PETALING JAYA: Bank Rakyat chairman Datuk Noripah Kamso (pix) has been named the “Most Influential Woman in Islamic Business and Finance” at the WOMANi Awards 2019 organised by UK-based think tank, Cambridge IFA.
Noripah came first, from a total of 300 international recipients from 16 other countries, who are leading change, breaking barriers and creating new possibilities in the world of Islamic finance globally.
According to a press release, Cambridge IFA canvassed a wide range of market opinions and conducted extensive data mining exercise before drawing up a definitive list of the 300 most influential women in Islamic finance, assessing their influence and leadership over their company and market sector, as well as career and performance to date.
It revealed that she was selected through the assessment of her professional leadership skills, advocacy work and industry recognition.
The award also recognised her work with Malaysia International Islamic Financial Centre that helped position Malaysia as the top global Islamic finance hub.
In her professional career, she had established an Islamic finance unit in Oxford University following a stint as a fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic studies.
Noripah highlighted three areas of focus in Islamic finance namely, direct funding to Islamic economies, reducing income inequality and increasing purchasing power, and reaching the non-Muslims.
“Islamic finance is for everyone. Halal is for all,” she said.
