Welcomes Azreen Zaheer to its Board of Directors

Azreen Zaheer, Non-Executive Independent Director, Amana Bank PLC

Amana Bank has announced the appointment of Azreen Zaheer, a seasoned financial professional with over 30 years’ experience to its Board of Directors as a Non-Executive Independent Director with effect from 20 July 2024.

Azreen began his distinguished career at KPMG Colombo, then moved to Ernst & Young Bahrain, and later joined Kuwait Finance House as an Investment Manager. At Kuwait Finance House, he advanced to head the Banking Performance Monitoring Unit and the Credit Due Diligence Unit within the International Banking Sector, overseeing the performance of banking subsidiaries. Owing to his strong financial acumen, Azreen was appointed as a Non-Executive Non-Independent Director of Kuwait Finance House Malaysia Berhad, serving two terms from 2011 to 2017 and from 2020 to date. During his first term he served as the Chairman of the Board Transformation Steering Committee where he worked with international consultants in restructuring the Bank’s portfolio and developing and implementing a new credit underwriting guideline. Currently he serves as the Chairman of the Board Audit Committee and the Board Nomination and Remuneration Committee.

Azreen is also the Chief Executive Officer of Frontier Advisory Ltd., a boutique consultancy and advisory firm offering a range of services on accounting, tax and business-related matters.

Azreen is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka), Fellow Member of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICMA), Associate Member of Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA-UK) and is a Certified Risk Analyst (CRA).

Commenting on this appointment Amana Bank Chairman Asgi Akbarally said “We are honored to welcome Azreen Zaheer to our Board of Directors. With extensive experience serving on the Board of a renowned international financial institution specializing in non-interest-based banking, Azreen brings a wealth of knowledge and financial acumen to our team. We eagerly anticipate his valuable insights and advice, which will undoubtedly be a great addition to our Board.”

With this appointment Amãna Bank Board of Directors constitute as follows: Asgi Akbarally (Chairman), Mohamed Azmeer (Managing Director/CEO), Tishan Subasinghe (Non-Executive Senior Independent Director), Mohammed Ataur Rahman Chowdhury (Non-Executive Non-Independent Director), Dilshan Hettiaratchi (Non-Executive Non-Independent Director), Syed Muhammed Asim Raza (Non-Executive Non-Independent Director), Mohammad Hassan (Non-Executive Non-Independent Director),Mohamed Adamaly (Non-Executive Non-Independent Director), Khairul Muzamel Perera bin Abdullah (Non-Executive Independent Director), Delvin Pereira (Non-Executive Independent Director) and Azreen Zaheer (Non-Executive Independent Director).

Amãna Bank PLC is a stand-alone institution licensed by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange, with Jeddah-based IsDB Group being the principal shareholder of the Bank. The IsDB Group is a ‘AAA’ rated multilateral development financial institution with a membership of 57 countries. Testifying its position as a leading practitioner of the non-interest based banking model, Amãna Banks continued to be recognised amongst the Top 50 Strongest Islamic Bank’s in the World by The Asian Banker.

Amãna Bank does not have any subsidiaries, associates, or affiliated institutions apart from its engagement with OrphanCare as its Founding Sponsor.