Before joining Durham University as the Sharjah Chair, Habib Ahmed was Manager, Research and Development, Islamic Banking Development Group, The National Commercial Bank (NCB), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He also worked at Islamic Research & Training Institute of the Islamic Development Bank Group, Saudi Arabia and taught at the University of Connecticut, USA, National University of Singapore, and University of Bahrain. He has been a member of the Capital Adequacy Working Group of Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) which is responsible for, among others, setting standards and guidelines for Islamic banks and financial institutions.
He was awarded IsDB Prize for Impactful Achievement in Islamic Economics (First Prize) in 2022 for his contributions to research in Islamic economics and finance.