About the Editors

Simon Archer is Visiting Professor at the ICMA Centre, Henley Business School, University of Reading, United Kingdom, with particular responsibility for Islamic finance, and Adjunct Professor at the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Previously, he was Professor of Financial Management at the University of Surrey, after being Midland Bank Professor of Financial Sector Accounting at the University of Wales, Bangor. After studies in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Oxford University, he qualified as a chartered accountant with Arthur Andersen in London and then moved to Price Waterhouse in Paris, where he became Partner in Charge of Management Consultancy Services. Since beginning an academic career, Professor Archer has undertaken numerous consultancy assignments, including acting as consultant to the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) and the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB). He has been a visiting professor at a number of universities and business schools, including IIUM in Malaysia, Bordeaux, Metz, and Paris-Dauphine; HEC and EAP-ESCP in France; Copenhagen Business School in Denmark and Frankfurt, and Koblenz in Germany. Professor Archer is the author and co-editor of a considerable number of works and academic papers on international accounting and on issues in Islamic finance, including Islamic Finance: Innovation and Growth (Euromoney Publications, 2002) with Rifaat Ahmed Abdel Karim; Islamic Finance: The Regulatory Challenge, 1st edition (John Wiley & Sons Singapore, 2007) with Rifaat Ahmed Abdel Karim; and Takaful Islamic Insurance: Concepts and Regulatory Issues (John Wiley & Sons Singapore, 2009) with Rifaat Ahmed Abdel Karim and Volker Nienhaus. In 2010, Professor Archer received an award from the Central Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait Finance House, Bahrain, for his “outstanding contribution to the Islamic Financial Services Industry.”

Rifaat Ahmed Abdel Karim is one of the world’s foremost and renowned leaders and authority in the Islamic financial services industry (IFSI) both at the professional and academic levels. He has played a pioneering role in the development of Islamic finance, while his leadership in the drafting of accounting, auditing, governance, Shari’ah, and regulatory standards has been instrumental in establishing the position of the IFSI in the mainstream of global financial services.

In addition to the international recognition of his academic publications, which are mainly in tier one international journals in the field of Islamic finance, Rifaat also earned international respect for the two organisations he has played an instrumental role in creating, and for which he served as (their inaugural) Secretary-General—the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) and the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB).

Professor Karim’s contribution to the IFSI has been recognised by the many prestigious international awards that have been bestowed upon him during his career, which spans 30 years dedicated to high achievement in professional activities, as well as in research and academic work. These include, among others, the (inaugural) 2004 Euromoney Outstanding Contribution in the Development of Islamic Finance, and the 2010 Islamic Development Bank Prize in Islamic Banking and Finance. In 2010, the King of Malaysia awarded Professor Karim the Royal Malaysian Honorary Award of Darjah Kebesaran Panglima Jasa Negara (P.J.N.), which carries the title “Datuk.”

Professor Karim is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM). Professor Karim has been Visiting Professor at the ICMA Centre, Henley Business School, University of Reading, United Kingdom, since 2008, and Adjunct Research Professor at the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, since 2011. He served on the advisory council of the Basel Committee for Banking Supervision, International Accounting Standards Board, and International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board.

Professor Karim is the co-author/co-editor of Business and Accounting Ethics in Islam (Mansell Publishing Co., 1991) with Trevor Gambling; Islamic Finance: Innovation and Growth (Euromoney Publications, 2002) with Simon Archer; Islamic Finance: The Regulatory Challenge (1st edition) (John Wiley Asia, 2007) with Simon Archer; and Takaful Islamic Insurance: Concepts and Regulatory Issues (John Wiley & Sons Singapore, 2009) with Simon Archer and Volker Nienhaus.