ACE Management

Dr Ziyaad Mahomed is currently an Assistant Professor and Lead Researcher (Shari’ah) at the Centre of Excellence in Social Finance at INCEIF University. He also served as the Associate Dean of E-learning, and Director of Executive Education at the University.

He is an Islamic Scholar and Shariah Advisor and serves as Chairman of several Shariah boards of financial institutions internationally, including HSBC Amanah (Malaysia), Taj Bank (Nigeria), Iman Ltd (Uzbekistan), iConsult Africa (South Africa) and Ayady Takaful (Maldives). Dr Ziyaad has worked with and led several projects in Islamic banking, social finance, microfinance and fintech for the United Kingdom, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Pakistan and Palestine amongst many others. His experience in Sukuk structuring and Shariah advisory include some of the largest Sovereign and Corporate issuances in Malaysia and Nigeria.

His research areas include Islamic banking, Shariah for Islamic Finance, Islamic Capital Markets, Fintech, Risk Management, Social Finance and Sustainability. He holds a PhD and CIFP from INCEIF in Malaysia, an MBA from MANCOSA in South Africa, and a BA (Hons) in Business (Finance) from Anglia Ruskin in the UK. He also holds certification in Islamic law from South Africa and Jordan.

He was Managing Director of a boutique consultancy in Shariah advisory since 2006, after serving as National Head of Marketing & Product Development at Albaraka Bank South Africa. Dr Ziyaad’s experience in Shari’ah Advisory extends to almost 20 years and has trained over 12,000 professionals in various areas of Islamic finance in more than 30 countries. He is visiting faculty to several universities including University of Reading, CESAG (Senegal) and developed and delivers the Islamic finance program at the Asia School of Business in collaboration with MIT Sloane and Bank Negara Malaysia.

Dr Ziyaad is well published on Social Impact Sukuk, Shariah analysis of sustainability practices, Shariah governance and crypto assets. He has received several awards for his innovation in social finance modelling and numerous best paper awards at academic conferences internationally.

Dr. Muhammed Tabiu, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), is a Law Professor at Department of Islamic Law, the Faculty of Law Bayero University Kano.

He has been expert adviser to various justice related programmes including justice sector reform, application of Islamic law in the context of modern society, and peace building in the North East of Nigeria affected by conflict.

He is also currently Co-Chairman of the Federal Justice Sector Reform Programme, under the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Justice. He was 2013 Kraemer Middle-East Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence, Williams and Mary University, Williamsburg, USA. Some of the other positions he held in the past include Head of Department of Islamic Law and Dean of the Faculty of Law at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto; Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice of Jigawa State; Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria (NHRC); and Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Ilorin.

He is a Researcher at International Shari’ah Research Academy for Islamic Finance (ISRA) and a Lecturer at International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF).

He is Registered Independent Foreign Shariah Adviser with Securities Commission of Malaysia (SC). He is a Shariah Committee Member of BNP Paribas (Najmah) Malaysia Berhad, Shariah Committee Member of PruBSN Takaful Malaysia Berhad, ACE Member of TAJ Bank Limited Nigeria and Shariah Advisor for Masryef Management House in Malaysia and iConsult South Africa and Capital Trust Halal Fixed Income Fund in Nigeria. He has also served as Shariah consultants including Expert Witness in the Kuala Lumpur High Court (Muamalat Division) in Malaysia.

He obtained his Bachelor Degree of Shari‘ah (first class honour) from Islamic University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia, followed by Master of Comparative Laws and PhD (Law) from International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).

His areas of specialisation include Islamic finance, comparative laws and Islamic private equity & venture capital. His publications focus on Shari‘ah issues in Islamic finance, Islamic legal theory, Islamic private equity & venture capital, Islamic entrepreneurship, comparative law, zakah, waqf and Islamic social finance.​

Usama Saleh has over 20 years Professional experience in the Banking Industry spanning Branch Operations, Domestic Operations, Treasury Operation, Clearing and Electronic Settlement, Payment Operations, General Services and Business Development.

A consummate Banker, Mr. Usama started his banking career in 2001 with First Bank Nigeria Ltd as an officer and resigned in 2008 to take up an appointment with First City Monument Bank Plc as a Branch Operations Manager. In the pursuit of his passion for Non-Interest Finance, Usama left FCMB in 2011 to join Jaiz Bank Plc as one of the pioneer staff, where he served at various units and projects.

He holds a B.Sc. in Business Administration and Master of Banking and Finance from Bayero University Kano and has attended several local and international courses in Islamic Finance, Investment Banking, Management, leadership amongst others at some of the prestigious institutions, such as School of Government and International Affairs Durham University UK, Commerzbank Germany, IFSB Malaysia, REDMONEY Malaysia, Texem UK, Phillips Consulting – Nigeria and Lagos Business School.

Usama Saleh is a Member of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) and Member Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered).

Mr. Usama is a strong team player with multifunctional capabilities. He was the former Group Head, Banking Operations at Jaiz Bank Plc before joining TAJBank as the Head of Sharia Audit.