Rehan Akbar is an Associate Managing Director in Moody’s EMEA Corporate Finance Group, based in Dubai. He currently manages the corporate team responsible for rating coverage of companies in the Middle East, Africa, Turkiye, and the CIS region. Prior to joining Moody’s in 2011, Rehan worked as a credit analyst at Mashreq Capital, focusing on emerging market corporates. He began his career as a software engineer and technology consultant.

Rehan holds a Master’s degree in Management Sciences and Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Lahore University of Management Sciences. He is also a CFA charterholder.

Nitish Bhojnagarwala is an Associate Managing Director with Moody’s Financial Institutions Group. Based in Dubai, Nitish covers a portfolio of large conventional as well as Islamic financial institutions in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.

Nitish joined Moody’s in 2011, and has led sukuk roundtables and conducted workshops on Banking and Islamic finance at various conferences in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Nitish has also authored several research pieces, with a focus on regional banking, credit issues and issuer-in-depths for conventional as well as Islamic banks.

Prior to joining Moody’s, Nitish spent five years at Tamweel in the Treasury function. He has also worked for KPMG in the UAE, where he covered financial institutions. Nitish holds an MBA from S P Jain Institute of Management & Research, with a major in Finance (Investment Banking).

Aurélien Mali is currently Vice President Senior Credit Officer. He acts as the firm’s expert in Africa. His position is a combined lead analyst and analytical outreach/credit ambassador role. As a member of the Sovereign Risk Group since August 2002, he was involved in Moody’s sovereign ratings in Europe and the Middle East at the beginning of his career. Over the last 8 years, he has been at the forefront of Moody’s growing footprint in Africa. He has been sovereign lead or backup analyst for almost all sovereign issuers and multilateral development banks we rate in Africa. Aurelien was relocated to our Dubai office early 2013 from our London office. Aurelien manages a research programme that supports the development of Moody’s reputation for analytical insight and excellence. He also assumes a greater role in participating in regular Moody’s and third-party conferences on the continent, Africa-related investor briefings, and undertaking analytical outreach to inform and explain Moody’s credit judgments. Aurelien also supports other Moody’s franchises using his unique experience and visibility across multiple sectors and asset classes in the region. Finally, he remains the lead/backup sovereign analyst for few countries including Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and South Africa. Aurélien holds a BSc in Economics and a postgraduate degree (DEA) in Money, Finance and Banking from the Panthéon-Sorbonne University in Paris.

Badis Shubailat is a Senior Analyst with Moody’s Financial Institutions Group. Based in Dubai, Badis covers a portfolio of large conventional as well as Islamic banks in the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Morocco. He is the lead analyst responsible for the Bahraini and Tunisian banking systems and also covered in the past financial institutions in Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey. Since joining Moody’s in March 2014, Badis has authored research publications focusing on GCC and North African credits as well as Islamic Banking. Badis holds a Bachelor in Business Administration from John Cabot University (Rome, Italy) and an MSc in Finance from EADA Business School (Barcelona, Spain). Badis speaks English, French, Arabic and Italian.

Lisa Jaeger is a Vice President – Senior Analyst in Moody’s Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. She is responsible for a diversified portfolio of issuers across the Middle East, Turkey and South Africa, including Investment Holding Companies and Conglomerates, Telecoms and Diversified Industrials. Lisa joined Moody’s in 2020 after spending 5 years at Goldman Sachs in London, where she was an Executive Director and senior credit risk manager, covering leveraged lending to corporates as well as real estate and structured finance lending and investing transactions. Prior to that, Lisa spent 6 years at J.P. Morgan in London, where she started her career with the bank’s credit risk graduate program in 2009, covering a wide range of different clients and products, including financial institutions, private equity sponsors and diversified investment grade and non-investment grade corporates. During her time at J.P. Morgan, she also spent one year in the leveraged finance origination team. Lisa holds a Master’s degree in Finance and Strategy from Sciences Po Paris. She speaks fluent English, German and French and is learning Arabic.

Mohammed Ali Londe is an Vice President – Senior Analyst within Moody’s Insurance Group, based in Dubai. He is responsible for Moody’s insurance ratings in the Middle East. Prior to joining Moody’s in 2013, Mohammed worked in the Planning and Performance Management department of Zurich International Middle East. Mohammed’s past experience also includes working with Chartis Middle East (AIG) and as an auditor, within the insurance department of Deloitte Bermuda where along with performing numerous insurance and reinsurance audits, he was seconded to work with Endurance Specialty Insurance Ltd.Mohammed Ali holds a BSc from Oxford Brookes University, UK.

Francesca joined the Financial Institutions Group (FIG) of Moody’s Ratings in December 2014 and has broad experience in covering a wide range of banks and other financial institutions in terms of business and ownership profile. She is currently the lead analyst for banks in United Arab Emirates, Oman and some in Turkey.

Previously she worked in a private wealth management in New York and as an intern at Monte Dei Paschi di Siena in Milan. Francesca holds an MSc in Finance from Bocconi University - Milan and Bsc in Economics and Finance from University of Bologna.

Paul Feghaly is an Analyst in Moody’s EMEA Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. He covers a diversified portfolio, including but not limited to regulated utilities, telecom and real estate companies situated in the Middle East.He joined Moody’s Dubai office in 2018, and previously worked as a senior associate in PwC’s Capital Markets Advisory team for two years, covering IPO and debt transactions in the MENA region. Before that, he has spent around 5 years working in different regional audit and tax functions with both Deloitte and BDO International.Paul holds an associate degree in Audit and Accounting, has passed the US certified public accountant (CPA) examination, and completed the executive CORe program at Harvard Business School Online

Iker is an Analyst in the Moody’s EMEA Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. He covers a diversified industry portfolio, with exposure in Turkey, Africa, and the Middle East.

He joined Moody’s Dubai office in 2022, and previously worked as an associate analyst in the Moody’s London office covering the leveraged finance industry with exposure to Business and Consumer Services, Healthcare, Airlines and Aerospace & Defense. Before that, he spent 2 years working in the consulting industry in Spain.

Iker holds a Masters Degree in Investment Management from Henley Business School. He also holds a BSc in Business Management from the University of Deusto and is a CFA charterholder since 2018.