Biography

Mr. Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi became the Chairman of Gulf Bank in March 2024, and has been a member of the Board since March 2012. He brings over two decades of experience in the financial, banking, industrial and telecommunication sectors, having assumed various leadership positions locally and abroad.

He is also Chairman and member of the Board of Directors in several local and international companies. Currently, he is the Vice Chairman and CEO of Zain Group, Founder and CEO of BNK Holding, Vice Chairman of Gulf Cables & Electrical Industries Group Co., Vice Chairman of National Investments Company, Board Member and Chairman of the Executive Committee at Boursa Kuwait, Executive Director of Al-Kharafi Group, Member of the Middle East Advisory Board at Coutts and a Board Member of the Kuwait-British Friendship Society.

Mr. Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kuwait University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from London Business School in the United Kingdom. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD from IE Business School (Instituto de Empresa) in Spain.

Biography

Ali Behbehani was elected as Deputy Chairman of Gulf Bank in March 2013. He joined Gulf Bank as a Board Member in April 2009. Ali started his career by engaging in various departments within the Behbehani Group. In 1977 he became General Manager of Carrier - Kuwait. In 1987, he was made Vice President of the Behebhani Group where he orchestrated major joint ventures with Carrier and Ericsson after which he became a Board Member. He is currently the President of Morad Yousuf Behbehani Group of Companies as well as a Director of Kuwait Insurance Company and National Industries Company. Ali studied at a boarding school in Lausanne, Switzerland, and has a BA in English Literature from Kuwait University.

Biography

Omar Hamad Youssef Al-Essa joined Gulf Bank as a Board Member in April 2009. Prior to that, Omar was a Lawyer at Hamad Yousuf Al Essa Law Firm. He became the Director of the Development and Training Center and Secretary of the Kuwait Bar Association during 2004-2005. He also held the position of Deputy Chairman of the Bar Association. Omar is the Founding Member of Ma'an Family Development Society and the Founding Member of the Kuwait Transparency Society. He is currently the Head of the Kuwaitization Taskforce of the Restructuring Program. Omar graduated from the Faculty of Law, Kuwait University in 1985.

Biography

Abdullah AlSayer joined Gulf Bank as Board Member in March 2021, with over 10 years of experience, largely in finance and investment sectors, he has played a vital role in diversification of AlSayer Group into Education, Health care and Banking sectors. He has been significant in introducing new technologies as part of the digitization process at AlSayer Group. He is currently a Board Member at AlSayer Group (since 2022), Bayan Dental (since 2019), Credit One (since 2018).
He received his BSc degree in Business Administration and MBA (Finance), from Barry University, Miami, Florida (USA) in 2011.

Biography

Dr. Fawaz Mohammad Alawadhi joined Gulf Bank as a Board Member in August 2019. Mr. Alawadhi is the Chief Legal Officer at Alghanim Industries Group in Kuwait. He is also currently a law professor at the College of Business Studies at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) and a member of the Board of Directors of the Kuwaiti Association for Protecting Public Funds. Mr. Alawadhi holds a Doctor of the Science of Law (JSD) degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri; a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Kuwait University.

Biography

Abdullateef Abdulazeez Al-Sharikh previously served as a board member at Gulf Bank and was a member of its Board Credit and Investment Committee from October 2020 to March 2021. Abdullateef is a Senior Director in Corporate Communications at Alghanim Industries. He has been involved in a wide range of projects, including M&A, Market Entry Strategy and Execution, Corporate and Business Unit Strategy, as well as Business Development. Abdullateef has also established the Corporate Communications function within the group. Prior to Alghanim, he worked for a leading Kuwaiti investment company in Private Equity and Investment Management and served on the Board of an Islamic investment company from 2016 until 2023. Abdullateef holds a BSc in Management and Finance from Bentley University and an MBA from London Business School.

Biography

Barrak Al-Asfour joined Gulf Bank as Board Member in November 2020. Prior to this post, he held several positions in banking, including Branch Manager at the Bank of Kuwait and the Middle East (BKME), then Manager at Credit Facilities Department from 1985 to 1989. He attended several training programs, including Credit Analysis, Documentary Credits, Introduction to Banking, at the Institute of Banking Studies (IBS) - Kuwait, as well as other courses outside Kuwait, including Core Credit Program at the Europe, Middle East and Africa Training Center. He has held the post of Deputy Chairman of Kuwait Gypsum Manufacturing & Trading Company, from 2004 to present. He possesses in-depth expertise in trading, Industry, and investment. Barrak Al-Asfour is holder of a degree in Business Administration – Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Political Science (Finance) from Kuwait University in 1985.

Biography

Ahmad Al Bahar joined Gulf Bank in November 2020 as an Independent Board Member. He has held several key positions in a few entities, including, but not limited to, CEO of Gulf Custody Company (Kuwait), and Chairman of Gulf Custody Company (Bahrain & Oman). He was formerly Partner in Charge – Settlement Group of The International Investor, formerly Senior Manager – Settlement Department of Kuwait Foreign Trading Con., & Investment Co. (KFTCIC), and formerly Manager – Consumer Loans Department of Arab European Financial Management (AREF). He was Chairman of Bahrain Real Estate Co. and Board Member of National Cleaning Co. He holds a BSc degree in Business Administration and Finance from Southern Oregon State University.

Biography

Dr. AbdulRahman Al-Taweel joined Gulf Bank as an Independent Board Member in March 2021. Dr. AbdulRahman is currently an Assistant Professor in the Finance and Financial Institutions department at the College of Business Administration at Kuwait University. He has been very active in the academic and teaching profession for over 7 years, conducting various professional seminars, workshops and development programs during his career. He has made intellectual contributions relating to corporate finance in many working papers. He served as an Advisor to the Director General of State Bureau of Financial Controllers from 2019 to 2020. Dr. AbdulRahman holds a BSc degree in Chemical Engineering, MBA and PhD in Finance from the University of Colorado at Boulder (USA).

Biography

Mr. Talal AlSayegh joined Gulf Bank as an Independent Board Member in September 2021. He is an expert in banking supervision and fighting financial crime with special focus on AML/CFT. He served as an Advisor to Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait during 2019 on AML/CFT and financial crime issues, capacity building, assessing risks, and tailoring AML/CFT compliance programs. He created the Kuwait Financial Intelligence Unit (KwFIU), and served as the President of KwFIU between January 2014 to March 2018, where he was instrumental in drafting bylaws, policies & procedures, establishing organizational structure, recruitment system, and code of ethics. He represented Kuwait at MENAFATF and FATF Plenaries, acting as MENAFATF President during 2017. Between June 2006 to December 2013, he served as an On-Site Deputy Manager at Central Bank of Kuwait, working in the Examination Section, AML/CFT and Complaints Unit.

Mr. Talal AlSayegh has a BA in Accountancy and Auditing from Kuwait University in January 1990, and an Executive MBA from the American University of Beirut (Lebanon) in July 2012. He is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) since 2005.

Biography

Mrs. Reem Abdullah Al Saleh joined Gulf Bank as the first female Independent Board Member in June 2022. She is currently the CEO of Gulf Inspection International Company since 2015. She joined this company in 2003 as Director of Business Development and Finance and she re-established and developed various departments and operations during her tenure at the company. She is also the Assistant General Manager at Essa AlSaleh Real Estate & Trading Co. since 1997, Member of the Board of Directors of Al Fatah Real Estate Co., and Al Rabeia Hotel Continental, and General Manager and Member of the Board of Directors of Al Masaleh Logistics Services Company.

Since 2018, Mrs. Reem has been serving as an additional Director at Shamali Pvt. Ltd. (India) and Ever Win HR Consultants Pvt. (India). She has been providing consultancy services to Musaed Al Saleh Group since 2015. She is currently the Chairman of Kayan International Construction Co., Vice Chairman of Kuwait Computer Services Co., and member of the Board of Directors of Data Plus Co. since 2018.

Mrs. Reem is a member of ACI Kuwait Chapter, Kuwaiti Economics Society, Kuwait Accountants and Auditors Association, Arbitrator & Expert for Kuwait Capital Markets Authority. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from the Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Political Sciences – Kuwait University.