Head of Business Development
Amanie Advisors
Total years of experience :7 years, 2 Months
Responsible for originating and executing advisory mandates for Islamic financial institutions, government bodies, regulators, corporations, and multilateral organisations across the MENA region. Core technical work included structuring of Islamic banking & finance products such as retail, corporate, syndications, project finance, Sukuk, securitizations, fixed income structured notes, Islamic investment funds, Waqf (Islamic Endowments), Zakat, REITs, Real Estate Funds, private equities, swaps and derivatives, hedging, takaful, as well as and Islamic finance regulations including governance framework.
Selected experience
• Originated and managed a PE deal of setting up an integrated food complex in Libya. The total cost of the complex is USD100m with the first phase of the project totaling USD26m successfully closed with investments from HNW individuals and financial institutions.
• Undertook the placement exercise of the maiden Sukuk from Oman worth USD130m for the biggest shopping complex in the country. Subscribers of the Sukuk includes local and overseas banks. Assisted in the Shariah structuring of the Sukuk by leveraging on the expertise of globally renowned Shariah scholars.
• Structured the government matching fund for the development of SMEs and strategic industries in Oman. The fund is expected to bring significant foreign direct investment into Oman together with technological know-how from advanced Asian economies that will boost selected sectors and create substantial employment opportunities for the nation.
• Provided advisory work to a local Islamic bank to introduce new Shariah compliant products to complement its existing product suite. My team does not only develop the structure of the products but also provided solutions to operational issues that the client encountered.
• Developed the modules for Islamic finance public workshops and structured in-house trainings specially designed for bankers and financial services practitioners to give the opportunity for the participants to draw lessons from practical experience and obtain comprehensive understanding of various areas of Islamic banking and finance.
• Successfully revamped the branding of the Group by producing high quality corporate literatures and articulating high impact description of the Group’s suite of services.
• Provide strategic leadership in the areas of business planning, finance, IT, warehouse, and logistics for Al-Watani group of companies based in Oman as follows:
o Belltel: Holds Nokia's agencyship for Oman, Dubai, Iraq, and Liberia. In addition to distribution to wholesalers and dealers, Belltel also operates a number of showrooms across Oman.
o Mobitech: Specialises on import-export and trading of mobile phones and accessories for various reputable brands including Blackberry and Samsung.
o Mi Store: The authorized Apple Reseller for Oman. Apart from retail, Mi Store also offers corporate solutions and consultancy services for training, new product support, and reseller programme.
o Emerald: Provides manpower and outsourcing services to companies for various functions including security, loading, cleaning, and logistics.
• Introduced new procedures for various aspects of the business including sales, purchasing, payroll, stock management, banking, and treasury cycles to improve operations and maximise profits.
• Planned and managed the implementation of new accounting and payroll system for the group companies.
• Appointed as the key liaison officer for all principals and mobile phone vendors of the Group. Responsible for all correspondence and negotiations relating to targets, prices, incentives, and other finance related matters.
• Member of Global Islamic Finance Team (GIFT) representing the advisory practice.
• Led a cross-country team to conduct a market assessment and to prepare a business plan including
product development strategies for the establishment of an Islamic bank in Kazakhstan. The engagement involved market assessment, economic, regulatory and financial reviews of the banking and capital market industries. The engagement also involved the development of a financial model for the proposed bank including sensitivity analyses, in compliance with the local regulatory framework.
• Managed a cross-departmental team to develop a detailed business plan to facilitate the acquisition of a commercial bank in Indonesia and its subsequent conversion into a full-fledged Syariah bank. The business plan encompasses market/regulatory/competitive assessments, formulation of business model, target market selection, product roll-out, transformation phasing and the development of suitable banking infrastructure framework (covering governance, human capital, risk and processes as well as IT and banking system) to support the new business model. The business plan was also prepared for submission to the central banks in Indonesia and Malaysia.
• Developed a strategic positioning paper for a Malaysian Islamic bank. Team leader for the market
assessment and the development of growth strategies and business initiatives for the Bank that will
support the Bank's desired strategic position going forward.
• Assisted in the provision of advisory services to a group of international investors seeking to apply for the newly-announced banking licence to establish a regional mega-bank with specialisation in corporate, commercial and investment banking operations to be based in Malaysia. The engagement
involved detailed market feasibility assessment of the Malaysian Islamic finance market that formed the basis of a business model for the new bank.
• Managed the quarterly financial reviews and year end statutory audit of an international computer manufacturer. Assurance work also covered assessment of internal controls post centralisation of the group's trading function for the European region to the UK.
• Responsible for planning, executing and reporting of the year end statutory audit of the biggest tertiary education in the Europe. Work performed included review of fair value of the investments owned by the investment arm of the group.
• Team leader and the department specialist for the pension audit across North West of the UK with a number of engagements with the FTSE-250 companies.
• Conducted reviews of profit and cash flow forecasts and projections of a number of companies in relations to equity issues, acquisitions, and financial reporting purpose.
• Involved in the due diligence exercise of the proposed takeover of a group of dealerships by the UK's leading motor retail and distribution company.
July - August 2006: Ansar Finance (Manchester), Office Administrator
Responsible for administrative duties including loan processing, writing up board minutes, and customer
service. Involved in the development and the structuring of a home financing product based on the principle of diminishing musharakah.
Modules include: Business Advisory, Financial Reporting, Business Management, Taxation, Law, Corporate Finance, and Business Change.
Attended Durham Islamic Finance Summer School in 2006
BA Honours – Obtained first class result throughout all three years of study at the university.
Scored 43 points (out of 45) doing Economics, Business, Mathematics, English, Physics, & Malay. This result was in the top quantile of the global examination results.