21st World Islamic Banking Conference 2014 award winners announced

The achievements, innovations, and excellence in the international Islamic banking and finance industry were recognised at the award ceremony held last night at a Gala Dinner sponsored by Ibdar bank along the sidelines of the 21st Annual Edition of the World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC 2014) at the Gulf Hotel in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The annual WIBC Awards, which are among the oldest and most prestigious in the world, are designed to recognize individuals and institutions that have made significant contributions to the Islamic banking and finance industry.
H.E. Rasheed M. Al Maraj, Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain, presented the awards to the winners at an impressive gala dinner and awards ceremony held on the sidelines of WIBC 2014 following remarks from Mr. Basel Al-Hag-Issa, CEO of Ibdar, the evening's host Bank. International industry leaders from over 50 countries attended the 21st Annual WIBC 2014 which was officially inaugurated yesterday.
Fadi Salim Al Faqih voted as the WIBC Islamic Banker of the Year 2014
Fadi Salim Al Faqih, Chief Executive Officer, Bank of Khartoum, was voted as the 2014 WIBC Islamic Banker of the Year. The WIBC Islamic Banker of the Year award uses a unique peer-based voting system to identify the winner from a short-list of nominees with the results audited by EY.
The WIBC Islamic Banker of the Year Award is presented to an individual who is an established banker, leading a reputable financial services provider, and who has contributed significantly to the Islamic financial services industry.
The key criteria set by the awards committee for the award included excellence in leadership, overall strategic direction of their Islamic banking business, new strategic initiatives and innovations, and overall contribution to the global Islamic banking and finance industry.
Fadi Al Faqih is the Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Khartoum (BoK) with nearly 20 years of international and regional banking experience. He is a keen driving force for the development of Islamic finance on the African continent – the next major frontier for the industry.
Standard Chartered Saadiq wins the WIBC 2014 Institutional Excellence Award
Based on select criteria assessed by the WIBC Awards Committee, the WIBC Institutional Excellence Award 2014, was presented to Standard Chartered Saadiq. Standard Chartered Saadiq offers a wide range of Shariah-compliant products to meet the needs of consumer and corporate banking clients around the world.
Standard Chartered Saadiq employs an international team of professionals with extensive Islamic financial expertise who have rolled out over 200 products and solutions across geographies. The Bank has an international Shariah board comprising three of the world's most renowned Shariah scholars who provide guidance and advice to ensure Shariah compliance of all Saadiq’s products and transactions.
Afaq Khan, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Saadiq received the award on behalf of Standard Chartered Saadiq.
Sheikh Essam Ishaq recognized for his Outstanding Contribution to the Islamic finance industry
The WIBC 2014 Industry Leadership Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions made by an individual towards the overall development of the global Islamic finance industry and significantly contributing towards shaping the future of the Islamic finance industry, was awarded to renowned Shariah Scholar, Sheikh Esam Ishaq. Sheikh Esam is a member of the High Council for Islamic Affairs in Bahrain and he is recognized as an influential leader in the discipline of Islamic finance. As well as serving on the Sharia Panel of IIFM, and the Accounting and Auditing Board of AAOIFI, Sheikh Ishaq also serves on the Sharia Advisory Boards of a number of leading financial institutions and Takaful operators. The awards ceremony was facilitated by Nadine Hani, Senior Business News Presenter, Al-Arabiya News Channel.