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Zarif Ludin
Muhammad Zarif Ludin

Head of Institutional Partnerships

Zarif Ludin is the Head of Institutional Partnership at ACCA and leads and develops strategic partnerships with regional and global accountancy organizations, donors and development agencies, and represents ACCA in external forums and consistently promotes ACCA’s global contribution to public value. Zarif Ludin serves ACCA’s Category “A” observer at the IFAC board and PAODAG as a Technical Assistant and is a member of the Ethics working group at CAPA.  

Zarif Ludin was the Chief Executive of CPA Afghanistan at the Ministry of Finance, Afghanistan, since June 2013, being responsible for the enactment of accountancy law, the establishment of the executive office, board and related technical committees and the capacity building of accountants and auditors. Zarif Ludin focused on quality education, well-defined regulations and CPA Afghanistan’s recognition on national, regional and international platforms. He played a significant role in obtaining South Asia Federation of Accountants (SAFA) and Confederation of Asia and Pacific Accountants (CAPA) associate memberships for CPA Afghanistan. He initiated the idea of Strategic Partnership and revenue sharing for CPA Afghanistan jointly with ACCA.

In addition, he has experience of more than 12 years of working with different Organizations like USAID and US embassy-funded programs, Financial Institutions and Banks, NGOs and Universities as a Finance Manager, Program Coordinator and part-time Lecturer. Zarif holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from the Graduate Institute of Geneva.

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Malek Sarieddine standing in a suit with crossed arms
Malek Sarieddine

Regional Head of Partnerships

In his role as Regional Head of Partnerships for ACCA Middle East, Malek Sarieddine is responsible for leading the organisation’s public sector strategy in the region, working closely with both public and private sectors to lobby governments and associations.

ACCA is the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and upholds a mission to promote accountancy as a cornerstone profession, developing individuals from diverse backgrounds to grow and flourish their careers as ACCA-certified professionals.

With a dynamic career spanning more than 19 years, 15 of which have been within the education space, between academic and professional institutions. Malek’s professional mandate is to create awareness and strengthen the profile of ACCA in the region. Reporting directly to the head of ACCA Middle East, he is responsible for facilitating dialogue on key industry issues with government entities and educational institutions.

A skilled and strategic manager, Malek supports government entities and national accountancy bodies across the Middle East with upskilling nationals in the area of accounting, finance and ethics at the same time developing and shaping the accounting profession in line with regional nationalization agendas.

Through Malek’s collaboration with governments, employers and the international donor community such as the World Bank Group and USAID, he works on a broad range of capacity-building projects to strengthen accountancy skills and infrastructure to ensure accountants across the Middle East are working to the same high international standards.

Alongside this, Malek’s proven ability to identify, nurture and develop key relationships and partnerships is reflected in his reputation as a trusted and highly sought-after expert. Committed to raising the standards of accountancy in both private and public sectors, he is committed to ACCA’s mandate to support professional development through promoting its educational and professional learning programmes and certificates that shape and develop the next generation of accounting and finance professionals.

As Head of Partnerships for ACCA in the Middle East, Malek is responsible for leading business development and public sector agenda in 11 countries, engaging and supporting ACCA stakeholders; more than 20,000 students, affiliates and members across the region, who work in all sectors and all levels of business across the Middle East.

Managing and building strategic relationships with regulators, policy makers, business leaders, partners and the ACCA Middle East stakeholder network to influence debate and conversation around key issues that impact the ongoing economic development of the region. Alongside linking up the challenges within the accounting world in the Middle East and shining a light on global topics such as sustainability, the audit regulatory environment, digital innovation with the profession.

ACCA believes that accountancy is a cornerstone profession of society that supports both public and private sectors. That’s why we’re committed to the development of a strong global accountancy profession and the many benefits that this brings to society and individuals and why Malek acts as a conversation starter raising awareness around the integral role that accountants and finance professionals play to businesses and economies particularly within the Middle East using adoption of IFRS, VAT, public sector moving from cash to accrual-based accounting, business sustainability during this current pandemic as validation, given the professions lead on this areas.

Malek works closely with many educational and academic institutions and across the region to encourage new generations to not only understand the importance of the almost pandemic proof profession, but the significant role a professionally qualified accountant plays in building economies, thus encouraging the next generation to consider and undertake a career in accountancy and finance, whilst raising the importance of the financial literacy agenda being embedded at an early age.

Malek ensures that through his role in the Middle East, ACCA is seen as a force for public good and remains true to its core values of building a sustainable global profession by re-investing surplus to deliver member value by leveraging our research and professional insights continue to answer today’s questions that prepares us for tomorrow, actively encourages continued professional development and continues to shape and develop the accounting and finance profession for the next generation.

Experienced in consultancy, strategic partnership management and market development, Malek draws on an extensive and established network across the Middle East and has worked with prestigious regional and international entities including ICDL Arabia, Direct English, Mediaglass Middle East, ICDL GCC Foundation and Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University.

His roles prior to ACCA included key positions with Dubai Government’s E-Learning Academic Institution, as well as the European Computer Driving License (ECDL) the official international awarding and accreditation body for computer literacy in the Middle East.
Malek holds a BSc in Management Information Systems from the American University of Science and Technology in Beirut and live in Dubai with his wife and daughters.

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Ahmed Abdul Rahman wearing a suit and standing in front of a sign at a conference smiling at the camera
Ahmed Abdul Rahman

General Manager

Ahmed Abdul Rahman, the General Manager of the Oman Association of Chartered Public Accountants (OACPA) since April 2021. He plays a crucial role in overseeing the Association operations and ensuring compliance with  standards and regulations.

His responsibilities  include coordinating professional development programs, and fostering collaboration among members of the association, being one of the team  for the enactment  national occupational standers of accountancy & Auditing in Oman,  Ahmed focused on quality education, well-defined regulations. He played a significant role in OACPA to try to get IFAC membership.  He played a significant role sign Strategic Partnership  with ACCA.

In addition, he has experience of more than 5 years of working with international Financial Services in Oman As technical analyst for stock market

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Dana Jensen
Dana Jensen

Head of Engagement for MENA & the Caribbean, IFAC

Dana Jensen is the Head of Engagement for MENA & the Caribbean at the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), where she works closely with professional accountancy organizations (PAOs), regulators, and development partners to advance adoption of international standards, strengthen governance, and support sustainable growth of the profession.

She also leads IFAC’s PAO Development & Advisory Group, which provides global thought leadership on strategic planning, value proposition, and good governance for PAOs worldwide.

Trilingual in Arabic, French, and English, Dana brings a global perspective shaped by her earlier work with the United Nations Department for Peacekeeping Operations. She holds an MSc from Columbia University and a Diploma in Islamic Finance from CIMA, and has contributed to IFAC’s initiatives on Islamic finance, sustainability, and the ethical implications of emerging technologies such as AI.

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