Irfan Bukhari's 25-year career in international development finance began at Export Development Canada (EDC) as Risk Manager, where he developed expertise in credit assessment and risk mitigation for complex international transactions.
He then joined the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC) as Director of Marketing, where he expanded trade credit insurance products across emerging markets and built strategic partnerships that enhanced trade flows across the Islamic world.
His career advanced to the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), specializing in project and infrastructure finance and rising to Director of Asia. In this role, he oversaw multi-billion dollar financing initiatives across the region's dynamic economies, structuring complex infrastructure projects spanning transportation networks, energy facilities, and telecommunications systems throughout South and Southeast Asia.
The pinnacle of his institutional career came as founding President & CEO of the Export-Import Bank of Pakistan. He built the entire national development finance institution from conception, establishing its legal framework, operational protocols, risk management systems, and strategic partnerships with international financial institutions. Under his leadership, the bank launched its inaugural financing operations and established Pakistan's enhanced capacity for export finance.
Throughout his career, Irfan has undertaken major infrastructure projects across North, Sub-Saharan, and West Africa, South East Asia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Americas, facilitating billions of dollars in cross-border transactions. Today, as a principal consultant at Global Debt Advisors, he provides strategic advisory services in trade finance, project finance, and development finance institution establishment.
Irfan Bukhari
Sadiq Raza
Sadiq Raza Muhammad's career in international finance began at Export Development Canada (EDC) as Financial Services Manager, where he developed expertise in trade finance mechanisms and export credit facilities.
He advanced to the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC) as Head of Political Risk Insurance, developing and managing comprehensive political risk insurance products for exporters, investors, and financial institutions across emerging markets. His work involved structuring complex insurance arrangements for major infrastructure projects and trade transactions in challenging market environments.
Sadiq's most significant role was his 17-year tenure at Dubai Islamic Bank as Business Head Debt Capital Markets & International Financing Solutions. He built and led one of the region's most sophisticated Islamic finance platforms, overseeing complex Sharia-compliant financing transactions. His expertise in aircraft finance became particularly renowned through numerous high-value aircraft acquisition and leasing transactions, navigating the intricate regulatory and technical requirements of this specialized sector.
His mastery of sukuk arrangements positioned him at the forefront of Islamic capital markets development, designing innovative Sharia-compliant debt instruments for corporate and sovereign issuers. He worked closely with multilateral development banks and international financial institutions, ensuring compliance with both conventional financial regulations and Islamic finance principles.
Throughout his DIB tenure, Sadiq executed cross-border financing arrangements, corporate acquisitions, and infrastructure project financings, consistently delivering optimal funding solutions across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
Today, as a principal consultant at Global Debt Advisors, Sadiq provides comprehensive advisory services spanning trade finance, sukuk arrangements, aircraft finance, and structured financing solutions for corporate and institutional clients worldwide.
