Kuwait –March 19, 2014: Gulf Bank announced today the appointment of César González-Bueno as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective from 16th March 2014, following the approval by the Central Bank of Kuwait. Mr Omar Kutayba Alghanim, Chairman of Gulf Bank said: “We are very pleased to welcome César González-Bueno as Gulf Bank’s new Chief Executive Officer. I believe he will help us to take Gulf Bank to the next level of development. His experience as CEO with Novagalicia Banco and before that as Regional Head of ING, and as a member of ING’s global management team as well as his prior broader financial expertise with institutions such as McKinsey, amongst others, will add new energy and dynamism to the Bank’s growth. I, the Board and the whole management team at Gulf Bank are very much looking forward to César joining us and working with him to drive Gulf Bank forward.” Mr González-Bueno is a Spanish citizen and has lived, studied and worked in Europe and the USA. He worked for Novagalicia since 2011 and spent 13 years at ING Bank. Prior to that he held positions at Citibank, Morgan Stanley and Argentaria as well as the Boston Consulting Group and Mckinsey & Co. He holds a double degree in law and business administration from Madrid University and an MBA from The Yale School of Management in the USA.