company based in The Netherlands. Eternal Sun develops and supplies solar testing equipment for the purpose of accurate performance and reliability testing of solar modules on climate degradation effects. The company is currently working with customers in innovation hubs worldwide. Being the CEO, Mr. Mousaoui is in charge of global business development and sales, with a prime focus on increasing the company’s sales pipeline, expanding its business model globally and executing strategic partnerships. Eternal Sun has won several international innovation awards. In 2015, ‘PV Magazine’ has listed the Dutch tech company as number 1 in the global top 50 game changing innovators in the solar industry. In 2013, Mousaoui has been awarded the Cleantech Academy Award Cleantech at the ‘Cleantech Open Global Forum’ in San Jose, Silicon Valley. Mousaoui serves as member of the Advisory Board of the Dutch Industry Network, and also serves as member of the Advisory Board of StartupDelta in The Netherlands. Mousaoui studied Systems Engineering at Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands, and followed an exchange program at Harbin Institute of Technology in China.

Nik Ramlah Mahmood made the transition from academia to capital market regulation in 1993 after serving 13 years at the Faculty of Law, University of Malaya. She joined the Securities Commission (SC) as a Manager and Head of Department in 1993, and was made Executive Director in 1998, Senior Executive Director in 2006 and Managing Director in 2008, and was appointed Deputy Chief Executive in 2012 Since joining the SC, Nik Ramlah has been directly involved in key capital market initiatives including but not limited to areas involving Islamic capital market development and regulations pertaining thereto. She was a member of the Corporate Law Reform Committee established by the government in 2004 and Co-Chair of the Ethics Committee of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants from 2003 to 2008. She is currently a member of the Board of the SIDC and the Capital Market Development Fund. She also sits on the Malaysian Venture Capital Development Council and is a member of the Professional Development Panel of INCEIF. Nik Ramlah graduated with a First Class Honours in Law in 1979 from the University of Malaya, obtained her LLM in 1980 and PhD in 1988 from the University of London.

Datuk Mohd Radzif bin Mohd Yunus was appointed as Managing Director of SME Bank in July 2010 and had recently been appointed as the Group Managing Director of SME Development Bank (Malaysia) in January 2014. Datuk Mohd Radzif comes from a diverse management background. He started his career in academia as a lecturer before following this up with a stint in an international consultancy firm. From here he joined the senior management of a financial institution and thereafter took up the position of Chief Executive Officer of a local conglomerate. Being driven by his entrepreneurial spirit, Datuk Mohd Radzif ventured into his own business but he was soon back to serving a higher purpose when he was called to take up the position of Chief Executive Officer of two pilgrimage fund companies. Subsequently, the Government appointed him as the Chief Executive Officer of Institut Jantung Negara Sdn. Bhd. (National Heart Institute) effective September 2003. In 2006, he assumed duties as the Group Managing Director of IJN Holdings Sdn. Bhd. and in charge of three companies as its Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer including Institut Jantung Negara Sdn. Bhd, IJN Capital Sdn Bhd and IJN College Sdn. Bhd. Datuk Mohd Radzif is also a Chairman of ADFIM (Association of Development Finance Institutions of Malaysia) and a Vice Chairman of ADFIMI (Association of National Development Finance Institutions in Member Countries of The Islamic Development Bank). He is also the member of National Entrepreneurship Council of Higher Education (NECHE) and Intellectual Capital Development Committee (ICDC) of Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM). Datuk Mohd Radzif was given the Malaysian Business Leadership Award for Healthcare in 2009.

Dr. Abdulhasan Al-Dairi has been the Chairman of Bahrain SMEs Society since 2006, a founding member and shareholder of various companies, and a researcher and practitioner in the field of entrepreneurship and SMEs development for more than twenty years. With PhD in Entrepreneurship and MBA in Marketing Management, in addition to his Family-Business background, Dr. Al-Dairi enjoys a wealth of experience in private and public sectors as well as an accumulated teaching and training best practices in banking, vocational and academic higher institutions. He has extended his services to UNIDO, ILO, OIC, GCC-UE to name a few, and was appointed as Ambassador of the Arab Youth by the AYCID of the Arab League, Egypt and then selected to be the Member of its Executive Council. Dr. Al-Dairi currently serves as the Manager of Stakeholder Relations at the Bahrain Polytechnic, which he joined following his post as the Director of Community Centres at the Ministry of Social Development, Bahrain.

Dr Ahmed Mohamed Ali Al-Madani is the first President of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) since 1975. Dr Ali was born in Saudi Arabia in 1934, where he completed his early education. He holds a B.A. in Commerce and Law from Cairo University. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D., both in Public Administration, from the University of Michigan and State University of New York in 1962 and 1967. He is married and has four children. He returned to Saudi Arabia as the Acting Rector of King Abdulaziz University from 1967 to 1972. In 1972, he was selected to serve as Deputy Minister of Education and served for three years. When the member countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) decided to establish the Islamic Development Bank, he was chosen as its first President. His education, background and experience helped him establish a strong base for the mission of the Bank. His qualifications, background and commitment to the development of people have enabled him to take up the challenges of managing the IDB and to widen the spectrum the activities of the Bank. Dr Ali’s views on development have been expressed in many articles, speeches, lectures and working papers on Islamic Economics, Banking and Education. He is a firm believer that Islamic principles and its applications in Economics and Banking has a lot to offer the world and thus contribute positively towards solving the current economic crisis. He is keen on taking the IDB to a world of excellence with the Vision 1440H, which was delineated on behalf of the Bank by a group of Eminent Persons. The Vision 1440H Document aims at alleviating poverty, eradicating illiteracy, providing better healthcare, strengthening ties with private sector and NGOs, and striving for the cause of women. He looks at development as a comprehensive and integrated phenomenon that has to be continuously reviewed and closely coordinated. He seeks cooperation with all people who would like to contribute to a better life for all humans in this global village.

Doctor Dragan Čović, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Born on 20th August 1956 in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1971 - completed Primary education, and in 1975 Secondary education. In 1979 - graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mostar 1989 - obtained a Masters degree from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mostar 1989 - completed Specialist Study of Management, Faculty of Economics in Sarajevo 1996 - obtained a Doctoral degree from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mostar 1980 - employed by the “SOKO” Mostar Company 1986 - 1992 different managerial posts in the SOKO Mostar Company 1992 - 1998 General Manager of the SOKO Mostar Compnay 1994 - Senior Assistant, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mostar 1996 - Assistant Professor, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mostar 2000 - Associate Professor, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mostar 2004 - Full Professor, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computing, University of Mostar 2002 - Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Mostar 2007 - Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Mostar 2013 - Corresponding Member of the International Academy of Engineering 2014 - Academician, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts of BiH 1996 - 1997 Member of the Presidency of the Cantonal Board of HDZ BiH 1997 - 1998 President of the City Organisation of HDZ BiH 1998 - 2001 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in the Government of the Federation of BiH 1998 - 2005 Deputy President of HDZ BiH 2002 - 2005 Croat Member of the Presidency of BiH 2005 - President of HDZ BiH 2011 - 2014 Speaker of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2011 - President of the Croatian National Congress of BiH 2014 - Elected as the Croat Member of the Presidency of BiH at the general elections held on October 12, 2014.

Dr Surin Pitsuwan holds an MA and PhD in political science and Middle Eastern studies from Harvard University. After completing his education in the US, he returned to Thailand to assume a teaching position at Thammasat. He successfully ran for Parliament two years later. As an MP two years later, he was appointed Secretary to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Secretary to Deputy Minister of Interior, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Foreign Affairs. He served as the Chair of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and the Chair of the ASEAN Regional Forum. In 2001, Dr Surin was appointed as a member of the Commission on Human Security of the United Nations. He also served as an advisor to the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty and on the ILO’s World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalisation. He is now active advocate in the promotion of the regional integration in East Asia, educational and political reform efforts in Thailand.

Linar Yakupov is currently the President of the Association of Regional Investment Agencies of Russia, a specialised platform for interaction and exchange of experiences among major regional investment agencies and development corporations of the Russian Federation with a view to maximise their integration in the international investment community. Linar is a founder and President of the Islamic Business and Finance Development Fund (IBFD Fund), the centre of competence in Islamic business and finance of Russia. He also serves as an advisor to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan, is a member of the Presidential Council for Cooperation with International Financial Organizations and a board member of the Tatarstan Investment Company. Linar previously served as the CEO of Tatarstan Investment Development Agency (TIDA), member of the Government, and Director for Eastern Europe in the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA). Linar has been awarded, among others, the prestigious Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA) for his effectiveness in promoting Islamic banking and finance in Russian Federation since 2001. He is a participant and speaker at large-scale events on Russian and international level, and conducts master classes to regional governments, advising on investment policies and strategies.

Matthew Driver is the Group Executive and Head of Global Products and Solutions for MasterCard Asia Pacific and based in Singapore. In this role, Matthew leads the development of innovative products and services that benefit consumers, merchants, business partners and governments for MasterCard across Asia Pacific to further advance the company’s vision of achieving a World Beyond Cash. Matthew has responsibility for Core Products, Emerging Payments & Digital Platforms, Processing Services, MasterCard Advisors, as well as Marketing and Communications in Asia-Pacific. Prior to his current role, Mr. Driver was most recently the President of Southeast Asia, and has held a range of global and regional general management and business development roles at MasterCard in both Singapore and London. Mr. Driver joined MasterCard in 2002 and has over 26 years of experience in banking, payments and business services. He has had an extensive international career in financial services having worked at American Express, Edengene, group companies of WPP plc and Westpac Banking Corporation in Auckland, Hong Kong, London and Singapore. Mr. Driver regularly speaks on the role of payments in driving economic growth appearing on CNBC, BBC, Bloomberg, Channel News Asia and the Wall Street Journal. He has represented MasterCard at APEC, WEF East Asia, and in many other ASEAN payments events. He has participated in forums on financial inclusion and the digitalization of payments at WEF, the GPFI Forum at the G20, as well as the Responsible Finance Forum. Born in New Zealand, and a Singapore citizen, Mr. Driver has Executive MBA's from Columbia University in New York, and from London Business School; a Master’s degree (honours) in International Business and Marketing from the University of Auckland, NZ; and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Economics & Marketing from the University of Otago, NZ.​ Mr. Driver is married to Patricia, an executive coach and they have five children.

Prof. Dr Achmad Suryana is a senior researcher at Indonesian Center for Agricultural Socio Economic and Policy Studies, Agency for Agricultural Research and Development, Ministry of Agriculture. He is also a visiting Professor in the field of agribusiness policy at Graduate School, Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia. He served as Director General of the Indonesian Agency for Food Security for two terms (2000-2004 and 2008-2014), and Director General of the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development, Ministry of Agriculture (2004-08). He was appointed as Director Bureau of Planning (1998-2000) and Director of Center for Agricultural Socio Economic Research, Ministry of Agriculture (1995-1998). Prof. Suryana earned an engineering degree in agriculture in 1978 and Master of Science in agricultural socio economics in 1980, both from Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia, and obtained a PhD degree from North Carolina State University, USA, in 1986, in the field of agricultural economics. Prof. Suryana was a member of the National Research Board, Indonesia (2005-08) and vice chair of National Bioethics Committee (2005-2008). At international fora, he was a member of APTERR (ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve) Council (2012-2014), and member of the Board of Trustees of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) for two terms (2008-2013). He was also appointed as Chair of APEC-PPFS (Policy Partnership on Food Security, 2013).

Roshika Singh holds a BA from the American University and an MSc from LSE, and has also has authored a chapter in a book that examines case studies on commercial banks. She currently works for the International Finance Corporation (IFC) focusing on financial inclusion and collaborating with financial institutions to deepen the reach of SME finance in the region. She is actively engaged in designing Non-Financial Services (NFS) for banks to offer existing and potential Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) customers.

Prior to IFC, Roshika worked at Deloitte as a co-Fund Manager for the Business Linkages Challenge Fund (BLCF), a cost sharing competitive grant scheme aimed towards improving the ability to access markets, enabling benefits of globalization to be secured for, and by the poor. She was also the Activity Manager for the Kosovo Business Finance Fund (KBFF) that established a full-service bank, to mobilize deposits and provide other financial services to SMEs in Kosovo.

Tan Sri Dato' Ahmad Fuzi Haji Abdul Razak was previously the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia. He joined the Malaysian Diplomatic and Administrative Service in 1972, and served in various capacities at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, mainly in the Political Division, and at the Malaysian Missions abroad in Moscow, the Hague, Canberra, Washington and Dhaka. Tan Sri Ahmad Fuzi has previously also served as Director General, Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations Malaysia; Ambassador-at-Large; Malaysia's Representative to the ASEAN High Level Task Force (HLTF) on the Drafting of the ASEAN Charter and Malaysia's Representative to the High Level Panel (HLP) on the Drafting of the Terms of Reference of the ASEAN Human Rights Body. Tan Sri Ahmad Fuzi is currently, Secretary-General of the World Islamic Economic Forum Foundation (WIEF) and Chairman, Amanahraya-Reit Managers Sdn Bhd; Seremban Engineering Berhad; Ranhill Energy and Resources Bhd ; Theatre Management Associates Sdn Bhd; Optima Capital Sdn Bhd; Sofgen (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd and ACE Holdings Sdn Bhd. Tan Sri Fuzi is also a member of the Board of Directors of Maybank Islamic Bhd; Maybank Islamic Asset Management Sdn Bhd; Puncak Niaga Holdings Berhad; Management Development Institute of Singapore; Alstar Solutions Sdn Bhd and WEROS Technology Sdn Bhd as well as Advisor, Xadarcorp Sdn Bhd. Tan Sri Ahmad Fuzi is currently also a Distinguished Fellow, Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) and Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations; Deputy Chairman, Malaysian Member Committee of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP Malaysia); Member, Board of Trustee, MERCY Malaysia, Perdana Global Peace Foundation (PGPF) and F3 Strategies Bhd; Member,Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) and Advisor, Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Award (APEA), Malaysia -Myanmar Chamber of Commerce and High School Bukit Mertajam Alumni Malaysia.

Professional Engineer, graduated from Brighton College of Technology, Tan Sri Dr Ahmad Zaidee Laidin also holds and MSc in Technological Economics from the University of Stirling. He served 27 years at Tenaga Nasional before being appointed as CEO of Institute Teknologi MARA. Upon its upgrading to a University, he became its first Vice Chancellor. He was elected as a Senior Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, entitling him as "Academician". He was honoured by four UK Universities and one from Malaysia, and received awards from the State and the Federal Governments. He is currently a practicing Engineer and Chairman at ERINCO Sdn. Bhd. Dr Ahmad is also Chairman of the Board of Universiti Teknologi MARA, a member of the International Academic Advisory Committee to Universiti Teknologi Petronas and Universiti Malaysia Pahang, the Secretary General of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, and a Board Member of Open University Malaysia and Meteor Learning Sdn. Bhd. He also serves on the Board of UNITEN and YLI Holdings Bhd, and was recently made a Member of Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA).

He was born into politics. Both his father and uncle were Prime Minister. When his father died he became the youngest MP in Malaysia’s history in 1976, and has since held many major ministerial portfolios. When he became Prime Minister on 3 April 2009, critics called him the ultimate insider. But he has taken many by surprise, implementing the most far-reaching political and economic reforms since Malaysia’s independence. The Prime Minister has, for example: repealed the colonial-era Internal Security Act, which permitted indefinite detention without trial; ended Malaysia’s 60-year State of Emergency; introduced measures to increase media freedom, such as scrapping restrictions on newspaper publishing licenses; reformed the Universities and University Colleges Act to allow undergraduates to participate in political activities; created the Peaceful Assembly Act, for the first time enshrining in law the right to peaceful protest; announced the repeal of the Sedition Act to strengthen freedom of speech; repealed the Banishment Act; repealed the Restricted Residences Act; and implemented various electoral reforms. His Government Transformation Programme has fundamentally changed the provision of government services – improving education, widening access to healthcare, developing rural infrastructure, expanding public transport, reducing poverty, cutting crime and corruption and bringing down the cost of living. Alongside this, his Economic Transformation Programme has significantly liberalised the economy – creating more than 300,000 jobs, raising living standards, encouraging foreign investment and turning Malaysia into one of Asia’s most dynamic and successful economies. The Prime Minister has also introduced the ‘1Malaysia’ concept, stressing the importance of national unity regardless of race or religious belief. In terms of foreign policy, the Prime Minister has called for a new global Movement of the Moderates to combat extremism, attracting support from President Barack Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron, among others. In 2011, Najib Razak became the first Muslim head of government to unequivocally condemn suicide bombing and label it as un-Islamic. He has also contributed to the coalition effort in Afghanistan by sending in female Muslim doctors. Prime Minister has implemented the most far-reaching political and economic reforms since Malaysia’s independence. His Government Transformation Programme has fundamentally changed the provision of government services – improving education, widening access to healthcare, developing rural infrastructure, expanding public transport, reducing poverty, cutting crime and corruption and bringing down the cost of living. His Economic Transformation Programme has significantly liberalised the economy – creating more than 300,000 jobs, raising living standards, encouraging foreign investment and turning Malaysia into one of Asia’s most dynamic and successful economies. Najib Razak was returned to office last May, winning Malaysia’s 13th general election, where he stressed the importance of national unity and working for the betterment of all Malaysians.

Tun Musa Hitam, who is currently Chairman of the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) Foundation was Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister until 1986. In the course of his service in the Malaysian government, he held various positions including Minister of Home Affairs, Education, Primary Industries and Trade and Industries and Chairman of the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA). Among his major official activities were as Leader of Malaysian Investment Missions to Europe, USA and Japan and representing Malaysia at UN ECOSOC related negotiating and regular conferences. Since Tun Musa’s retirement from politics in 1987, he held Chairmanships of 3 Public Listed Companies and various business related institutions both at domestic and international levels. He was Chairman of the Malaysia – China Business Council, Co-Chair of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) of the Asean – China, 15 year economic cooperation program and Chairman of the EPG to draft the Asean Charter. Currently, Tun Musa is Chairman of the Sime Darby Foundation, Chairman of the International Advisory Panel of CIMB Bank, Chairman of the International Selection Panel of the Royal Award on Islamic Finance and member of the Advisory Panel of the Iskandar Development Authority. Tun Musa holds a BA (University of Malaya) and MA (University of Sussex) and held a resident Fellowship at Harvard University. For his services to the nation, The Yang Di Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia conferred him Malaysia’s highest award which carries the title “Tun”.

Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s career as a civil servant, political leader, diplomat and statesman spanned 45 years. He was born in 1939 into a prominent religious family in the northern state of Penang. Graduating in Islamic Studies from the University of Malaya, Abdullah started in the Malaysian civil service in 1964. He left the civil service as Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sports to become a politician in 1978, and rose to become Prime Minister of Malaysia 25 years later, in October 2003. Abdullah held various positions in government, including Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Minister of Education, Minister of Defence, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Finance. Excelling in diplomacy and international relations, as Prime Minister, Abdullah sought to improve bilateral and multi-lateral cooperation, actively leading (among others) the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) when Malaysia assumed the chair of these international organisations. As Prime Minister, Abdullah introduced the concept of Islam Hadhari to guide development efforts in Malaysia and the wider Islamic world. This move towards progressive Islamic civilisation seeks to make Muslims understand that progress is enjoined by Islam. It is an approach that is compatible with modernity and yet firmly rooted in the noble values and injunctions of Islam. Islam Hadhari espouses ten fundamental principles which were accepted by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Abdullah focused on human capital development as a key pillar of his Administration. This went beyond merely strengthening lower and higher education in Malaysia, to enhancing mindsets and infusing ethical, moral and religious values. Science and technology was further promoted, while innovation and creativity was pushed to the fore. As Chairman of the OIC, Abdullah waged a war against poverty and the lack of knowledge and development in the Muslim world. Besides emphasising the enhancement of education in OIC countries, Malaysia sought to share its experience in national economy development by initiating a series of self-help projects involving OIC Members and the Islamic Development Bank with the objective of increasing capacities in several poor member countries of the OIC. The immediate purpose was to generate income and provide employment, while the longer-term intention was to assist the OIC countries upgrade their governance and development efforts. Abdullah also sought to provide an economic face to the OIC, in a bid to enhance trade, business and investment linkages between Member countries. The World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), of which Abdullah is the founder patron, continues to be an important gathering of government and business leaders from the Muslim world and beyond. International Halal fora and trade expositions, initiated by Malaysia, are now held regularly throughout the globe to advance Halal industries, for the benefit of the larger Ummah. Tun Abdullah married the late Tun Endon Dato' Mahmood in 1965 and after 40 years of marriage, lost her after a prolonged battle with cancer on 20 October 2005. They have 2 children and 6 grandchildren. Tun Abdullah married Tun Jeanne Abdullah on 9 June 2007. Abdullah stepped down as Prime Minister on 3 April 2009. He remains committed to pursuing development, promoting progressive Islam and enhancing understanding between the Muslim and Western worlds. He is Chairman of the Malaysian Institute of Islamic Understanding (IKIM), and Chairman of the Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) in Kuala Lumpur, which he established in 2009. He is the founding patron for the World Islamic Economic Forum. He holds several government advisory roles, including Malaysia’s regional growth corridors and Malaysia Airlines. Internationally, Abdullah is the member of the InterAction Council, board member of BOAO Forum for Asia (BFA) and Vice Chairman, Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council (APRC).

Mr Mumtaz Khan is the Advisor of The National Oil and Gas Holding Company in Kingdom of Bahrain. Mr Khan is a recognised leader in private equity in the Middle East and Asia. He was the key person to establish the US$ 730 million Islamic Development Bank Infrastructure Fund (IDB Fund) and served as Chairman and CEO of EMP Bahrain, the general partner and manager of the IDB Fund, for eight years. Mr Khan served as a Managing Director at EMP Global in Washington D.C. and for three years was based in Hong Kong as a Managing Director for the US$ 1.1 billion AIG Asian Infrastructure Fund. Prior to that, Mr Khan was with IFC for 14 years and served as Resident Representative based in Jakarta. Mr Khan also served as a Manager in IFC’s Asia Department responsible for investments in East Asia. He pioneered IFC’s programme in China through extensive engagement with state owned entities in China and the Ministry of Finance. Mr Khan started his career as an engineer in the oil industry in the Middle East and Pakistan. Mr Khan served on the Board of Directors of TAV and Akfen Holding S.A. in Turkey, Advanced Petrochemical Company and Saudi International Petrochemical Company in Saudi Arabia and as an Alternate Director on the Board of YTL Power and as a Director of AirAsia in Malaysia, and Director of AES Oasis. Mr Khan is a founder shareholder of the Singapore based Islamic Bank of Asia and a member of the Advisory Board of the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF) and serves as Economic Advisor to the World Islamic Economic Forum. He is also a member of the Bretton Woods Committee and served as a member of the Interim Council of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

BIOGRAPHY OF THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA DATO’ SERI DR AHMAD ZAHID BIN HAMIDI Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid became Deputy Prime Minister in July, 2015. He is also Minister of Home Affairs, a portfolio he had held since 2013. Prior to that, he was the Defence Minister. He is the Member of Parliament for Bagan Datoh constituency in the State of Perak since winning the seat for the first time in 1995. After the 2004 General Election, Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid was appointed the Deputy Tourism Minister and later Deputy Information Minister. After successfully defending the Bagan Datoh parliamentary seat in the 2008 General Election, he was appointed as a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department. A year later, Dato Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid took the appointment as Defence Minister. Before venturing into politics, Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid was a banker with among others, the OCBC and Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) where he served as an assistant manager from 1977 to 1979. His talent was spotted by State-owned Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) or the National Equity Corporation and appointed the young Ahmad Zahid, as he was only 26 then, a marketing manager at Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad (ASNB), a wholly-owned subsidiary of PNB. The stint at PNB presented him with the opportunity to learn the ropes and being a good and fast learner, Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid later found himself with a huge task. Ironically, the task was to rejuvenate BSN and he accepted the challenges. It was under his chairmanship between 1994 and 1999 that BSN saw its biggest transformation from a “post-office savings bank” to among those with the largest network in the country. Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid was born on Jan 4, 1953 in Bagan Datoh, Perak. He is the eldest son of nine siblings. Had a Chinese foster-father with whom they ice cream together for six years while he was in elementary school. In 1975, Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid graduated from University Malaya, the country’s most prestigious university then and still is now, with a Bachelor in Economics and Malay Study. While being a deputy minister, Ahmad Zahid pursued a doctorate degree at Universiti Putra Malaysia and was conferred a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Communication in 2008 at the age of 55. The major factor for his success was his belief in lifelong learning and hoped that it would encourage young generation to purse their education to a higher level.

Chanthol Sun is currently a Senior Minister, Minister of Commerce and Vice Chairman of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC). He was previously a Senior Minister and Vice Chairman of the CDC from 2008 to 2013. Mr Sun was a Minister of Public Works and Transport from 2004 to 2008 and was elected as a Member of Parliament in 2003. He founded SCI Co., Ltd., an investment and trading firm, in Cambodia in 1999, and served as an Economic and Finance Advisor to the President of the National Assembly from 1999 to 2003. Mr. Sun was a Secretary of State for the Ministry of Economy and Finance and Secretary General of the CDC from 1994 to 1997. Previously, Mr Sun worked for General Electric for 16 years, where he held a variety of executive positions. He received a B.S. in Business Administration (BSBA) from American University, Advanced Management Program (AMP) from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a Master in Public Administration (MPA) from Harvard University. Mr. Sun was elected as a Global Leader for Tomorrow of the World Economic Forum in 1995. He has been a member of the Wharton Executive Board for Asia since 2002 and served as the first Chairman of the Wharton Executive Board for Asia from 2009 to 2013.

Doctoral graduate of University of Hull, England, Madeline Berma’s expertise lies in development studies, and her research work focuses on rural development, indigenous economic development, and women development. She is currently an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Management, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and is also the Director of the Tun Fatimah Hashim Women’s Leadership Centre. Dr Madeline has done extensive research on economic development, focusing on poverty, and the indigenous communities. She also worked extensively with Government agencies and NGOs, particularly on economic empowerment programs. In that capacity, she has been in several leadership roles involving policy and advocacy for marginalised communities. Dr Madeline has published and presented more than 80 conference papers, journal articles, and books. She has been a researcher, consultant, and keynote speaker in national and international conferences. Currently, she is heading an action research to evaluate the effectiveness of the Ministry of Women, Community and Family Development’s economic empowerment programs. She is also a member of the National Unity Consultative Council which was formed to address unity-related issues in Malaysia.

Bambang, who was born on October 3rd, 1966, received his bachelor’s degree majoring in Economic Development and Regional Economy from Faculty of Economics, Universitas Indonesia in 1990. He continued his master degree in University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States and graduated in 1995. In 1997, he earned his PhD from the same university. He once became the guest lecturer in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States in November 2002. Then he served as the Dean of Faculty of Economics, Universitas Indonesia during 2005 – 2009 and Director General Islamic Research and Training Institute, Islamic Development Bank up to 2010. On January 21st, 2011, he was inaugurated as the Acting Head of Fiscal Policy Office, Ministry of Finance. Starting on October 1st, 2013, Bambang served as the Vice Minister of Finance II while still became the Professor of Economics of Faculty of Economics, Universitas Indonesia. On October 27th, 2014, President Joko Widodo inaugurated Bambang P. S. Brodjonegoro as the Minister of Finance in his Working Cabinet for period 2014-2019.

Freda is co-founding chair of the not for profit membership company registered in the UK with a remit to encourage, enable and embed economic empowerment for women in the Commonwealth. Freda is an entrepreneur, executive and board director with experience educating and supporting world leaders and CEOs to promote equality and economic opportunities that empower women at a global level. She is an inaugural member of the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles: Equality Means Business Leadership Group, based in New York, and a member of the WEPs CEO Leadership Awards Committee. She is also a director of The Hellinic Initiative (Aust). She worked in the investment advisory industry for over two decades and a market commentator in broadcast and print media. A sought after conference speaker, Freda is a leader of international consortia promoting global commercial collaborations and alliances; and is involved in establishing sustainable investment frameworks and policies by creating commercial partnerships in the investment and finance sector. Freda is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FinSia), Master Stockbroker with the Stockbrokers Association of Australia and Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).

Yaqub Eyyubov was born in 1945 in Baku, Azerbaijan. In 1963-1964, he studied at Azerbaijan Technical University. He briefly worked at the Sattarkhan Plant (then the Lieutenant Schmidt Plant). He was conscripted to military service in the Soviet Army from 1964 to 1967. In 1968, after returning to Baku, he continued his education at Azerbaijan Technical University and graduated in 1972 with a degree in construction engineering. While at the university, he was the chairman of the Komsomol Committee of the Construction Studies Department from 1970 through 1972. In 1973-1974, he was deputy chairman of the party committee of the university. Eyyubov worked as a senior professor, assistant dean, docent, acting dean, prorector on scientific issues and department director at Azerbaijan Architecture and Construction University from 1975-1997. Political career From 1997-1999, he chaired the Regulation of Industrial Activities Safety Committee and Highland Field Exploration Regulation Committee. From 1999 until 2003, he served in the Cabinet of Azerbaijan as Deputy Prime Minister mainly coordinating issues of the energy industry. In 2001, he was appointed head of the committee on termination and privatization of a large state company, Azneftekhimmash. On February 13, 2003 he was appointed as First Deputy Prime Minister. Yaqub Eyyubov has chaired the Interdepartmental Committee for Protection of State Secrets under the President of Azerbaijan (established on January 17, 1997); Committee for Cooperation with NATO under the President of Azerbaijan (established on November 14, 1997).

She has a full honours degree in Molecular Sciences and a PhD in microbial physiology and biochemistry, both from Wageningen University. After obtaining her Ph. D. Dr Claassen worked at Shell Research Centre in the UK on microbial desulfurisation using extremophilic bacteria. In 1987 she started her career at the Institute for Processing of Agricultural Produce which later became Food & Biobased Research. In 1995 she became manager of projects addressing the topic of energy and chemicals from renewable resources. She has been supervisor of many (post) doctoral employees and students, several coming from abroad on Huygens, Leonardo or Erasmus fellowships, or doing project research at Wageningen University and the Technical University of Delft. Besides a role as research manager, Dr Claassen is member of the Board of the Dutch BioHydrogen Foundation, member of the Dutch BioHydrogen Network and member of the working group ‘Economics of (Bio)hydrogen’ of the Dutch Association for Hydrogen and vice-president of the International Association for the Hydrogen Economy (IAHE), subdivision Biohydrogen. Dr Claassen has great experience in the coordination of multidisciplinary projects. The most current examples are the European project HYVOLUTION with 22 participants (www.hyvolution.nl) from all over Europe, Turkey, Russia and South Africa and the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking project HyTIME (www.hy-time.eu) with 9 partners all coming from research organisations and industries. Both projects address the non-thermal production of hydrogen from biomass using bacteria, and range from biomass procurement to hydrogen upgrading and utilisation. Before, Dr Claassen has been coordinator of several large (>MEuro) projects: Biological Hydrogen Production, ABE fermentation, Bio-energy in Wageningen, funded by the Dutch government and BIOHYDROGEN, ANIMO (New bioprocess for the production of ‘green’ agrochemicals), funded by the EU. In September 2011 Dr Claassen was appointed as the first Chairholder of the Chair “Zero waste technology for the palm oil industry at the National University of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. Dr Claassen has numerous publications and holds a patent on the combination of A(I)BE and hydrogen fermentation. She has been nominated for the International Energy Agency Award 2012 with her work in HYVOLUTION.

HE Minister Mr François KANIMBA was appointed as Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry on May 10, 2011 after a long career as an economist and banker where he had served as the Governor of the Central Bank of Rwanda from 2002 to 2011, as the First Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Rwanda from 2000 to 2002 and as the World Bank Principal Economist from 1995 to 2000. When HE Kanimba was with the World Bank he had coordinated the World Bank’s operations in Rwanda in the areas of Macroeconomic Management and Private Sector Development. Under his leadership since his appointment as Minister of Trade and Industry, Rwanda he has developed new strategies to promote a competitive private sector and to expand the export base of the country to reverse the growing trade deficit. Between 1984 and 1995, HE Mr. Kanimba had worked in the Ministry of Economic Planning where he developed a wide expertise in macro-economic management. He was the Chairman of the Governance Task Force which negotiated Rwanda’s first structural adjustment programme supported by the World Bank, the IMF and other development partners. He was also one of the main architects of economic reforms implemented by Rwanda in the last 15 years, which has allowed Rwanda to be one of the fast growing economies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Originally trained as an engineer, HE Kanimba has a degree in statistics and economics from the Paris-based European Centre for Training Economists Statisticians for Developing Countries.