David Testa Email & Phone Number

London, United Kingdom

Board director, reporting directly to MD Stella Cox to further develop DDCAP's leading profile in Islamic finance and structured solutions

Uk

For the consultancy, I worked on several stand-alone projects, as well as a nine-month period with Standard Bank Plc in London (an initial three-month contract starting in March 2010 was extended to November 2010). My work at Standard Bank initially focused on assisting the Global Head of Securitization on a wide range of transactions in the GCC region, including Sukuk issues and raising finance for financial institutions. From July 2010, the consultancy remit was broadened to acting head of Islamic finance in Investment Banking, with a geographic focus on Africa. This included structuring a wide variety of debt and hedging products for Investment Banking, Global Markets and Trade Finance, as well as working with the bank’s Shariah-compliant retail operations in South Africa, Nigeria and Tanzania. Other projects included a land security fund in South America; fund raising for a leasing vehicle in the UK; raising finance for a Belgian diamond trading company by means of a Sukuk Private Placement in the GCC; establishing an inventory financing programme; and advising a European corporate looking to raise up to US$300m in the Islamic capital markets.

London, United Kingdom

London Paramount is building a global destination entertainment resort in Kent, with a licence from Paramount Studios in Hollywood as well as agreements with the BBC and Aardman Studios in the UK. The resort aims to bring together the 'Best of Hollywood' with the 'Best of British' films and TV shows to create a unique, world-class global resort in a location just 17 minutes from Central London by high-speed rail link

London, United Kingdom

Armila Capital is a Kuwaiti-owned advisory boutique based in London focusing on commercial property and other Shariah-compliant investment opportunities in the UK.

London, United Kingdom

Founding director and shareholder. Resigned directorship on successful capital raise in December 2015, remaining as a shareholder

I was CEO of Gatehouse Bank plc from 1 July 2007 to 31 August 2009, leaving on amicable terms with both the Board of Directors and the bank's sole shareholder, The Securities House. My departure was due to redundancy as a result of the merger of two of The Securities House's businesses in the UK, namely Gatehouse and GSH (UK).I was the first employee in the bank and led the team responsible for obtaining Gatehouse’s banking licence from the FSA as a wholly Shariah-compliant wholesale investment bank. I was also responsible for formulating the bank's strategy and recruiting a team of over 40 world-class bankers and other Islamic finance experts in order to implement that strategy and establish the bank’s profile and reputation.I successfully put in place market-leading teams in the following key business areas:• Capital Markets: core focus on Sukuk issues and syndicated financings• Institutional Wealth Management: core focus on funds, structured product and corporate advisory• Real estate: successful recruitment of a market-leading team focusing on the UK• Placement: I successfully recruited one of the Islamic finance sector’s most experienced and successful sales teams, blending capital markets and wealth management sales expertise• Shariah Advisory: a unique feature of Gatehouse’s business profile, with an internationally recognized Shariah scholar working for the bank on a full-time basis (Mufti Muhammad Shikder). This placed Shariah at the very heart of the bank’s business and operations, particularly as Mufti Muahmmad was during my time also a member of OpCo and ExCo.

Started at West Merchant Bank and focused on emerging markets capital markets origination, particularly in Turkey and the GCC. From 2004 onwards, my focus was increasingly - and from 2005 onwards exclusively - on Islamic finance. In January 2006, I formally became Head of the Islamic finance unit within WestLB’s Asset Securitisation team reporting directly to the Global Co-Head of ABS (David McCaig). The Islamic team was responsible for the global origination and structuring of Islamic transactions, with the majority of deals to date coming from the GCC and Turkey. Activities also cover the USA and Europe, with the crucial breakthrough transaction being the £225m Aston Martin leveraged buy-out in the UK. The business focus was on debt transactions, with over a dozen Islamic finance mandates having been won by myself and the team from the beginning of 2005 to the end of June 2007, arranging and underwriting over US$5bn of Sharia compliant debt. This includes five Sukuk issues, including the innovative US$600m Sukuk al Ijara for Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Development Company, the first offshore Sukuk out of Saudi Arabia

Member of the Banking Department, specialising in capital markets, LBOs and derivatives

Worked in London in the corporate and banking departments; I was stationed in Tokyo from November 1992 to March 1994, specialising in corporate bond issues and project finance

Modern History, Modern History

Attended Mansfield College

Education record

Education record