Walton Global, a real estate investment and land asset management company that’s working on SmokeTree Resort, has announced Ahmed Haggag as senior vice president of Shariah Investments and will oversee the company’s Shariah compliant offerings related to development projects.

With the announcement of this new hire, Walton Global is also confirming an endorsement for its development project in Arizona from the Islamic Finance Advisory Board, an independent nonprofit body engaged in the promotion of Islamic Ffinance in North America, according to a press release. Haggag will lead this endorsement which expands the opportunity for investors in the Muslim community and other faith-based groups to make investments with Walton on a Shariah compliant basis.

Haggag gained his mortgage experience through working in commercial and residential mortgages at Laurentian Bank of Canada and Sun Life Trust in Toronto earlier in his career. Building off this success, he later founded and managed several leading Shariah compliant mortgage lending and real estate investment entities in Canada and the Middle East.

“My experience dealing with the Islamic Finance Advisory Board was extremely impressive,” Haggag said in the release. “I have dealt with many Shariah boards in Dubai and Egypt for more than 20 years, and this was at another level. A major distinctiveness for this board is the high specialization in Islamic finance which is a major asset to reach results promptly and in a timely manner. I enjoyed dealing with the board to obtain this certification and I am looking forward to many more collaborations for future projects with Walton Global.”

The Islamic Finance Advisory Board officially granted its endorsement on March 23 after completing a review process of Walton’s investment offering. The board’s role moving forward will be advisory services for faith-based communities, as well as conducting regular audits to ensure Walton’s investment continues to remain Sharia compliant, the release stated.

“We are thankful to receive this endorsement as we continue to expand our global client base and extend our offerings to investors around the world,” Walton Global CEO Bill Doherty said in the release. “The Muslim community is the second largest faith-based community representing nearly 2 billion people who live in various countries. We are pleased that this certification will give the community peace of mind and reassurance that they are following their faith when making investment choices with Walton.”