(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). Cambridge IFA, a UK-based financial intelligence house unveiled WOMANi Awards as part of its Women Empowerment Programme. The inaugural WOMANi Awards were held in Kuala Lumpur, with the support of Silverlake Axis and AmInvestment Bank, on April 4, 2018, at Hilton Hotel. Dato’ Othman Aziz, Deputy Finance Minister I of Malaysia, was the Chief Guest on the occasion. A large number of successful and influential women in Islamic finance participated from Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and the ASEAN region. “This is the first time in the history of Islamic banking and finance that such a large number of women in Islamic finance were recognised for the efforts, contributions and leadership roles in different segments of the industry,” said Dr. Sofiza Azmi, CEO of Cambridge IFA.
At the event, WOMANi100 List was released, featuring top 100 most influential women in Islamic finance. “The List is based on a rigorous ordinal methodology that takes into account professional leadership, advocacy and industry-wide recognition of the ladies included in our ranking,” said Dr. Sofiza Azmi. It is a truly global event, with participation of the most inspiring woman leaders in Islamic banking and finance.
Farah Mounir, who travelled from Abu Dhabi to receive WOMANi Special Award 2018, was a great inspiration for all women (and men) and not only those in Islamic banking and finance. She was honoured with WOMANi Special Award for her courageous and successful fighting back cancer to return to work at ADCB Islamic Banking. ADCB Islamic Banking was appreciated for the great support it offered to her during the difficult time, especially Amr Al Menhali, Head of ADCB Islamic Banking. The WOMANi Awards Committee also lauded the role of Kamran Sherwani, Head of Shari'a at ADCB Islamic Banking, who nominated her for the accolade. Farah Mounir was also honoured as One of the 100 Most Influential Women in Islamic Finance.
According to the Global Islamic Finance Report 2018, Islamic finance industry stands at a global size of US$2.431 trillion, and an increasing number of women are becoming an integral part of this growing segment of the financial markets. Cambridge IFA’s Women Empowerment Programme aims at highlighting the importance of gender equity in banking and finance and in terms of access to finance. “The WOMANi Awards must inspire a new breed of young women to become actively involved in Islamic banking and finance to eventually assume leadership roles in the industry,” said Professor Humayon Dar, Founder of WOMANi.
"Grooming the next generation of woman leaders with relevant skill sets to meet these changes in the business environment is vital for the future of Islamic banking and finance. For this reason, we have developed other programme like Cambridge Islamic Finance Leadership Programme, which aims to fast-track and groom the next generation of C-suite executives and leaders," added Professor Dar.
It was interesting to see Stella Cox, an English lady with over 30 years of engagement with Islamic banking and finance, being proclaimed as the Most Influential Woman in Islamic Finance for 2018. Stella Cox has been known for her role in developing Islamic liquidity management solutions for Islamic banks and financial institutions. Her company, DDCAP runs its Middle East business from its office in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
Jawaher Al-Shamsi, Head of Corporate Communications at Dubai Islamic Bank was ranked 44th on the WOMANi100 List. Sabeen Saleem, CEO of Islamic International Rating Agency Bahrain, was ranked 7th. For a complete list of WOMANi100, please visit http://cambridge-ifa.net/womani/womani_report_2018.pdf.
About Cambridge IFA:
Cambridge IFA is a financial services intelligence house that specialises in developing and utilising powerful cutting edge analytical tools to evaluate business data, assess macroeconomic indicators and understand market trends, leadership positioning and brand development relevant to the development of the financial services industry globally.
The principal activity of Cambridge IFA is developing performance indicators specific to alternative practices of banking and finance. It also aims to provide strategic advice to governments, financial institutions and multilateral organisations in the development of financial markets including alternative banking and finance products, procedures, practices and policies.
Through our strong and invaluable relations with policy makers and private sector industries, we have insights into market and business trends as well as policy changes. This allows us to identify and prioritize common issues and provide perspectives and solutions that are practical, focused and effective; which will increase the competitive advantage of our clients.
Cambridge IFA is a member of HD-Edbiz Group of Companies with offices in London, Gibraltar and Islamabad.
Contact Person: Khuram Shehzad; Email: kshehzad@cambridge-ifa.net
