Dubai: Board of Directors of Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) has approved the appointment of Dr. Bernd van Linder as CBD’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He will take up the position early next year.
Dr. van Linder built his career at ABN AMRO in the Netherlands before moving to the GCC region where he was General Manager Treasury of Saudi Hollandi Bank before becoming CEO of the same bank in 2009. He comes a wealth of experience in retail, commercial and corporate banking and an excellent track-record in treasury, risk management and in leading strategic change processes.
A PhD holder in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Utrecht, Netherlands, Dr. van Linder holds also a Master of Business Administration degree in Financial Management from the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom.
In making the appointment, the Board considered a number of candidates with extensive international experience. The Board took particular note of Dr. van Linder’s exceptional credentials, expertise in regional financial services and his ability to drive change, the banks said in a statement
“We are confident that Dr. van Linder will bring a new level of drive and energy to ensure we focus on growing and modernising the organisation. His excellent leadership skills and professionalism will play a vital role in driving CBD’s growth and modernisation towards delivery an extraordinary experience to our customers” said Saeed Ghobash Chairman of CBD.
In compliance with applicable regulations, the appointment of Dr. van Linder as CEO will be submitted to the regulatory authorities for approval. “I will endeavour especially to drive forward CBD’s growth strategy through expanding its banking services and improving the customer experience,” said Dr. van Linder.
