About Us

Professor Talal Yassine AM

Chairman

Representing Corporate Member Salaam, Talal Yassine is an experienced business leader, entrepreneur and academic. In an executive capacity and for over two decades, Talal has straddled the worlds of business, finance and law.

Currently, Talal serves as Managing Director, Non-Executive Director, Media Diversity Australia and as a Member of the Western Sydney University Foundation Council Board. Talal also serves as Chairman of First Quay Capital and LandCorp Australia.

Previously, Talal has served on the Board of Australia Post, Sydney Ports, Macquarie University and the Western Sydney Area Health Service and is the Chairman of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Council of Australia Arab Relations.

Talal spent 10 years at PwC as a director and strategist and at investment firm Babcock & Brown in the Corporate Finance Group and later in the Technical Real Estate Division. Later Talal held leadership positions in Better Place Australia, Platinum Hearing and Star Transport Australia.

Talal holds a Master of Laws and a Master of Business Administration focused on international business strategy. In November 2012, Talal was appointed Vice Chancellor’s Professorial Fellow within the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University. In 2014 was appointed Adjunct Professor at the School of Business, Western Sydney University.

On Australia Day 2010, Talal was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for serving business and the community through various education, health and multicultural organisations.

Mr Walid Ayad

Secretary

Representing Corporate Member Ijarah Finance, Walid (Wally) Ayad has been involved in the Mortgage & Finance industry since 2000 after he graduated from the University of Sydney. Since that time, Wally has written over $2.5 billion in finance applications involving Residential, Commercial, Construction, and Asset finance facilities. He often says, “There are very few transaction types I have not worked on over the years.”

Wally has completed various courses and training programs within the conventional and Islamic Finance industries. Additionally, he has completed an RG146 giving him a Diploma in Financial Planning. He currently has accreditations with more than 50 different funders and financiers and undergoes monthly training in compliance and product research. Wally is a registered Credit Advisor with the MFAA and holds an Australian Credit License (ACL) with ASIC.

Wally is very well known in Australia’s Finance Industry and has been ranked as the top 100 brokers by Macquarie Bank and Mortgage Professionals Australia. He has direct access to many funders’ product development and underwriting teams.

Wally is very passionate about giving back to the community and has helped establish AusRelief, a large Not for Profit Australian charity.

Mr Nashat Qadan

Treasurer

Representing Corporate Member ICFAL, Nashat and is an accomplished and results oriented manager with a rich mix of product development, relationship building, operational and strategic development. He delivers fresh perspectives and clear assessments, with a diverse background in Integration management, transformation projects, realignment of organisations through the TOM approach and strategic modelling. Coupled with excellent interpersonal abilities, influencing power and the ability to work independently or manage a team, Nashat is well placed to oversee and manage any enterprise change.

Nashat is well regarded in managing stakeholders across multiple levels and delivering numerous streams on schedule and under budget. Nashat runs a tight ship ensuring successful delivery of business goals.

Mr Dean Gillespie

Dean is the CEO of Islamic Money Australia.

Dean has previously been in charge of home loan distribution at Commonwealth Bank, and head of mortgages at Bankwest where he doubled the business’ size within three years. He also ran the retail bank at CBA’s Vietnam International Bank in Hanoi across 160 branches nationwide, where he built the bank’s first mobile banking app.

Dean has passionately advocated for Muslims across Australia, including writing to all of Australia’s state and territory premiers calling for stamp duty reform.  Off the back of these letters, some changes or consideration for changes are being made in various jurisdictions.

Dean has a history of founding startups, including SparkleVote, an innovative online election company. Outside of work, Dean is Chair of Lucy Air Ambulance for Children and is a former Councillor on Hurstville City Council.

Dean oversees Islamic Money Australia largely exploring retail Islamic finance products.