Phillip Thorpe qualified as a barrister and solicitor in New Zealand before moving to Hong Kong to work with the Hong Kong Securities Commission. He was  appointed the CEO of the Hong Kong Securities Exchange and then moved to the UK where he  became the CEO of the London Commodity Exchange, and later a Managing Director of the Financial Services Authority (FSA). In 2001, Mr Thorpe took up a new  role in the US as President of the Futures Industry Institute, and a year later he relocated to the UAE to  establish a new regulatory body in Dubai. It was in March 2005 when Mr Thorpe became Chairman and Chief Executive of the  QFC regulatory authority.

Niall S K Booker  joined the HSBC Group in 1981 as an International Manager. His last assignment was as Group General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, India. Prior to this, he was Chief Executive Officer, for International Private Banking, Americas. Mr. Booker has gained extensive international experience and skills in building businesses and infrastructures in various positions within the HSBC Group. Over the years, he has worked in retail banking in Brunei and the UK, syndicated loans and specialised finance in Hong Kong, banking operations in Abu Dhabi and Trade Finance and corporate banking in Japan. He became Deputy Chairman and CEO of HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd. in May 2006. Educated at Trinity College Glenalmond, Niall Booker has a Master’s degree in History and Law from Cambridge University.

Niall Coburn has been with the DFSA since March 2003 as Director of Enforcement. He is responsible for undertaking the enforcement activities on the part of the DFSA within the DIFC. Prior to joining the DFSA, Mr Coburn was a Principal Enforcement Lawyer with the Australian Securities Investments Commission (ASIC) and lectured in law part-time at a number of universities. He has conducted large-scale corporate investigations both in Australia and internationally. In 2002, Mr Coburn received an ASIC Australia Day Honour Medal for his work in corporate investigations. He has been admitted as a Barrister of the High Court of Australia and holds a Bachelor of Law and Arts and a Master of Laws from Melbourne University. Mr Coburn has had a variety of material published both nationally and internationally.

Peter is the BankingEditor of the Financial Times. He leads the FT’s coverage of global banking,with a particular focus on large financial institutions and European investmentbanking. He also leads a team of nine correspondents which specialises insubjects ranging from Private Equity to Insurance. Peter returned to London in 2004 after four years in New York. From 2000 to 2002, he was the FT’sWall Street correspondent covering mergers, acquisitions, bankruptcies andrestructurings. He also played a leading role in the paper’s coverage of the 9/11attacks and their aftermath. Previously, Peter covered media, telecoms andtechnology for the FT in London. A Dutch national, Peter was born andbrought up in the Netherlandsbefore moving to the UK to studyeconomics and politics at the University of Bristol. He has aMaster’s Degree from the London School of Economics.

Razi Fakih joined HSBCAmanah, the global Islamic financial servicesdivision of   the HSBC Group , in 1999. He wasresponsible for setting up the investment banking division of HSBC Amanah in London. In November 2000he was appointed head of  HSBC Amanah’sIslamic banking unit in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and hetook over as Acting CEO of HSBC Amanah in July 2006. Prior to joining HSBC, MrFakih was Assistant General Manager at the Islamic Investment Company of theGulf (Bahrain) E.C. in Bahrain. Previously, he worked at PriceWaterhouse in India and Bahrain,and at KPMG Peat Marwick in Dubai,with a specific focus on the banking sector. Mr Fakih is an Associate of theInstitute of Chartered Accountants of India and holds a Bachelor of Commercedegree from Bombay University. He hascompleted the Strategic Management and Banking Programme at INSEAD.