Professor Meryem Duygun listed as one of most influential women in Islamic business and finance

Professor Meryem Duygun has been recognised in the Top 30 (21st place) most influential women in Islamic business and finance at the second Woman in Islamic Business and Finance (WOMANi) Awards ceremony hosted by UK-based financial intelligence house Cambridge IFA in Dubai.

Meryem is Professor of Banking and Finance at Nottingham University Business School. She holds an endowed chaired professor in Risk and Insurance funded by the UK largest insurance company, Aviva. Her expertise include banking, risk, financial technologies (FinTech) and Insurtech. Her current research on InsurTech is funded by the British Academy. She is currently President of IFABS (International Finance and Banking Society), a leading global research society and is the academic delegate on the Confederation of British Industry Financial Services Innovation Forum. Meryem also directs the University of Nottingham Fintech Research Network. 

At the event, 300 women were acknowledged and their efforts in Islamic business and finance recognised. The WOMANi300 List and the inaugural WOMANi Report were released, featuring the top 300 most influential women in Islamic business and finance. The report is published by Cambridge IFA and supported by DDCAP Group, Noor Bank and Abu Dhabi National Takaful.

Stella Cox CBE, Patron-in-Chief of WOMANi and Managing Director of DDCAP; addressed more than 170 guests in attendance at the awards ceremony and gala dinner. “Not only does WOMANi elevates and raise awareness of the significance of women working across the Islamic financial spectrum globally, it also serves to connect us to each other,” said Stella Cox in her Special Address. She further highlighted the important role of WOMANi in reweighing gender balance in the Islamic financial industry and the wider global financial market place. In congratulating the women for their achievements and prominent role in the overall development of the industry, she urged that women must continue to be vocal and visible to enable that rebalancing to continue and to further accelerate.

Professor Humayon Dar, founder of WOMANi, stressed that the WOMANi Programme aims at empowering at least one million women at different levels in different regions across a range of professions. He said: “Each and every woman featured in the WOMANi inaugural report is a story of hard work, dedication, multi-taking, professionalism perseverance, and success,” 

"Grooming the next generation of women 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.".

About WOMANi

WOMANi is a part of the women empowerment programme by Cambridge IFA to highlight enormously important roles that exceptionally talented women are playing in Islamic business and finance.

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.

Cambridge IFA is a member of HD-Edbiz Group of Companies with offices in London, Gibraltar and Islamabad.