Shariah committee
Sheikh Professor Dr. Abdul Ghafar Ismail
- Appointed since: 1 April 2021
Sheikh Professor Dr. Abdul Ghafar Ismail is an Honorary Professor of Islamic Economics at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and currently serves as an International Guest Professor at Universitas Islam Indonesia. Since 1 April 2021, he has been a member of the Shariah Committee of Sun Life Malaysia Takaful Berhad.
He has held numerous academic and professional positions, including Chairholder of Sheikh Abdullah Fahim at Institut Islam Hadhari, UKM; Distinguished Associate Fellow at the Institute of Shariah Governance and Islamic Finance, Universiti Utara Malaysia; and Professor of Islamic Economics at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Putra Business School, and Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali. His contributions extend internationally as Bank Supervision Advisor to the International Monetary Fund for Djibouti and Consultant for the Islamic Economy Masterplan for Indonesia.
In addition, he has been actively involved in policy and industry development. He previously served as Chairman of the Shariah Committee at Citibank Malaysia, Resident Fellow with AmBank Group at Perdana Leadership Foundation, Trustee of Yayasan Pembangunan Ekonomi Islam Malaysia, and Fellow of the International Research Academy for Islamic Finance. He has also contributed as a Working Group Member on Zakah Institutions Governance under the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI).
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a Master’s degree in Economics from UKM, and earned his PhD in Economics from the University of Southampton, United Kingdom.