WIEFF is an independent, international forum which aims to create a networking platform for industry professionals to meet, collaborate, support and promote the interests of the ethical and Islamic finance industry. The long term vision of the forum is to achieve the expansion of the sector through educational seminars, events and promotion of best practice globally to the highest standards. The goals of WIEFF are thus two fold: 1) To support, encourage and promote women globally in Islamic finance. 2) To create a platform which fosters links between the Islamic and ethical finance industry for the expansion and advancement of the sector. Headquartered in London, UK, WIEFF was founded in 2007 by Samina Akram, a UN Ambassador of Peace, who also ranks amongst the 5th most influential woman in Islamic finance (ISFIRE Islamic Finance Review - 2013). The forum began as an informal network bringing together industry professionals within the Islamic finance space to simply meet and share industry ideas. In 2013 the network branched out to include professionals from the ethical finance industry and came to be known as "The Women in Islamic & Ethical Finance Forum" (WIEFF). WIEFF started with 30 keen enthusiasts and today has over 8000 professionals in over 25 countries.