UAE’s new digital bank sets up Board, with Mohamed Alabbar as Chairman
Others include Emirates’ Adnan Abdulfattah and LuLu's Yussufali
Dubai: Ahead of its imminent launch, one of the UAE new digital banks Zand has constituted its Board of Directors, led by Mohamed Alabbar of Emaar and noon.
The Chief Commercial Officer of Emirates, Adnan Abdulfattah Kazim Abdulfattah, joins the Board as an independent director. He is also on the board of Emirates Airline Foundation and is the Chairman of Emaar Development.
Another Zand board member is Gregory Johnson, who is Executive Chairman and Chairman of Franklin Resources, Inc. During his 15 years as CEO of Franklin Templeton, Johnson led the company’s rise to be one of the world’s largest global asset managers. Franklin Templeton currently has approximately $1.45 trillion in assets under management.
Representing Al Hail Holding and Global Development Group, Hamad Jassim Al Darwish is the other prominent name on the Zand BoD lineup. He serves as board member and chairman of various group companies across the GCC.
“Building a new and unique digital banking experience is about more than just technology,” said Alabbar. “It requires visionary people with a digital mindset who believe in the power of technology to improve people’s lives while creating a sustainable business model.”
The Chief Operating Officer of Al Hail Holding, Mohammed Alshaiba Almazrouei, is also on the new board. He has over 15 years of experience in the global financial markets and more than 40 filed patents as co-inventor.
The Executive Vice-President of DIFC FinTech Hive, Raja Al Mazrouei, is joining Zand as an independent director. She spearheaded the development of the region’s first and largest FinTech Accelerator.
As Group CFO of the $45 billion Indian conglomerate, Aditya Birla Group, Sushil Agarwal is representing Solfrid Investments Pvt. Ltd., which is one of the founding shareholders of Zand.
As an independent director, the CEO and co-founder of HWH Investments, Talha Al-Hashimi, has a ‘history of investing in emerging hospitality trends, award-winning food and beverage projects, and hospitality-based tech platforms.
LuLu Group's Yussuf Ali M. A. is another founder-shareholder in Zand. He is also on the board of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, where he serves as Vice-Chairman.
In a statement, Zand’s co-founder and CEO, Olivier Crespin, said, “With our board’s collective leadership experience, we have all the support that we could ask for.”
We’re delighted to welcome the new board members to Zand, and I know that all of us will benefit from their forward-thinking mindset and leadership