Winners Of Islamic Business & Finance 2009 Awards Revealed.

Available at: http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20091215110534

Amid great anticipation among Islamic bankers, financiers and Islamic banking and finance institutions, the 27 winners of the 4th Annual Islamic Business and Finance Awards 2009 were revealed yesterday at a prestigious ceremony in Dubai that brought together some 300 distinguished regional and global industry professionals from around the world.

The Awards ceremony celebrated corporate and individual distinction amongst top performers in the industry. Once again this year, Gulf-based institutions and individuals were able to compete head-to-head with their international peers, scooping more than two thirds of the trophies or 19 awards. Other winners were drawn from Malaysia, Pakistan, United Kingdom, USA, Australia and Luxembourg.

The Islamic Business & Finance Awards were designed to encourage, inspire and reward excellence within the global Islamic Business and Finance community, and they have indeed become the yardstick by which Islamic finance institutions and practitioners across the globe measure themselves.

The top prize of ‘Best Islamic Bank’ went to Dubai Islamic Bank for the second time. The bank had previously won this award in 2007. In addition, individual prizes were awarded to finance professionals whose outstanding contributions have led to the phenomenal growth of this sector, even during one of the most challenging periods in the history of banking and finance. Tan Sri Dato’ Azman Hashim, Chairman of AmBank Group, was honored with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award,’ while the ‘Outstanding Contribution Award’ was given to Dr. Abdulaziz Bin Naif Al Orayer, Chairman of t’azur. Mohammed Sulaiman Al-Omar, Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Finance House was named the ‘Islamic Banker of the Year.’

Unlike the corporate categories, where voters were given a short-list of institutions on which to vote, the individual categories were ‘write-ins’ in which members of the global Islamic financial services industry recognized the contributions to Islamic finance by the individual winners.

Thousands of readers of Islamic Business & Finance and registered users of the Islamic finance section of www.cpifinancial.net cast their votes to select the winners from more than 200 nominated institutions, a 75 per cent increase in the number of nominations over 2008!

Nigel Rodrigues, CEO of CPI Financial, publisher of Islamic Business & Finance, commented: “The astonishing growth of the global Islamic finance industry is mirrored by the increasingly stiff competition for these awards. We are proud to recognize and reward the growth and achievements of Islamic financial institutions around the world.”

Robin Amlôt, Managing Editor of CPI Financial said, “It has been another challenging year for the financial sector. Islamic financial institutions have continued to weather the storm, emerging in better shape than their conventional counterparts. Our Awards recognize this and our Award winners – voted for by their peers – can be justly proud of their achievements.”

An independent panel of judges has vigilantly analyzed the overwhelming nominations for the individual and corporate categories and ultimately selected those who projected Islamic finance best practices.

The globally recognized awards were launched in 2005 in response to the phenomenal growth of the Islamic finance industry, currently estimated at around $840 billion in value and expected to pass $1 trillion in 2010. A carefully selected panel of judges, including past Awards winners and industry observers and analysts from the Middle East, South Asia, Europe and the USA, created a shortlist of Islamic institutions from around the world.

Following is the full list of the winners:
Lifetime Achievement Award Tan Sri Dato’ Azman Hashim – Malaysia
Outstanding Contribution to Islamic Finance Dr. Abdulaziz Bin Naif Al Orayer- Bahrain
Islamic Banker of the Year Mohammed Sulaiman Al-Omar – Kuwait
Best Islamic Bank Dubai Islamic Bank- UAE
Best Domestic Islamic Bank Doha Islamic – Qatar
Best International Islamic Bank HSBC Amanah – UK
Best Islamic Private Bank Citi Islamic Investment Bank – Bahrain
Best Islamic Commercial Bank Khaleeji Commercial Bank – Bahrain
Best Islamic Fund Manager Global Investment House – Kuwait
Best Islamic Globalisation Effort Al Baraka Banking Group – Bahrain
Best Islamic Index Provider Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes – USA
Best Islamic Training Institution Centre for Islamic Finance, BIBF – Bahrain
Best Use of Technology Pak-Qatar Family & General Takaful -Pakistan
Best Technology Provider International Turnkey Systems – Kuwait
Best Islamic Corporate Finance House Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank- UAE
Best Law Firm Clifford Chance – UAE office of UK firm
Best BancaTakaful Operator FWU Group – Luxembourg
Best Islamic Home Finance Provider Kuwait Finance House – Kuwait
Best Islamic Investment Bank CIMB Islamic – Malaysia
Best Islamic Retail Bank CIMB Islamic – Malaysia
Best Islamic Investment House Unicorn Investment Bank – Bahrain
Best Islamic Advisory Firm Islamic Financial Services Group, Ernst & Young -Bahrain
Best ReTakaful Operator Hannover ReTakaful – Bahrain
Best Islamic Wealth Management Institution KFH-Bahrain – Bahrain
Best Takaful Operator Noor Takaful- UAE
Best New Islamic Product LM Investment Management – Australia
Best Islamic Advertising/Marketing Campaign Dubai Bank- UAE

“Would that there were an award for people who come to understand the concept of enough. Good enough. Successful enough. Thin enough. Rich enough. Socially responsible enough. When you have self-respect, you have enough.” Gail Sheehy

Best Regards
ZULKIFLI HASAN
DURHAM, UK

Muscat, Oman.