Omar A. Ali

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SUMMARY OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Qualified Accountant (FCCA) with broad and successful experience in all aspects of financial and general management in development banking, commercial and investment banking Africa and the Middle East (16 years) and Europe (25 years). As chief Executive Officer of DMI, a Middle Eastern financial and banking group, managed a worldwide staff of 1,400 in three continents. Areas of expertise include: financial management, asset management, and general management in international development organizations, investment banks and commercial banks. In all institutions served, high priority was always given to the development and application of ethical corporate governance. Professional experience included extensive global travel and excellent interpersonal relations with diverse nationalities.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Quadron Investments Co. Ltd.

Khartoum, Sudan (2005 – present)

Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors; Quadron Investments is a private investment company which deals in real estate and financial investments.

Integrated Property Investments Ltd.

United Kingdom (2002 – present) & Tanzania (2005 – present)

Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors, IPIL is a private real estate investment company.

Independent Financial Advisor

Advising select clients on asset allocation and asset management
Geneva, Switzerland (2000 – 2002).

Dar Al Maal Al Islami Group (DMI – Islamic Finance House)

Geneva, Switzerland (1983 – 1999)

Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer (1986 – 1999)
Executive Vice-President Finance
Vice-President Internal Audit (1983-1986)

  • Handled prime responsibility over the Group’s performance organization and results.
  • Reported to the Board of Supervisors and its Executive Committee chaired by HRH Prince Mohammed Al Faisal al Saud, the pioneer of Islamic Banking and Finance.
  • Chairman and Member of all DMI subsidiaries and affiliated companied throughout the world (15 subsidiaries and affiliates).

Major accomplishments:

  • Guided the company’s development from a pioneering ideological institution to a professionally managed and business-oriented company.
  • Established Faisal Bank Ltd., Pakistan; Faisal Finance Switzerland (now Faisal Private Bank) and Faisal Finance Jersey – the most profitable companies of the DMI Group.
  • Developed DMI as one of the leading Islamic Financial Institutions during my tenure.  Assets under management increased from US$ 1.6 billion to US$ 4.0billion.
  • Commissioned PriceWaterHouse Consultancy to prepare up to date corporate governance policies and manuals which were approved by the Board of Supervisors and modernised the governance of the group.

The Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID)

Khartoum, Sudan (1979 – 1983)

Director of Finance and Chief Financial Officer
Chairman of the Board of Sudan/Arab Co. for Poultry Production.

  • An inter-Arab governmental agency created by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, which established and financed specialized food-producing companies.
  • Negotiated with developed countries for loans to finance subsidiary companies.

Independent Financial Consultant

Paris, France (1978 – 1979)

  • Financial consultant to Arab and African financial institutions.

Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development

Kuwait City, Kuwait (1977 – 1978)

  • An inter-Arab governmental agency created by members of The Arab League.
  • Advised on financial policies, external policies and undertook special audits and investigations.

The African Development Bank Group

Abidjan, Ivory Coast (1967 – 1977)

Director of Finance and Chief Financial Officer
Deputy Director Finance
Assistant Director of Finance
Assistant Chief of Finance

  • One of the first professionals that took part in the pioneering work of developing the ADB from an experimental and pilot project to a successful regional project in Africa.
  • Participated in all negotiations for the creation of the African Development Fund and secured substantial soft funding from the developed world for Africa.
  • Built up a strong financial team that was instrumental in mobilizing substantial resources for African Development.

Ministry of Finance

Somalia (1965 – 1977)

Deputy Accountant General

Education:

Certified Accountant, Leeds College of Commerce, U.K., 1965

Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants

Nationality:

Swiss and Somali

Languages:

English (fluent), Arabic (fluent), Somali (fluent), French (sound working knowledge)

Interests:

History, theatre, reading, voluntary humanitarian work.  Menber of the Board, Interntional Red Cross and Red Crescent Foundation (IFRC) (2003 – 2006), Chairman, Somalaid (1990 – 2005).