The main function of the university’s endowment investment team is managing the investment of UMT Endowment Fund. It is crucial for the university to properly manage donations, sponsorship and the endowment fund to provide acceptable risk/return trade-off through proper investment channels. The team is responsible for analyzing existing and/or potential Shariah-compliant financial instruments such as equities, sukuk, money market, as well as alternative securities, based on several criteria to allow for responsible investing. Investment metrics which encompasses market volatility, drawdown and value at risk, for example, are also considered. The team ensures proper diversification of investment, in particular for risky assets across different asset classes and sub-asset classes. Investment decisions are made as per UEF Investment Policy Statement, in which the team is also responsible for making amendments and update, given dynamic market conditions, and subject to the approval of the committee.

In order to achieve these goals, the investment team is lead by the UMT Fund Manager and comprises of academicians with investment and banking industry experiences, as well as several Bursar Office staffs. The following provides the list and biography of each team member.

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Dr. Safwan Mohd Nor, CFTP, RFP
PhD (Victoria), MFA (La Trobe), BA (Hons) AFS (UCLan), DiA (UiTM)
UMT Fund Manager
Phone: +609 668 4213 / 3172
Email: safwan@umt.edu.my

Dr. Safwan became the first UMT Fund Manager on 15 February 2016, and is responsible for making investment decisions, ensuring appropriate risk-return tradeoff through asset allocation policy, and reporting fund performance to stakeholders. Also holding the post of a Senior Lecturer at UMT, he teaches finance and investment courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate (MBA) levels, and supervises a number of PhD and MSc/MBA research students, both as principal and co-supervisor. Professionally, he is currently a Director (Non-Executive) and Financial Planner of a finance company licensed by Bank Negara Malaysia and Securities Commission Malaysia. Prior to joining the university, he was an Executive/Dealer with a universal broker, Kuala Lumpur City Securities (now Alliance Investment Bank), where he was involved with trading executions and investment analysis/advisory, among others. At international level, Dr. Safwan is a Research Associate at the Victoria Institute of Strategic Economic Studies (VISES)—one of the leading applied economic research groups in Australia. His expertise in finance is also recognized with his recent appointment as a speaker at the InvestSmart® and Shariah Financial Planning workshop. As well, he is presently a Certification and CPD Board Member of the Malaysian Financial Planning Council (MFPC).

Dr. Safwan brings together experiences as a practitioner, educator and researcher in the fields of finance and investment. He holds a PhD in Finance from Victoria University, Australia under the supervision of Professor Dr. Terrence Hallahan, Master of Financial Analysis (CFA Program Partner) from La Trobe University, Australia, BA (Honours) in Accounting and Financial Studies from the University of Central Lancashire, United Kingdom, and Diploma in Accountancy from UiTM, Malaysia. He is a Registered Financial Planner with the MFPC and a Certified Finance and Treasury Professional with the Finance and Treasury Association (Australia). His research interests lie in the areas of investment analysis and trading strategies, market efficiency, portfolio management, financial modelling and optimization. In addition to having his research papers presented at international conferences and seminars in several countries such as Australia, China and Romania, he has authored/co-authored articles in reputable ISI Web of Science® and Scopus indexed journals including Economic Modelling, Physica A, International Journal of Monetary Economics and Finance, and Investment Management and Financial Innovations.

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Mdm. Fauziah Mahmud, C.A.(M)
B.Acc (Hons) (UKM), DBS (UiTM)
Deputy Bursar
Phone: +609 6684382
Email: mfauziah@umt.edu.my

Before joining UMT, Mdm. Fauziah was an auditor for S.T. Toh & Co. and held this position for several years. As Deputy Bursar at the university, she is currently responsible for investment, endowment and fundraising activities. Previously, she was in charged of budget, revenue, payment, payroll, internal audit and accounts duties. She holds a Bachelor in Accounting (Honours) from the National University of Malaysia, Diploma in Business Studies from UiTM, Malaysia, and is also a Chartered Accountant (Malaysia).

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Mr. Zaharul Nizal Zabidi
M.Econs (UPM), B.Econs (Hons) (Malaya)
Lecturer
Phone: +609 6683377
Email: zaharul@umt.edu.my

With almost 10 years of professional experience in the finance industry, Mr. Zaharul has served several financial companies including Credit Guarantee Corporation Berhad as its Officer, and held positions of Senior Executive at PhileoAllied Securities and Senior Officer at Mayban Securities (now Maybank Investment Bank), before joining UMT as lecturer in the area of investment and financial economics. During his professional career, he has handled trading transactions of institutional clients, while at UMT, he currently lectures economics and finance-related courses.

Mr. Zaharul holds a Master of Economics (Financial) from Universiti Putra Malaysia and Bachelor of Economics (Honours) from the University of Malaya. His research interests are in the areas of applied economics and also technical efficiency of financial institutions.

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Dr. Nurasyikin Binti Jamaludin, RFP
PhD (Edith Cowan), MBA (Buckingham), BSc (Econs) Acc & Fin. Mgt (Buckingham)
Senior Lecturer
Phone: 09-6683217
Email: asyikin@umt.edu.my

Dr Nurasyikin started her academic life in 2003 at UMT, previously known as KUSTEM. She has been teaching accounting students, as well as MBA students. Her taught courses include Financial Management, Corporate Finance, Islamic Financial Management, and Business Accounting. Her research interest includes financial planning and literacy, where she is also a member of Malaysian Financial Planning Council (MFPC).

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Mdm. Norlinda A. Ghani, C.A.(M)
B.Acc (Hons) (UiTM), DiA (UiTM)
Senior Assistant Bursar
Phone: +609 6684193
Email: linda@umt.edu.my

Mdm. Norlinda is a Chartered Accountant (Malaysia) and holds a Bachelor in Accounting (Honours) and Diploma in Accountancy from UiTM, Malaysia. She is a Senior Assistant Bursar at the Bursar Office, and is currently involved with payroll, endowment and fundraising activities. She was previously responsible for payment, student affairs, asset management, accounts, and revenue.

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Mdm. Suriani Ibrahim
DiA (UiTM)
Assistant Accountant
Phone: +609 6685092
Email: suriani@umt.edu.my

Mdm. Suriani is an Assistant Accountant and holds a Diploma in Accountancy from UiTM, Malaysia. As an Assistant Accountant, she was responsible for procurement, student affairs and payment, and at present, involved with revenue and investment, as well as endowment and fundraising activities. Previous to her appointment at UMT, she has served Celcom (Malaysia) Berhad and University of Malaysia Pahang.

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