Our Team

Our Team

At Al Baraka, we pride ourselves in having the professionalism and expertise of a Commercial Enterprise, combined with the Customer Service of a family-run business. This responsibility is taken heed by our staff, with passion and intent. The South African philosophy of “Ubuntu” (Humanity), can be translated as “I am because we are”, which we seek to manifest through our co-responsibility towards our clients and community alike. Our staff, or Corporate Family, is comprised of highly qualified, experienced, and enthusiastic individuals who will strive to provide You with proficient, professional and accommodating service.Al Baraka Bank’s board of directors comprises of international and local business people, all with the requisite business skills, coupled with exceptional collective knowledge, expertise and experience in Islamic banking.

Yunus Goolam Hoosen Suleman

Yunus has over 35 years’ experience in the auditing and accounting profession and was the Chairman of KPMG South Africa and the Deputy Chairman of the Independent Regulatory Board of Auditors (IRBA). He serves as a director of several listed entities. He is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and joined the Board of Directors in 2016. He currently serves as the Bank’s Lead Independent Director.

Adv. Jennifer Margaret Anne Cane SC

Adv. Jenny has a well-established practice in tax law and commercial disputes, both as a senior advocate and as an arbitrator. She is an arbitrator of the Arbitration Foundation of South Africa (AFSA) and also serves as a member of the South African Judicial Services Commission.

Zahid Fakey

Zahid has over 20 years’ experience in the auditing profession and was a partner at Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) specialising in IT Governance and Risk Management. He is the Chief Executive of Unplugged Enterprises (Pty) Ltd, which focuses on leadership training, executive mentorship, advisory services and community development projects. Zahid is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA)

Marie Jacques Desire Courtiade

Jacques has over 30 years’ management experience within the Banking industry and previously served as Al Baraka Bank South Africa’s Financial Director and Chief Operating Officer. He is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and joined the Board of Al Baraka Bank as an executive director in 2004. Jacques was appointed as a non-executive director in 2018 and recently qualified as an independent non-executive director.

Sanelisiwe Maureen Nyasulu

Sanelisiwe was admitted as an attorney in 2009 and joined Garlicke & Bousfield as an Associate in the Labour Department in 2010, becoming a Director in 2014. She is also a member of the Human Resource Forum at the Durban Chamber of Commerce serving on the Skills Development Task Team.

Faisal Ahmed Randeree

Faisal is the Managing Director of the DCD Group of Companies and has extensive experience in Commercial Real Estate and finance. He is the Chair of the Executive Board of Football for Peace Foundation and serves as an Associate Member of Mosaic (founded by HRH Prince of Wales).

Shabir Ahmed Essop Chohan

Shabir is the Chief Executive of Albaraka Bank Limited and was appointed in 2004. He previously served as the Chief Executive of Ithala Development Corporation Limited and has extensive experience in Banking, Finance and Accounting. In addition, he is also currently a Non-Executive Director at the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC).

Mr. Houssem Ben Haj Amor

Mr. Houssem Ben Haj Amor was officially appointed as the Group Chief Executive Officer and Executive Board Member of Al Baraka Group B.S.C. effective 24 October 2022.Mr. Houssem was previously the Acting Group CEO from July 1, 2022. Mr. Houssem has over 23 years of experience in the Finance industry across the Middle East, Europe and North Africa. He previously served as Chief Financial Officer at Amlak Finance UAE. Earlier, he was the General Manager of SHUAA Capital, a leading Investment bank in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). He commenced his career with Andersen and later with Societe Generale banking group. He has held board positions in several banks and financial institutions and has a valuable experience working at the board level of listed entities across the GCC, North Africa and Turkey.

Abdullah Ameed

Abdullah was appointed as the Financial Director of Albaraka Bank Limited in 2014 after having occupied the roles of General Manager Finance and Corporate Manager at the Bank. He is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). Prior to joining Al Baraka, he served as an Audit Trainee Manager at Deloitte & Touche.

Dr. Mohamed Mustapha Khemira

Dr. Mohamed obtained a Ph.D. and an M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge

Dr. Mohammed Mustapha Khemira has over 24 years of experience in Islamic banking services, management consulting and education. Prior to joining ABG in February 2017, he worked in different managerial positions with prominent global and GCC- based institutions. He served as the Head of Shari’a Structuring and Coordination as well as Head of the Shari’a Department at Emirates Islamic Bank for more than eight years.

Before that, he was Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of Beacon Education LLC and Taaleem PJSC in Dubai for a year. Earlier he worked with McKinsey & Company for 3 years at the firm’s Dubai office. Dr. Mohammed Mustapha Khemira started his career in Islamic banking with Faysal Islamic Bank of Bahrain in the late nineties where he served in various capacities, last being Vice President Corporate & Investment Banking. He commenced his career with Netbroker Inc. (Waltham, MA, USA) as a Financial Software Developer in 1996.

Dr. Mohammed Mustapha Khemira holds a Ph.D. and an M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA, USA. He completed his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA. He is the recipient of scholarships for his education from the USAID Technology Transfer Program.

Shaykh Mahomed Shoaib Omar

Shaykh Mahomed Shoaib Omar serves as a member of the Shari'ah Supervisory Board of Al Baraka Bank. He completed his B. Com Law degree and LLB at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He studied Arabic and Islamic Law personally under the renowned contemporary jurist, Mufti Taqi Usmani, at Darul Uloom Karachi and has received Ijaazah from him. He was also a student of the Chief Qadi of India, Mujahidul Islam Qasemi, the founder of the Islamic Fiqh Academy of India and a distinguished authority in Muslim Family Law. During the past 35 years he has collaborated with Mufti Taqi Usmani in solving problems affecting Contemporary Applications in Islamic Law. He has, for the past 17 years, also worked closely with well-known contemporary Shari'ah expert, Shaykh Abdus Sattar Abu Ghuddah, in the field of Islamic Finance and has extensive experience in the application of Shari'ah Law to contemporary situations, including Islamic Finance. He was granted the right of appearance in the High and Constitutional Courts of South Africa in 1995. He successfully argued the landmark case of Amod v Road Accidents Fund in the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court of Appeal, which case recognised a duty of support flowing from an Islamic marriage. He currently practices as an attorney, specialising in Shari'ah and Corporate Law. He has written a number of books and numerous articles on Islamic law and its contemporary applications, inclusive of Islamic Finance, in English and Arabic. He is regarded as an expert in comparative jurisprudence (fiqh al muqaarin).

Shaykh Yousef Hasan Khalawi

Shaykh Yousef Khalawi is a prominent Saudi Arabian Shariah scholar with extensive experience and knowledge of Shariah law, Islamic finance and business development. He obtained a Bachelor of Shariah Law at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University where he graduated with honours. He completed advanced courses in comparative law, international commercial law, arbitration and dispute resolution, and received practical legal training at various international legal and consulting firms in Frankfurt, Geneva and London. Shaykh Yousef Khalawi has served on the Board of Directors of various corporates around the world including serving as chairman of the audit, and governance committees. He is currently: A member of the Al Baraka Banking Group’s Unified Shariah Panel; The Chairman of the Shari'ah Advisory Board of Al Baraka Bank, Turkey; The Secretary General of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation; A member of the International Advisory Board of the World Islamic Economic Forum; A board member at the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration, the highest authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and A member of the Board of Trustees in a number of international institutions including the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), Bahrain, the Islamic Heritage Trust and Islamic Fiqh Academy. Shaykh Yousef Khalawi also has extensive experience and knowledge of regulatory frameworks and has contributed to the establishment of good corporate governance at various companies and non-profit organizations, with special focus on Shariah governance. He has been involved in the establishment of several Islamic collective investment schemes since 2000 as well as commercial and non-profit organizations. He made tremendous contribution in the development of the Islamic economy initiative around the world. His contribution towards awqaf foundations includes founding, managing, and restructuring. Shaykh Yousef Khalawi has been a faculty staff at various universities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and lectured on a number of subjects including Islamic sciences, Islamic civilization, comparative law, research methods and critical thinking at Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral level. He taught during his teaching career major classical literary works including al-Muwafaqaat of al-Shaatby, al-Furooq of al-Qaraafi, al-Itqan of al-Suyuti, Sahih Al-Bukhari and al-Muwatta of Maalik, and chapters on commerce on a number of Shafi’i, Maliki and Hanbali Fiqh books. His own literary works in Islamic sciences, Islamic civilization, and critical thinking have been published in various academic journals. Shaykh Yousef Khalawi has been in the panel of many conferences around the world and delivered lectures on various topics including Shariah law, mainstream law, awqaaf, Islamic finance, and mainstream economics and finance.

Mufti Zubair Bayat

Mufti Zubair Bayat is the founder and current Ameer of Darul Ihsan Islamic Services Centre. He also serves on the board of Islamic Schools as well as Islamic financial institutions and as advisor to various organisations. After matriculating, he completed his Aalim Fadhil and Ifta courses at the famous Darul Uloom Deoband, India. He thereafter furthered his studies by obtaining his Master of Arts degree (cum laude) in Islamic Studies from the University of Johannesburg and obtained a certificate in Muslim Personal Law from the University of Islamabad. After completing his formal studies, he occupied a post as a lecturer at Darul Uloom, Azaadville and then moved to Stanger where he established the Zakariyya Muslim School and served as Principal and Ameer. He also served as Chairman of the Association of Muslim Schools in KwaZulu-Natal. He has travelled extensively delivering talks and workshops, covering a variety of subjects, written many articles and published several books.

Mufti Shafique Ahmed Jakhura

Mufti Jakhura serves in the Fatwa Department at the Darul Ihsan Research Centre in Durban preparing and issuing Islamic juristic rulings. He has established and heads the Centre for Islamic Economics and Finance SA (CIEFSA) - a non-profit organisation dedicated to increasing awareness and providing education in the fields of Islamic economics and finance, structuring Shariah-compliant transactions and providing Shariah-compliant commercial solutions at various levels. In 2002, he completed with distinction, the Aalimiyah Course at Madrasah Taleemuddeen in Durban. In 2005, he completed a three-year specialisation course in in Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh and Fatwa) from Jamia Darul Uloom Karachi, under the guidance of Mufti Taqi Usmani, which culminated in the submission of a thesis on the topic of Shirkat and Mudharabat. He is a Certified Shariah Accountant and Auditor certified by the Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) in Bahrain. He has an Advanced Diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance from the Karachi-based Centre for Islamic Economics.

Shabir Ahmed Essop Chohan

Shabir is the Chief Executive of Albaraka Bank Limited and was appointed in 2004. He previously served as the Chief Executive of Ithala Development Corporation Limited and has extensive experience in Banking, Finance and Accounting.
In addition, he is also currently a Non-Executive Director at the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC).

Abdullah Ameed

Abdulah was appointed as the Financial Director of Albaraka Bank Limited in 2014 after having occupied the roles of General Manager Finance and Corporate Manager at the Bank. Prior to joining Al Baraka, he served as an Audit Trainee Manager at Deloitte & Touché.

Mohammed Kaka

Mohammed was appointed as Chief Operating Officer of Albaraka Bank Limited in 2017 after having occupied several senior management and executive positions at the Bank. He previously served in his capacity as an Executive Director: International Banking Executive; General Manager Finance and Assistant Internal Audit Manager, amongst other key areas.

Ebrahim Hassan

Ebrahim has a background in Accounting as well as Risk Management. Ebrahim embarked on his journey with Al Baraka as a Senior Credit Officer in 2001. He was then promoted to General Manager of Credit in 2005 and appointed as Regulatory Executive in 2019.

Ismail Sulaman Yuseph

Ismail joined Al Baraka Bank in 1995 as a Credit Evaluation Officer. He progressed to Head of Sales and thereafter Head of Credit in the Durban Branch (Retail). In 2006, he took up the position of Corporate Manager of the Inaugural corporate division in Musgrave, Durban. Ismail assumed the post of General Manager of Corporate in 2011 in an acting capacity, following the establishment of corporate divisions in the Cape and Gauteng regions. Ismail was then formally appointed as General Manager of Corporate in January 2012. This position also entailed overseeing Marketing and Public Relations until October 2021. In November 2021 the General Manager function was expanded to assume responsibility of both Small Medium Enterprise (SME) and Corporate sales segments for Advances and Business Banking. Ismail was awarded the National Leadership Award in 2020

Nasir Seedat

Nasir started at Albaraka Bank in 2003 in the Finance department as a graduate. He has been involved in many spheres of the Bank, including managing the Lenasia Branch in Gauteng, and currently heading the Retail division nationally. Nasir has completed the International Executive Development programme, has completed his MBA through Wits business school and has accumulated vast knowledge and experience in his professional journey.

Saajid Arbee

Saajid has a background in Finance and Economics. He started his journey at Al Baraka as a Sales Consultant, moved on to being a Credit analyst, then became a Credit manager, and is now the General Manager of Credit.

Sumeshion Chetty

Sumeshion began as the General Manager of Finance when he joined the bank in 2014, and is now the General Manager of Central Operations. His role in Finance, has provided him with a full view of the Bank, and he is involved with development and implementation of new products, strategy and regulations.

Rishaad Bismilla

Rishaad’s professional career started 16 years ago with exposure to various industry sectors including audit, professional services, banking, education, wholesale and retail. He has held several senior management positions, executive, trustee and governance roles at these organisations. Rishaad pursued an MBA qualification a few years after qualifying as a Chartered Accountant. Rishaad’s journey with Albaraka began in 2006 in an external audit capacity, which subsequently lead to appointment in 2010. He has gained experience in Finance, IT and Project roles through the years at the Bank. Rishaad was principally involved in the last two core banking system replacements as well as several other system implementations. Rishaad has received many awards including, Service department of the year 2013, and Project of the year 2020.

Aasiya Ysuf Jamal

Aasiya has 32 years of widely varied professional banking experience of which 26 years have been in various management roles. Aasiya significantly contributed to the bank transforming, from a bank who conducted transactions using a passbook to digitalizing transactions via the use of cards, ATMs and Internet Banking. She joined the bank in 2005 as the first female Sales Manager employed at Albaraka Bank Limited. She played the role of Acting Marketing Manager for a period of 10 months from October 2005 to August 2006. She created and set up the Customer Services Centre or Call Centre for Albaraka Bank Limited. She championed the design and implementation of the transactional banking suite of products, debit cards, cheque books and Internet Banking within Albaraka Bank Limited and continues to play a key role in the card and payments eco system for Albaraka Bank Limited. She is the Principal Member for committees associated with the card and payments industry representing the bank at Reserve Bank National Payment Services (NPS), Payments Association of South Africa (PASA) and Banking Association of South Africa (BASA). She holds the position of the Authorised Contact for the bank at the Payments Association of South Africa (PASA) since 2009 to date. She attended the PASA Foundational Payment course in 2013 and completed the course obtaining a distinction with the highest results. She was fortunate to be selected to attend the International Executive Developmental Programme in 2016 which focused on Digital Disruption. Aasiya has achieved multiple awards during her journey, including:

Awarded the best Assistant Branch Manager (2IC) in KZN
Special award for branch with the highest number of ATMs and best uptime
Awarded for outstanding leadership as Branch Manager
Achieved Best sales KZN (Card & Payments)
Achieved Outstanding achievement for Card & Payments
Achieved Special Awards at Albaraka Bank

Colin Thomas Breeds

Colin has held various positions including Senior Legal Advisor, Company Secretary and Compliance Manager through his professional career with a background in Law. Colin joined the Bank in 2005, and has been Company Secretary to the Board of Directors. He was Awarded Certificate for Regulatory and Compliance Service Excellence - 2017

Luqman Issadeen

Luqman started at Al Baraka as a graduate, working his way through different departments, from Credit, Finance, Shariah, Strategy and Risk. He subsequently became a Risk Analyst and gained expertise with regards to risk in all areas of the Bank. The Reserve Bank thereafter, approved his appointment as Risk Manager. Luqman has embedded a formal risk management framework within the Bank, that has enabled proactive risk management monitoring.

Lutchmee Gounden

Lutchmee began her career in HR 18 years ago. She worked in organisations across a wide spectrum of industry sectors before finding a home in banking. She held various senior management positions in a group level. Lutchmee was Appointed as HR Manager in 2012 at Al Baraka, reporting to the CE, member of EXCO and various strategic committees. Lutchmee has completed the International Executive Development Program (IEDP).

Lutchmee has received many awards through her journey, including: Women in leadership award, National leadership award and IEDP – Part of overall winning team, special recommendations

Musa Zuma

Musa completed an Aalim Course, holds an Master of Arts in Islamic studies as well as an MBA, Master of Sciences in Banking and Finance as well as Financial Economics. Musa joined the Bank in 2008 as a Shari’ah Auditor, in 2015 he was appointed as Manager of the Shari’ah Advisory.

Rooksana Safaat

Rooksana commenced her professional career at Albaraka Bank Limited in 1993 as a Paralegal, progressing to head the Conveyancing Division soon thereafter and finally taking her career forward to Senior Manager: Legal. She heads both the Legal Services and Conveyancing Divisions, specialising in Property Law, Commercial Law, Trusts, Wills and Administration of Estates. She also lends support and expertise in product development and project management. Rooksana is an invited member of the Bank's Board Credit Committee. Rooksana received Special Recognition Awards for the Regulatory and Risk expert at ABL. She also received special awards and recognition for implementation of the Attorney Trust Saver product offering including pivotal role and support towards approval and launch of the Bank’s Sukuk offering.

Rushda Ebrahim Khan

Rushda is an Admitted Attorney. She joined the Compliance Departm.ent of Al Baraka in 2013. She was appointed as the Compliance Manager of Al Baraka in 2019, the FICA Compliance Officer in 2019, the FAIS Compliance Officer in 2020 and the Information Officer of Al Baraka in 2021. She has been fundamental in implementing Sukuk in the Bank. She has received multiple awards including: Team Award Project of the Year: Sukuk (2018), Regulatory and Compliance Excellence Award (2019), Team Award Special Project: Sukuk (2019), Regulatory and Assurance Excellence Award (2021).