Our Partners

Founder and Group Managing Partner of Crowe MAK, Dr. Maniar is a Doctoral Scholar from the Washington International University, USA, member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants of the United Kingdom, highly respected speaker on professional and human-interest subjects at local and international seminars, and member of the "International Who's Who of Professionals in the U.S.A". Armed with an unusual commitment to diligence and service, he is a visionary leader with the ability to develop and implement business solutions including turn around strategies. He is an expert in structuring group companies with an end view of successful succession, gaining maximum control, minimizing taxation and improving over-all efficiency.

Zayd is Crowe’s UAE Managing Partner and has been a member of Crowe’s UAE Management Team for over 15 years. As Managing Partner his duties include executive responsibility for the firm’s strategy, overseeing its membership affairs at Crowe Global and managing expectations of stakeholders and regulators. 

Zayd has been with the firm for nearly 20 years. As an Active Audit Partner, Zayd advises sovereign investors, and large corporate clients on audit related matters as well as, international transactions.

Zayd completed his A Levels in 1998 from the City of London Freemen’s School and graduated in 2001 with Honours in Economics from the University of Reading. He completed his training at Shipleys LLP in 2004 and is a Fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Saad is an expert on matters relating to IFRS, particularly interpretation, disclosures and practical applications. Besides this, he guides the governance, risk and compliance practice for Crowe in the Middle East and also serves as the Quality Assurance Director for our firms in the UAE and Oman.
Saad has served as a Member of the International Assembly of ACCA in 2010/11. Currently serving as Chairman of ACCA Members Advisory Committee in the UAE, he believes his diverse experience and expertise will allow him to make valuable contributions in providing exceptional services to our clients and allow the clients to focus on their core business to further strengthen their stronghold.

A Chartered Accountant from India and UK (England and Wales) Pro-active and result oriented senior finance professional with over 20 years of successful expertise in Audit and Assurance services, Internal controls, accounting review, leading financial, internal and management audits of Multinational and leading local clients from Trading / Services / Manufacturing / Hospitality Industry including Private Joint Stock Company and Public Joint stock company. Associate Member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). The approved Auditor by Ministry of Economy – United Arab Emirates. An Associate member of the Accountants and Auditors Association (UAECA). Currently holds Honorary Director of UAE Chapter of The Institute of Directors- India. Elected Chairman of Dubai Chapter of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India for the term 2015-16. Served prestigious position of 1st elected President of Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC - Dubai). 

Robert adds value from his vast and established career in Financial Services, Banking and Investments that covers over 20 years experience in the Middle East. He has an in-depth knowledge of start-up operations; having personally been involved in four start-up operations in Europe, Middle East and the UK. His expertise in the field of Executive Search covers; Mid to C level hires in Finance, Retail, FMCG, Pharmaceutical, Medical and Hospitality sector. In 1998 he received the prestigious “Freedom of the City of London” in recognition for his work as a facilitator to new business opportunities for the investment industry.

Binit Shah has 28+ years of experience in the IT management, provide services as a functional consultant and assuring smooth running of system. He is providing solution to retail, Trading, Manufacturing, Hospitality , Health care, contracting and construction industries. His skill of gap analysis in the software help client to identify and improve efficiency for their organization. After joining the Crowe, Mr. Binit has establish Outsourcing division which help client to mange there back office by their staff on site or off site. His team assist their client to manage records in the system and prepare monthly management report by his qualified team.
Bint’s team are maintaining and managing client VAT record in the software and assuring client by providing TAX Agent services. Software is design under his supervision to manage VAT compliances. They are also review and advise client to manage VAT record in their software system to generate appropriate VAT report.
His key area to assist client Outsourcing, Information Technology, VAT , Asset Audit

Frances is Certified Public Accountant from Philippines having over nine solid years of experience in accounting, audit, compliance and other assurance engagements in Crowe UAE and one of the Big 4 Firms in Phlippines. She is a member of Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She specialized in engagement of regulated entities such as the non-bank financial institutions, real estate developers for escrow audit and audit of owners association and insurance companies reporting to various regulatory authorities in U.A.E.

A member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, UK and a BBA from University of Central Oklahoma, USA. He has managed and executed numerous engagements on performance appraisal for Board of Directors for publicly listed entities ranging from construction, cement, FMCG to finance industries. Has conducted training on the Code of Corporate Governance and legislation regulating Public Joint Stock Companies.

Currently represents the Middle East region on Crowe’s Global Marketing Strategy Committee. Previously held committee member position in Crowe Global Digital Governance Council and EMEA Brand Committee.

 

Umesh Narayanappa carries over 15 years of professional experience in Auditing and Assurances Services. He is a Commerce Graduate and Chartered Accountant from India. He has led various kinds of assurance engagements on large public and private companies. Before joining Crowe, Umesh was working in one of the Big Four Audit firm for close to 10 years in India and held several managerial role during the tenure.
He has rich experience in providing assurance services to diverse portfolio of multinational, listed companies in accordance with various GAAP including IFRS and USGAAP. He specializes in International Auditing standards (ISA) and passionate about bringing Quality in the engagements. At Crowe UAE, Umesh manages the assurances services of Abu Dhabi region, where he is responsible for client delivery and managing the client relationships.

Dawn Thomas is a highly experienced strategic consultant with over 20 years of experience. He is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist and a Certified Governance Risk and Compliance Specialist. He has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science Engineering. He has a strong background in Governance Risk Consulting and Regulatory Advisory and has helped clients successfully meet regulatory compliance requirements.

Before joining Crowe, he held positions at a prestigious technology company in India and a consulting firm in the United Arab Emirates. He has a wealth of experience working with clients in the BFSI and DNFBP sectors and is currently offering his expertise in the areas of AML/CFT compliance, risk management, and governance. He is dedicated to helping clients navigate the complex regulatory environment and achieve their compliance and risk management goals. His in-depth knowledge of the latest regulations and industry best practices and his ability to implement and advise customers to have contributed to the client's success in meeting regulatory compliance requirements. He is committed to providing expert guidance and personalized solutions to help clients stay compliant and minimize risk.

 

 

 

 

Basil Naser is Certified Public Accountant from US since 2014 and approved Tax Agent by FTA in UAE. having a solid experience in accounting, audit, compliance and assurance engagements. He is specialized in engagement with listed entities, Family business and governmental entities.

Prior joining Crowe, Basil worked for one of the big-4 in Dubai and he is a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

Ian has more than 20 years of experience of conducting audits in the UK, Russia, the Netherlands and the UAE. Over the course of his career, before joining Crowe, he has worked with 2 of the Big4 networks.  He has led and managed audits of companies of varying sizes from SMEs and small start-ups to multi-national entities across a wide range of industries including Technology, Media, Telecoms, Hospitality, Industrial, Infrastructure and Consumer and Retail. Ian builds value through a robust and added value audit approach and through developing strong and long lasting relationships.

Ian has been a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) since 2006.  From 2022, Ian is also a registered auditor with the Ministry of Economy of the UAE and Ian holds a fellowship with the Emirates Association for Accountants and Auditors.  In addition to English, his native language, Ian is also a proficient Russian speaker. 

Ian is currently responsible for a diverse portfolio of clients across the UAE based out of the Abu Dhabi and Dubai offices.

Dr. Ahmad Altarawneh is a top performing and award-winning Executive Transformation Consultant, Winner of “Digital Transformation Leader of the Year” with impressive background in pioneering transformation projects, including PMO to VMO transformation to achieve Future Readiness, digital dexterity, elevate organizational quality, enhance customer happiness, and drive employee satisfaction. Real-time decision maker, capitalizing on business knowledge to navigate $multimillion projects and align change management strategy with organizations benefits to be realized, interests and broader market needs. Fluent in English and Arabic, communicating effectively across globally distributed and Cross-Functional Teams. Passionate about Metaverse, Digital Twins, Conversational ai, data analytics, process automation, future forecasting, artificial intelligence, smart cities, mobility, environment and blockchain and lately The use of Chatgpt in Governments Strategy & Operations. Certified Metaverse Expert, LSSBB, Scaled Agilist (SA), POPM, PRINCE 2 Practitioner, 7 Star Program Lead Auditor, EFQM (Assessor & Validator) & (23 other Professional Certificates).

Markus Susilo is a Partner with Crowe UAE and has over 17 years of professional experience in the financial services industry in the UAE, other GCC countries and Western Europe. He has supported numerous SMEs and multinational companies to establish, restructure and manage the financial and legal compliance of their presence locally. Such compliance includes International Mobility & Immigration Services, Payroll Administration, Accounting & Indirect Taxes, and Corporate Secretarial Services. He has coordinated multi-jurisdiction tax compliance and tax structuring projects. He is responsible for the consulting office in DMCC and VAT Service Leader with Crowe.  He is a trusted tax and business advisor of the Commercial Section of the Austrian Embassy in the UAE.

With over 16 years work experience in industry and profession, Mr. Khalid Mehmood is a Qualified Chartered Accountant from Ernst & Young. He is an MBA from ZSABIST, a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) from USA, a Certified Islamic Professional Accountant (CIPA) from AAOIFI and a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) from Australia. His areas of interest include audit assurance, financial institutions, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), business advisory and fraud investigations.

Michel is an experienced tax advisor in the field of indirect taxation based in Dubai, UAE. He holds an LLM in Tax Law of the VU University Amsterdam and is a member of the Dutch association of Tax Advisors. Before working in the UAE, Michel has worked as tax advisor for one of the big-4 firms in the Netherlands, for a large FMCG company and for the Crowe Member firm in the Netherlands. Michel has gained experience on due diligence projects, implementation projects, compliance projects and a wide range of advisory projects with regards to taxes.

Das has 35+ years’ of diversified experience in Legal, Regulatory Compliance, Corporate Governance and Risk Management. Prior to joining Crowe, he was the Director and Head Legal at a NYSE-listed global pharmaceutical organization. He has competently handled a wide variety of agreements, litigations, international M&As, joint ventures, partnerships, profit-sharing, acquisition and disposal of assets in Africa, USA, Europe, South America, India and Middle East. He has authored a book “Effective Compliance” aimed at adding business value to organisations by building compliance culture, operational decision making and strategic planning post-financial crisis scenario. He has drafted regulatory business plans, compliance manuals, AML/CFT procedures, risk management policies and compliance monitoring programmes.
Das is a graduate in Law with Post-graduate Diploma in Patents Law, and Diploma in International Compliance from ICA & University of Manchester Business School. He is a Professional Member of International Compliance Association, UK.  
Das provides regulatory compliance, AML/CFT, risk management and governance services to banks & other financial services, insurance and precious metals industry.

Seasoned management professional employing creative and innovative techniques in solving complex problems. With 14+ years of experience, Nadeem is currently applying his expertise as a Partner for Fraud & Forensic Services & as the MLRO (Money Laundering Reporting Officer) at Crowe Mak. Nadeem has 14+ years of experience in the fields of AML/CFT, Fraud Risk Consulting & Advisory and his proven ability in implementing & advising clients with unique solutions for their various compliance issues and help these firms devise a perfect path to protect the integrity & stability of their financial systems.  Nadeem is currently working on several projects in AML/CFT, responsible sourcing, know your employee, fraud risk consulting, forensics investigation for some of the biggest names in the region.  His deep insight in areas of know your employee, forensic investigations, third party risk consulting and due diligence is an added advantage & has empowered numerous organizations in identifying and unearthing frauds which may have led to huge financial and reputational loss.

Nawaz has over 30+ years of professional experience. Within FMCG industries, has worked on various assignments in different geographies. At Crowe UAE, he is responsible for Risk Management, Financial Management related Service, Business Valuation, M&A and Compliance. Nawaz, over the years, has cultivated an in-depth understanding in developing Financial Models, a keen Strategist & Implementer, Risk Management, M & A, Business Process driver, Working Capital Management, Cross-functional collaboration & diverse experience in domains like Finance, Operations Management, Supply-Chain Management and Financial Management. Nawaz also specializes in the provision of internal audit reviews including review of compliance and anti-money laundering provisions in the context of the DFSA (Dubai Financial Services Authority),  & FSRA (Financial Service Regulatory Authority) regulated clients, financial due diligence, performance analysis, strategy evaluation, assessment of risks and controls and corporate board advisory support. Nawaz’s strengths include the ability to provide independent advice to clients, assessing the assignments from an alternative, objective and unbiased perspective.

A seasoned audit professional, Imran commenced his audit journey with Crowe in Tanzania and having moved to the UAE in 2018, he carries nearly 15 years of diverse audit experience. Imran currently co-leads the external audit team at the DIFC office that primarily executes audits for a diverse range of clients with key focus on financial services. While his current expertise is focused on the financial services sector, Imran has managed and continues to manage the delivery of statutory audits for global clients across diverse sectors that includes financial services mainly entailing insurance and reinsurance, banking, asset management, funds, and other sectors including but not limited to manufacturing, hospitality, service provision and real estate. He adopts a holistic approach of managing audits by leading and motivating various audit teams in the effective planning, delivery and finalisation of statutory audits to meet time critical deadlines.

He implements a client-centric approach which gives high importance to service delivery while at the same time, giving due importance to technical competence. He also leads the Audit Software technology team for the Firm and from time to time, engages his expertise in the provision of consultancy services including forensic engagements. From his experience in Tanzania, Imran is also well versed with various taxes from both, compliance and audit perspectives and from his experience in the DIFC, he also specializes in regulatory reporting in terms of compliance with Prudential Reporting, Safe Custody, Client Money and Insurance Money provisions of the DFSA and FSRA.

Senior audit professional over 15 years of diversified experience including working with Big4 audit firm. He has gained exposure while working with Deloitte & Touche (M.E) Dubai, Deloitte Pakistan, KPMG London and Crowe Mak Limited in the audit, assurances and financial advisory services. Mustafa offers a unique blend of varied experience such as Banks, Hedge funds, Insurance, Retail and FMCG companies where he was involved financial audit and review of internal controls, and corporate governance. Currently, he is working in a capacity of Partner - Audit & Assurance where he is managing a portfolio of companies working in different sectors including financial institutions, manufacturing, hospitality and others as well. Engaged in job planning and supervision, including close interaction with client's management including fee negotiation, discussion on issues, updating on different IFRS, and professional services on any technical matters and maintain a bridge with Engagements Partners. Review of work on Audit engagements/ on-job professional development of staffs and ensuring audit file were in accordance with firm's standard methodology.

Armen has over 18 years of experience in conducting audits in the USA, Lebanon and the UAE.  He commenced his career working with one of the Big 4 Firms in Los Angeles and continued his experience working in audit throughout the Middle East with the Big 4 and other Top 10 audit firms.  Armen has vast experience working in multiple industries such as Insurance, Banking, Consumer and Retail, Manufacturing, Real Estate and Technology to name a few.  He has worked on and led multiple teams on small engagements as well as US SEC engagements and listed engagements in the UAE. 

Armen builds value through his ability to build strong business relationships with his clients by providing high quality client service.  He also values teaming where he invests time to develop strong team members through his ability to provide great training and coaching.  During his tenure with the Big 4, he was given multiple awards recognizing him as the top facilitator in the EMEIA region for many years.

Armen is a licensed CPA since 2006 out of the state of California. In addition to English, he is also an Armenian and Arabic speaker.

Armen is currently responsible for a diverse portfolio of clients ranging from financial services, manufacturing, retail and crypto clients.