Dubai: The National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) is expected to soon start selecting high-level executives to lead their international operations.
The bank has already selected over 60 managers for senior managers for position in the UAE.
All new managers in the merged entity will take on their new roles effective April 1 when NBAD’s merger with Abu Dhabi-based First Gulf Bank (FGB) is effective. The merger will create the Middle East and North Africa’s largest bank, with Dh655 billion in total assets.
Abhijit Choudhury, NBAD’s current acting chief executive officer, will be group chief risk officer; while Arif Shaikh, FGB’s chief risk officer, was appointed as group head of international operations, according to a memo NBAD sent out to staff that was seen by Gulf News.
The bank is yet to select heads for different regions it operates in including Europe and Americas, Asia, and a head of international business management.
Other appointments include Fahad Al Shaer, who was managing director of an NBAD subsidiary called Abu Dhabi National Islamic Finance, as head of Islamic division; Jasim Al Ali, who currently serves as FGB’s CEO for First Gulf Properties, as head of Real Estate; and Mohammad Yasin, who will retain his position as head of NBAD Securities.
The banks also appointed Samer Abdelhaq, who was head of legal and compliance as head of legal; kept Rohit Kumar as head of credit risk; and appointed T.G. Ramani who was FGB’s head of treasury and global markets as head of market and liquidity risk.
Additionally, Mahmoud Aradi will keep his position as head of global markets; and Andrew Cairns, who was NBAD’s global head of debt origination and distribution, was appointed as head of global banking and corporate finance.
In the memo sent out by NBAD said it would soon start hiring for middle-level management in their regional operations.
The bank said it will soon inform those who will take part in the assessment and selection process.
Both NBAD and FGB had earlier announced top management for the merged entity, which will retain the NBAD brand name. The banks said AbdulHamid Saeed, a managing director at FGB, is the CEO designate, while James Burdett, NBAD’s chief financial officer, will retain that role at the merged entity.
Hana Al Rostamani, FGB’s head of consumer banking, will also retain her position at the merged bank.
Earlier this week, NBAD and FGB issued a joint statement confirming “that a new level of management will be announced in due course to lead the combined bank once the merger completes at the end of the first quarter of 2017.”
“No further decisions relating to the organisational structure or the headcount of the combined bank have been confirmed,” the statement said.
