Speaker Bio
With a global focus, Saad leads a high-quality team of regulatory, policy and advocacy experts, advocating for enabling policy and regulatory frameworks to drive a sustainable, inclusive, safe, and affordable mobile money digital finance ecosystem. Saad is also an anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing expert and is passionate about consumer protection and cyber security.
Saad has over 15 years of cumulative experience, offering expertise in developing, launching, and managing new fintech products and shaping policies within the global telecom and digital finance space. He has a proven record of managing relationships with policymakers, regulators, telecom operators, financial service providers, international institutions, law enforcement agencies, think tanks, and not-for-profit organisations to spearhead digital payments and financial inclusion initiatives.
Saad currently also represents the mobile money industry in the following capacities:
Member, Consultative Group on Consumer Protection (CGAP)
Member, Advisory Board – Financial Inclusion Training for AML (RUSI)
Member, Advisory Council at Responsible Finance Forum (Centre for Financial Inclusion).
Chair, Industry Financial Crime and Fraud Prevention Working Group (GSMA)
Before joining the GSMA, Saad worked for a London-based electronic money issuer and an international operation of e& (formerly Etisalat). Saad holds an MBA with a focus on strategy and international business.