Despite a humble start to life, Kamel’s astute business style has seen him become one of the pioneers of Islamic finance.

Dallah Albaraka Group now has operations in 40 countries around the world.

Born in Taif, Saudi Arabia, Kamel grew up in Makkah and attended Riyadh University and went on to work at the kingdom’s Ministry of Finance. He left public office to start Dallah Establishment in the early 1960s.

By the early 1980s he established the AI Baraka Investment & Development conglomerate, a holding company for many Islamic banks and financial Institutions operating according to Islamic principles in various diversified business activities all over the world.

Over the course of the last half-century, Kamel has helped set up some of the Arab world’s most influential Islamic banks, including Faisal Islamic Bank in Egypt and Sudan, Dubai Islamic Bank and Jordan Islamic Bank.

Kamel took subsidiary Dallah Health public in late 2012, keeping a 52 percent stake. The company raised $143m to fund its expansion plans.