Talal Yassine

Talal Yassine, OAM (born 1972) is an Australian Non-Executive Director, Academic and Philanthropist.

Born in Lebanon, Talal migrated to Australia with his parents in 1977 at age 3 and grew up in Western Sydney. He attended Granville South Public School and Granville Boys High School, before continuing his education at the University of Sydney.

Talal began his career as a Solicitor in Corporate & Strategy at Dunhill Madden Butler before joining PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Director and strategist. After 10 years at PwC, Talal joined investment firm Babcock & Brown Ltd in the Corporate Finance Group and later in the Technical Real Estate Division. Later Talal held leadership positions in Better Place Australia and is currently the Managing Director of Crescent Wealth.

Talal currently serves on following Boards

• First Quay Capital (Chairman, Appointed June 2015)
• The Whitlam Institute (Board Member, Appointed January 2009)
• The Co-Op (Company Secretary)
• Landcorp Australia (Chairman)
• Australian Arab Dialogue

Talal has previously served on the following Boards

• The Council of Australian-Arab Relations (Chairman, July 2013 - July 2016)
• Australia Post (Director, August 2012 - August 2015)
• The Council for Multicultural Australia (Appointed 2011)
• Sydney Ports Corporation (Appointed Director March 2010)
• Platinum Sound Pty Ltd (Chairman, January 2008 - April 2011)
• Macquarie University Council

Talal serves as Company Secretary for the Crescent Foundation, a not-for-profit charity focused on three key areas:

1. Education and refugee advocacy
2. Helping the homeless
3. The conservation of Islamic art and culture

In December 2016, Talal published an opinion piece in Australia's Daily Telegraph surrounding Immigration Minister Peter Dutton's comments on the Lebanese-Australian Muslim community.

In November 2016, the Crescent Foundation partnered with Western Sydney University to fund a refugee scholarship program, allowing promising refugees the opportunity for a University education.

He was appointed to the Council for Multicultural Australia in August 2011.

On Australia Day 2010, Talal was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to business and to the community through a range of education, health and multicultural organisations.

In March 2009, Talal was appointed as board member of the Whitlam Institute Ltd, aiming to foster contemporary relevance of Gough Whitlam's years in public life.

Talal commenced his tertiary studies at the University of Sydney in 1991. In 1993, he transferred to Macquarie University and completed a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (LLB). Talal subsequently completed his Master of Laws (LLM) at University of Sydney and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) at Deakin University.

He holds an Adjunct Professorship at the School of Business at Western Sydney University and in 2012, granted an Honorary Professorial Fellowship at the Crawford School of Public Policy within the Australian National University College of Asia and the Pacific.

Talal is Managing Director of Crescent Wealth, an Australian wealth manager investing in accordance with the principles of Islamic Finance. He has delivered keynote addresses on Islamic Finance and contemporary issues of domestic and international significance to the following organisations:

• World Islamic Economic Forum
• Amanie-Failaka Symposium
• Annual Kuala Lumpur Islamic Finance Forum
• Australian Arab Chamber of Commerce & Industry (AACCI)
• Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA),
• The CEO Institute
• New South Wales Parliament House
• University of Sydney
• Australian National University (ANU)

In December 2015, Talal was named among the Top 50 most Influential Leaders who make the Islamic Economy in 2015 according to ISLAMICA 500.

Talal is a supporter of the creation of the inner triangle of national interest for Australia. The strategy requires that Australia establish itself as a regional hub across trade and investment by expanding into Asia and then the Middle East, i.e. forming the 'Inner Triangle'.[1]

As a way of building lasting relationships with the Asian region, he is a strong supporter of Australian students studying abroad stating "these students of Asia will be able to demonstrate to a potential employer that not only can they stand on their own feet, but that they have experienced the fast-paced and evolving nature of Australia’s economic integration in the region".[2]