Shaykh Dr. Sajid Ahmed Umar initially pursued a first degree in IT and went on to successfully open an IT business. Alongside his contemporary studies, Shaykh Sajid was a student at a Qur’an academy till the age of 18. Subsequently, he turned his attention to Islamic Studies.

He completed a 3-year University Diploma in Arabic language and Islamic Sciences at Imam Muhammed bin Saud Islamic University; he later attained a bachelor’s degree in Sharī’ah and, thereafter, a master’s degree in Judiciary (Qadā), with honors, from the Higher Institute for Judiciary Studies (Ma‘had al-‘Alī li al-Qadā). He trained as a judge and completed a thesis on Liquidity Management using the famous Repurchase Agreement (REPO) contract and its rulings and permitted alternatives.

He attained a Ph.D. from the Higher Institute of Judiciary at Al-Imam University in Comparative Islamic Law and Judiciary. His two-volume dissertation thesis was about Sharī’ah solutions in Financial Risk Management.

Shaykh Sajid has played an integral part in Islamic academic and project development worldwide. He has authored several articles and dissertations in both Arabic and English pertaining to the various Islamic Sciences, is an Associate Professor at Knowledge International University, and is currently the chair of the Panel of Scholars at the Islamic Finance Advisory also a Senior Advisor at Islamic Council, and the Sharī’ah Governance Officer for the National Waqf Fund.

Shaykh Fuad Abdo, in his early education, gained a Bachelor’s in Islamic
Law from Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud University in Riyadh, followed by a
Master’s in Economics & Islamic Banking from Yarmouk University in Jordan. In addition, he completed a Diploma in Finance at Bournemouth Business School International (BBSI) in England.

The Shaykh has published many works and has designed a training course for a leading bank in Saudi Arabia on Islamic Banking.

The Shaykh plays a vital role in delivering workshops on a wide range of Islamic Finance topics across the UK, including Zakah and Inheritance. He is a Senior Advisor at Islamic Council and the Vice-Chair of the Panel of Scholars at the Islamic Finance Advisory.

Umer Suleman initially studied Economics at The Royal Holloway University of London, and furthered his qualifications at Manchester Business School and Harvard University.

Umer started his career as an auditor within the largest professional services network in the world, known as the Big Four accounting firms, before moving to a major global finance firm in the City of London. Umer led the Muslim Networks at both organisations.

Additionally, Umer has been actively involved in Islamic Finance for the last fifteen years, working with some of the most notable UK scholars on Shari’ah structuring and process reviews. Umer currently is the Global Head of Risk, Compliance & Shari’ah for Wahed Invest. He also sits on the board of the UKIFC, is an advisor for the finance arm of Islamic Council and is the Co-Founder of the National Waqf Fund and the Islamic Finance Advisory. Umer has also been an advisor for several other Islamic FinTech’s.

Umer was recognised for his work in 2016 as “one to watch” in the City of London by Brummel Magazine for not only his work in Islamic Finance but also his role as a member of the board for the Cube Network, an umbrella organisation for professional corporate Muslim Networks.