The Islamic banking and finance industry has experienced rapid growth and expansion in recent years. The industry is now no longer a fantasy or a hypothesis, rather has emerged as a viable and competitive mode of financial intermediation that is offering a range of ethical financial products and services, serving a wide market segment.
This growth and evolution of the industry has brought to the forefront the challenge of efficient, effective and highly skilled human capital that will be the defining factor in the sustainability of the industry. The steady progress from niche to mainstream indicates the strong demand for Islamic financial instruments at a global level. With further internationalisation of the industry, the lack of qualified talent can impede the industry’s growth. What is more worrying, is the widening leadership gap that threatens the performance and competitiveness of the global Islamic financial services industry.
Cambridge Islamic Finance Leadership Programme is a globally-recognised leadership programme specifically tailored for IsBF professionals. This highly focused training programme has been developed with the help of strategic partners like the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), Finance Accreditation Agency (FAA) of Malaysia, and the DDCAP Group. Cambridge IFA has been holding its Cambridge Islamic Finance Leadership Programme (Cambridge-IFLP) for the past 5 years at Clare College, a member of the University of Cambridge syndicate. Clare College is the second oldest and is regarded as one of the most prestigious colleges.
Since 2013, scores of leaders and professionals from various organisations and institutions have gathered at the historic University of Cambridge in a global effort to develop new leaders, inspire professionals and delegate role models to drive forward the Islamic finance industry.
Cambridge-IFLP is empowered with new skills and a contemporary perspective on leadership. It is truly a journey of self-discovery, where individuals polish their skills and enhance their capabilities by becoming a part of a global event. Here delegates learn to articulate their personal leadership philosophy; hone their leadership skills, and build upon the essence of ongoing improvement.
Cambridge Islamic Finance Leadership Programme helps to prepare the next generation of outstanding leaders in Islamic banking and finance by providing them unique mentoring opportunities, rigorous leadership training from renowned leaders and industry-specific perspectives through cases studies specifically written for this programme.
The 5-day extensive leadership training is delivered by well-established leadership and management gurus from around the world. The speakers and mentors are primarily drawn from the industry, making it a unique programme as most leadership programmes heavily draw upon academia for delivery. The programme’s scope and content are first-rate, as evidenced by the diversity of delegates in terms of their geography, professional profile and affiliation. Events like the leadership talks, interviews, workshops, and social activities allow the delegates to seek mentorships and develop relationships with these leaders, and interact with them formally and informally.
“I view the Cambridge-IFLP as on par, if not better, than Harvard Leadership Programmes. The plus point of IFLP is that it does not look at leadership from a singular point of view but rather incorporates the development of holistic [leaders] from a secular and religious dimension.” – Dr Eddy Chong, Chief Technological Officer, FAA.
“I found the Cambridge-IFLP insightful and appreciated the sincerity of the speakers. It was a great networking opportunity, and I felt that fellow delegates were supporting each other to grow. All of this in a very inspiring setting at Clare College.” – Najam Khan, Commerzbank.
