Dr. Saba has more than 13 years of progressive regulatory, research, training and teaching experience with organizations of international repute.

She has the honor to be the first Pakistani female to be part of the International Shari’ah Advisory Board in South East Asia and the Middle East. She is a member of the grand council of the Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals (CIIF), Malaysia.

She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics and Finance and Program Director of MS Islamic Banking and Finance at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi Pakistan. She is also the coordinator of Academics and Research at Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance (CEIF)-IBA. She delivers training both at local and international levels in addition to teaching, research and administrative work. She has written several articles and chapters in books on the topics of Management, corporate governance, Islamic finance, and Islamic microfinance.

She has extensive regulatory experience with a specific focus to promote Islamic banking and finance while working in the Islamic Banking Department of State Bank of Pakistan-The Central Bank. She has also contributed to the promotion and growth of the Takaful industry while working with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).
She is a Shari’ah-registered financial planner (Shari’ah RFP). She holds the Chartered Islamic Finance Professional (CIFP) credential from INCEIF with distinction and Ph.D. in Islamic Finance from INCEIF. She holds a Master in Commerce (M. Com) with distinction and PGD in Islamic Banking and Insurance from the Institute of Islamic Banking and Insurance (IIBI), London. Her areas of interest are Political Economy, Management, Shari’ah, Wealth planning and Management, Islamic microfinance, corporate governance, and Islamic finance.

Irum is an inspiration to all women who wants to pursue a career but is too reluctant to take the first step. She has proved herself by demonstrating capacity and capability in a patriarchal society through knowledge and has undertaken challenging projects in a male-dominated industry. She is proof that with a golden heart full of passion and dedication even a female in the Islamic finance industry can be a leader and a leader must assist others to grow. Many youngsters admire and respect her for the guidance she offers to them and even in social media platforms, she is active in expressing her opinions.