building such an ethos, we should always have in mind the basic or fundamental islamic ethics that are also shared across many religions and societies. such prescriptions lay out the fundamental basis of decency and behaviour. we cannot steal, cheat, lie, and act dishonourably. principles that essentially guide us to be decent and in fact socially acceptable and responsible members of society. a natural component of this is ‘ amanah ’ or trust. as professionals, we should act as it is entrusted upon us, protecting the interests that we serve ; our customers, shareholders, institutions, and sometimes this comes at personal expense. trust is often called a valuable commodity. indeed, it is even larger than that. trust is a foundation or pillar of many relationships, including that of business and finance. with trust, we can have complex and farflung relationships and conduct such transactions in full confidence that these would be honoured and all liabilities or debts will be met. without such trust, we need legal contracts and enforcement. we need money that provides finality to a transaction so parties can walk away afterwards. unsurprisingly, money and even barter are mechanisms that allow us to do away with the need to trust. though this can be expedient, it is not without a loss. what could have been an ongoing mutually beneficial business relationship is instead a series of individual and potentially costly transactions. which is better? in a world without trust, we need the mechanisms to cope. in islamic finance, with ethics as its core, such trust can be nurtured and sustained. we can thus rely less on the coping mechanisms which would merely serve as safeguards while focusing more on the business and activities that generate productive and impactful outcomes. acting ethically should also involve embracing professionalism. having qualified islamic finance professionals will be a key differentiator. professional credentials can be instrumental in strengthening the trust between financiers and customers. these qualities will anchor businesses and financial institutions towards sound and fair practices even in an environment that is rapidly changing and uncertain. in addition, continuing professional development, or cpd, will be crucial to ensure talents keep their knowledge and skills fresh, enabling them to respond to changing circumstances with agility and precision. i believe this will culminate in islamic finance leadership that is premised on ethics and professionalism. islamic finance can then truly fulfil its key role in elevating the well - being of humankind, and not just for achieving

the different shariah interpretations is an important component in seeking a solution for the benefits and welfare of the ummah. in this respect, the guiding philosophy of the sac has always been to formulate a collective ijtihad or shariah rulings that are comprehensive, inclusive and pragmatic, without sacrificing the sacred objectives of shariah. bis central bankers ’ speeches i very much believe in the importance of embracing diversity in shariah interpretations within the academic community. students who are exposed to the teachings of all schools of thought from the very beginning would get to appreciate the intellectual differences and value the flexibility arising from differing opinions. this provides an opportunity to open and sharpen their minds and widen their thinking by exploring issues from multidimensional perspectives. through this way, the talent that we nurture and produce would not only be equipped with shariah know - hows, but also with intellectual courage that can articulate contemporary shariah issues in the context of domestic customs and business environment. i would like to expand my thoughts on the two additional areas that, if pursued could further enhance stakeholder gains from the educator ’ s manual : • first, is the reconfiguration of academic programmes to nurture talent with enhanced employability ; and • second, strategising talent deployment to reduce time to competency. reconfiguration of academic programmes continuous enhancements of curriculums in universities are critical to increase the employability factor of our students. these include reconfiguration of the academic programmes at universities and enhancements to the learning tools and methods of teaching. this adds to the traditional pedagogy to ensure its dynamism through evolving times, while providing the right learning environment that can challenge the minds and sharpen the skills and experience of our students. one such addition is experiential learning. the adoption of experiential learning opens the window of opportunity for students to go beyond theory - based teaching. examples include industry - wide internship, real life problem solving assignments and apprenticeship programmes for students. these methods create greater connection between classroom learning with the real world. i believe this form of experiential learning is a strong stimulant to knowledge acquisition that encourages students to develop their skills while experiencing responsible decision making in real - time. experience in real life situations differentiates experiential learning from cognitive and behavioural learning. this provides the students with a competitive edge and increases the