Prof Datuk Dr. Syed Othman Al-Habshi
Prof Datuk Dr Syed Othman Al-Habshi, was the Deputy President (Academic), at the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF), until July 2017. INCEIF is a university dedicated to post-graduate studies in Islamic Finance He joined INCEIF in March 2007.
Prof Datuk Othman has served in various academic capacities in five universities in the country. The universities are University of Malaya, University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and Universiti Utara Malaysia. He was the Founding President and CEO of University Tun Abdul Razak. His international appointments include: member of the Board of Trustees, International Institute of Islamic Banking and Economics, Cyprus; member of the International Advisory Board, International Institute of Islamic Economics, Islamabad; and a member of the First Executive Committee of the International Association of Islamic Economics, London.
He served The Islamic Economic Development Foundation, Malaysia (YPEIM) for ten years, first as Deputy Chairman and later as Chairman of its Board of Trustees. Prof Datuk Othman is a member of the Board for Takaful Nasional Sdn Bhd; Shariah Advisor, Singapore Unit Trusts Global Ethical Fund; and Chairman, Shariah Supervisory council for Labuan Reinsurance (L) Ltd, amongst others. His previous affiliations included as Member of the Islamic Consultative Body, Prime Minister’s Department and Member, Board of Trustees and Management Committee of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia which is an NGO that deals with micro-credit serving more than 70,000 hard-core poor families in Malaysia.
Prof Datuk Othman was involved in a number of Committees at the state level in Malacca such as the Majlis Agama Islam Melaka, Board of Kolej Islam Melaka, Board of Insitute of Management Melaka. He has sat on the Islamic Advisory Board (Badan Perunding Islam) which advises the PM on all Islamic matters, and was the body that looks into the establishment fo the first takaful company, etc. He is currently sit on the Boards of Universiti Kuala Lumpur; Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia; Prima Prai Sdn Berhad (a Property development company) (Chairman); Epen Bina Sdn Berhad and B.U. Developments Sdn Bhd.
Prof Datuk Othman holds B.Ec (Hons) in Statistics from University of Malaya, M.S. (Statistics) from University of Wisconsin, U.S.A. and Ph.D. in Econometrics from University of Birmingham, U.K. He has written 6 books and over 200 chapters of books and journal articles on numerous academic and other topical issues, especially Islamic Finance.