Professor Datuk Rifaat joins INCEIF as Adjunct Research Professor

INCEIF is pleased to announce that Professor Datuk Dr Rifaat Ahmed Abdel Karim has joined INCEIF as an Adjunct Research Professor beginning September 2011 Semester.

Professor Datuk Dr Rifaat is one of the world’s foremost and renowned leaders and authority in the Islamic financial services industry (IFSI) both at the professional and academic levels. He has played a pioneering role in the development of Islamic finance, while his leadership in drafting accounting, auditing, governance, Shari’ah and regulatory standards has been instrumental in establishing the position of the IFSI in the mainstream of global banking and finance.

Professor Datuk Dr Rifaat Ahmed Abdel Karim

In addition to the international recognition of his academic publications, which are mainly in tier one international journals, in the field of Islamic finance, Professor Datuk Dr Rifaat also earned international respect for the two organisations he has played an instrumental role in creating and served as (their inaugural) Secretary General – the Accounting & Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) and the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB). During his eight-years at the IFSB, its membership has grown from nine founding members in 2003 to 191 members as at March 2011.

Professor Datuk Dr Rifaat was a member of the Consultative Advisory Group of the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board for two consecutive three-year terms ending April 2011, and the International Liaison Group of the Basel Committee for Banking Supervision. He also served as a member of the Standards Advisory Council of the International Accounting Standards Board for two consecutive three-year terms, ending November 2008.

Professor Datuk Dr Rifaat’s contribution to the IFSI has been recognised by the many prestigious international awards that have been bestowed upon him during his career, which spans 30 years dedicated to high achievement in professional activities, as well as in research and academic work. He is the first recipient of the Euromoney Outstanding Contribution to the Development of Islamic Finance Award, and other distinguished international awards, including the 2010 Islamic Development Bank Award for Islamic Banking and Finance. He is also the recipient of the Outstanding Academic Paper Award Winner at the Emerald Group Publishing Limited, UK, Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2011.

Professor Datuk Dr Rifaat has been Visiting Professor at the ICMA Centre, Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK, since 2008. He was a Visiting Professor at the School of Management, University of Surrey, UK, for 11 years, and an Honorary Professor, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University, Australia during the period 2005 – 2007.

He is the co-author/co-editor of the following books: Business and Accounting Ethics in Islam, Islamic Finance: Innovation and Growth, Islamic Finance: the Regulatory Challenge, and Takaful Islamic Insurance: Concepts and Regulatory Issues. Professor Datuk Dr Rifaat is the author and co-author of a considerable number of academic papers on issues in Islamic finance.

Professor Datuk Dr Rifaat was a member of the INCEIF Governing Council from 2006 to early this year.