UEL appoints new director of Islamic finance centre

The University of East London has appointed Dr Gaffar Khalid as the new Director of its Islamic Finance Centre.

Dr Khalid has extensive experience in the area of Islamic banking and finance, as well as Islamic microfinance. Prior to lecturing at UEL’s Royal Docks Business School, he was the Senior Advisor of Islamic Microfinance at the Sudan Microfinance Development Facility – a World Bank funded project.

When he joined the World Bank, he served as an adviser to his Excellency, the Governor of the Central Bank of Sudan.

Dr Khalid also worked as an assistant Professor of Finance at the Abu Dhabi University, where he helped them to establish an MBA and MSc in Islamic banking and finance.

He said: “I’m delighted to have been selected for this exciting and prestigious position. I hope my expertise and experience in this specialist area will be of great benefit to the Islamic Finance Centre, students and the wider business community.”

Dr. Khalid received his PhD at Durham University in 2007, which is when he was appointed as an honorary visiting research fellow in Islamic finance at the university’s School of Government and International Affairs. He also holds a BSc and MSc in Banking Studies.