Dr Zakiya Abdul Samad

Biography

Dr Zakiya Abdul Samad serves as an Assistant Professor in Accounting, Economics and Finance at Edinburgh Business School, where she is also the Programme Director for the MA in Business and Finance. She teaches undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across Accounting, Economics and Finance, specialising in Corporate Finance, International Finance, Personal Finance, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Fintech. She is the Global Course Leader for Fintech Applications and Innovations at the postgraduate level. Dr Zakiya also coordinates postgraduate dissertations, is the principal contact for CFA Charter affiliation at the Dubai Campus and acts as the School Coordinator for the SAP University Alliance programme.

Dr Zakiya has published research papers in peer‑reviewed journals, a case study with teaching notes and presented papers at conferences. Her research focuses on foreign exchange exposure, compulsive buying behaviour and sustainable fintech investments. Her recent publication, Compulsive Buying Behaviour and Online Shopping Addiction of Women (Information Sciences Letters, May 2023), explores psychological aspects of consumer behaviour. Her work, Factors Determining the Exchange Rate Exposure of Firms: Evidence from India (Business Perspectives and Research, 2021), examines determinants of exchange rate exposure in Indian firms. Her pioneering research on Islamic finance, Proposing A New Zakat Model – The Salwa Fund, highlights her innovative approach to financial management. She has presented at major conferences, including the Joint Conference of the British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA) in December 2023, where she discussed sustainable fintech investments in the UAE. Her paper on cybersecurity breaches and global financial markets, presented at the International Conference of Innovation and Digital Transformation in July 2023, reflects her engagement with contemporary financial challenges.

Academic leadership and affiliations

• Programme Director – MA Business and Finance, Heriot‑Watt University
• Member, Department Research Ethics Committee – AEF Department
• Global Course Leader – C31FA Fintech Application and Innovation
• Member, University Climate Network (Youth Engagement Pillar), UAE
• Moderator, Middle East Banking Innovation Summit (MEBIS) Dubai, 2023
• Moderator, 88th International Scientific Conference on Economics and Social Development, Dubai ESD 2022

Qualifications

Academic qualifications

• PhD in Commerce (International Finance), Bharathidasan University, India, 2019
• MCom Financial Management, Mangalore University, 1998
• BCom (First Class with Distinction), Vivekananda College, Mangalore University, 1996

Professional qualifications

• PG Cert in Teaching and Learning, Heriot‑Watt University, 2024
• Certified Career Coach (CCSP), NCDA USA, since 2014
• Master Certificate in Career Coaching, Mindler International, 2020
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK (PR112830 – 25/10/2018)
• Pro Advisor Certificate – QuickBooks®, 2016
• Open SAP MOOC – ERPsim Business Simulation Facilitation, 2015
• Qualified UGC NET (Assistant Professor), 2015
• Laureate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 2014
• Laureate Course on Academic Research, 2014
• Bombay Stock Exchange Training – Financial Markets and Derivatives, 2014
• SAP TERP10 Training, 2010
• Certified Islamic Finance Expert (CIFE), AIMS UK, 2009

Publications

• Sathya, J., Babu, M., Gayathri, J., Indhumathi, G., Abdul Samad, Z. & Anandhi, E. (2023). Compulsive Buying Behavior and Online Shopping Addiction of Women. Information Sciences Letters, 12(5), 1641–1650.
• Sayed, Z. B., & Jayapal, G. (2021). Factors Determining the Exchange Rate Exposure of Firms: Evidence from India. Business Perspectives and Research.
• Sayed, Z. B., & Shahid, H. (2019). Proposing A New Zakat Model – The Salwa Fund. SMART Journal of Business Management Studies, 15(1).
• Sayed, Z. B., & Jayapal, G. (2018). Equality in the Foreign Exchange Exposure of IT and FMCG Sector Firms. International Journal of Advanced Scientific Research and Management, 3(7).
• Sayed, Z. B., & Gayathri, J. (2018). Comparing Approaches to Measuring Foreign Exchange Exposure of Indian Firms. JETIR, 5(7), 441–447.
• Sayed, Z. B., & Jayapal, G. (2017). Foreign Exchange Exposure and Multinationality of Indian Firms. Asian Journal of Research in Banking and Finance, 7(9), 30–42.
• Sayed, Z. B., & Gayathri, J. (2017). Volatility in FX Rate and its Impact on Share Prices of BSE 500 Firms. Intercontinental Journal of Finance Research Review, 5(7), 99–110.
• Sayed, Z. B., & Gayathri, J. (2016). Can Compatible Financial Markets Strengthen Strategic Bilateral Partnerships? International Journal of Research in Commerce, Economics and Management, 6(08).