Finance Monthly CFO Awards 2016 Winners Edition

www.finance-monthly.com 60 UAE Finance Monthly CFO Awards 2016 Dr. Obaid Saif Hamad Al Zaabi CEO at Securities and Commodities Authority www.sca.gov.ae Firm Profile The Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority (ESCA), which was established under Federal Law No. (4) of 2000, arguably plays a pivotal role in the financial and economic stability of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). With its headquarters in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, the ESCA is a corporate entity which enjoys financial and administrative independence and wields the necessary authority to discharge its tasks and mission of ensuring sound and fair transactions on UAE securities markets through effective supervision and monitoring of securities and commodities markets in the country and unstinting efforts to improve the level of performance on those markets. Admiringly, the ESCA has succeeded in playing its supervisory and monitoring roles on the markets, as well as in the promulgation of legislations and regulations which ensure soundness and promote best practices on the market, in a way that guarantee protection for the rights of investors on the markets. About Dr. Obaid Saif Hamad Al Zaabi Dr. Obaid Al Zaabi is the CEO of the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA). He has over 25 years of experience in financial legislation, accounting, banking, finance and investment, and shari’ah-compliant finance from many leading financial institutions in the United Arab Emirates, such as the UAE Central Bank, the Dubai Islamic Bank, Amlak Finance, and the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA). He received a BSc in Business Administration and Accounting, an MBA with distinction in 2000, and a PhD in Finance and Banking from the UK-based Durham University in 2006. Prior to becoming a CEO, he held various financial and management positions, including: • Deputy CEO for Issuance and Legal Affairs at SCA from 2014 to 2015. • Senior Manager for International Business at Amlak Finance PJSC in 2007. • Head of Follow Up and Supervision at the Dubai Islamic Bank from 2005 to 2007. • Branch Manager at the Dubai Islamic Bank from 1998 to 2005. • Branch Manager at Emirates Transport. • Accounting Section Head at the UAE Ministry of Defence from 1990 to 1997. • Internal Auditor at the U.A.E. Central Bank from 1990 to 1998. Dr. Al Zaabi is a member at several organizations and associations. He was granted full membership in the Australia-based Institute of Certified Management Accountants (ICMA). He is also a member at the Institute of Financial Consultants (IFC), the Accountant and Auditors Association (AAA), the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), and the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) in Malaysia. He is also a board member at the GCC Accounting and Auditing Organization (GCCAAO) and a member of the Advisory Board of the College of Business and Economics at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). He received Certified Cost Accountant (CCA) designation from the US-based American Academy of Financial Management (AAFM) and Certified Islamic Professional Accountant (CIPA) designation from the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutes (AAOIFI). Dr. Al Zaabi obtained several prestigious awards, including: the Sheikh Rashid Award for Academic Excellence in 2006, the Best Branch Manager Award in Dubai Islamic Bank in 1998, and the Outstanding Impact Award in International Relations in 2014.