Corporate Governance

Catherine Halteh, CPA is head of Investor Relations and Strategic Partnerships at Bank of Palestine. She has over 10 years of experience in the fields of financial planning and reporting, auditing and investor relations. Before joining the Bank in 2017, she worked at Deloitte & Touche in the internal and external audit from 2013 – 2017 and earned her CPA back then. She is proficient in devising plans, identifying risk factors and evaluating efficiency and compliance with rules and regulations.

Catherine is responsible for building and maintaining the relationship and communication with the Bank’s shareholders, investors and partners. She leads all due diligence projects performed by potential investors and represents the point of contact to the Bank’s investors and all multi-lateral development banks. As part of her responsibility, she’s also in charge of the relationship between the Bank and the Palestine Stock Exchange and the Palestine Capital Market Authority.

Her role encompasses communicating the story of the Bank, its strategy and its market position in addition to managing all IR materials and events including, annual shareholding meetings, roadshows, research reports, investor presentation and the annual report.

She holds a BA in Accounting and a minor in Marketing from Birzeit University in addition to being a Certified Public Accountant.

She joined the IR Pal Chapter in 2021 and became the chairwomen in 2023.

Hesham joined Doha Bank (DHBK) in 2005 and is currently the Head of Investor Relations. In January 2020, he was appointed Head of Investor Relations. In his current position, he covers all aspects of investor relations management, development, coordination, and execution of related matters with the investment community, including but not limited to, investors, analysts, rating agencies, etc. Additionally, he aims to bolster investor confidence, by ensuring an accurate understanding of the company’s strategy, financial performance and current positioning is understood by all those that enquire about the investment proposition the Bank offers. He held the position as Head of Equities (Treasury & Investment Group) at Doha Bank from 2005 until 2019. Hesham worked as an international equity broker/ dealer for Commercial Bank of Qatar from 1996 to 2003 before joining Doha Bank.

Hesham graduated from University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY., and holds the International Certificate in Investor Relations, as issued by the UK IR Society.

Patrick (‘Paddy’) is a Senior Managing Director with responsibility for Investor Relations as well as Emirates NBD’s Group Funding and Principal Investment unit. The Investor Relations team updates the Rating Agency, Analyst & Investor community on the Bank’s performance and outlook. The Global Funding team manages the strategic funding needs of the Bank. The Principal Investment team manages an investment portfolio containing hedge funds, credit funds and private equity.

Paddy has been with Emirates NBD since 2007. Prior to that he worked in London as co-head of the global operating-company rating team at Fitch Ratings. Before this he was part of the structured investment group at JP Morgan where Paddy looked after capital modelling and risk management.

Paddy has an M.Sc. in Mathematical Finance from the University of Oxford and a B.Sc. (First Class) in Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics from Heriot-Watt University.

Syeda is a UK graduate in Business Administration & Management with over 20 years of experience in Oman’s Public and Private sectors as Comms’ Expert.
For the past 15 years she has been serving the Oman’s Capital Market in different roles, from being assistant CEO as a part of MSX’s privatization journey during the markets transition from public to private sector to being the Chief Communications Strategist for Oman’s Regulator CMA’s Executive Office.
During her time at the exchange she has had the opportunity to represent the exchange at many local, regional and international platforms strengthening relations between the exchange, issuer’s and the investors by championing initiatives such as investor education to public awareness programs.
She has been an avid speaker of woman’s role in capital market development, personal finance planning, importance of Retail investor from IR Perspective, investor education and investor – investment life cycle at capital markets.
She has also been a part of the founding member committee of MEIRA Chapter in the Sultanate and currently head the MEIRA Oman IR Chapter from her current role at the Exchange as the Pioneer and team member of Sustainable Investments at MSX working towards enhancing the three-way governance in the Oman Capital Markets industry and she is also a Certified Investor Relations Officer under MEIRA’s ‘CIRO’ certification program awarded by the UK-IR Society.

Iman is responsible for Citigroup’s Middle East & North Africa Debt Capital Markets Business, based in Dubai. In her current role, she advises sovereigns, corporates and financial institutions on access to the international debt capital markets and leads a team of bankers serving clients across the region. Iman’s career spans 20 years with Citigroup in various roles. She holds a BA in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo.

Marwa Al-Maskati leads the Marketing and Business Development function of Bahrain Bourse where she is responsible for all new business opportunities and affairs. Since taking on this role in 2014, she has been instrumental in the implementation and establishment of new markets including the Real Estate Investment Trust Market (REIT) in 2016 and the Bahrain Investment Market (BIM) in 2017, as well as the establishment and launch of the Middle East Investor Relations – Bahrain Chapter.

Mrs. Al-Maskati has over 18 years of experience in the financial industry with a focus on areas such as strategy development, venture capital, private equity, and business development, having previously worked for a number of prominent organizations. Prior to joining Bahrain Bourse, she held key roles with prominent organizations such as the Central Bank of Bahrain, TAIB Bank, and Tamkeen.

Among her notable career achievements during that time include overseeing a $2 billion real estate portfolio and managed to successfully exit assets worth $450 million at TAIB Bank, and helping to develop Tamkeen’s positioning strategy for 2007-2009 as a member of the organization’s strategy development team.

Mrs. Al-Maskati holds a First-Class Honors Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Strathclyde (UK) in 2006 and a Bachelors of Science in Business and Economics from the University of Wales, Swansea (UK) in 2002. Mrs. Al-Maskati has completed her professional certification as ‘Certified Investor Relations Officer’ awarded by the UK-IR Society and ‘Series 79’ awarded by the BIBF.

Dalal is currently the Investor Relations Deputy General Manager of Gulf Bank-Kuwait since 2016. She has over 18 years of experience in the field of investments and investor relations having served in a number of companies in Kuwait. Dalal holds an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Kuwait University. She is a Certified Investor Relations Officer by the Middle East Investor Relations Association (MEIRA) since 2015, a founding member of the MEIRA Kuwait Chapter since 2012 and a certified Corporate Governance Officer from London School of Business & Finance.

Rayan Al-Karawi is a founder and Chairman of the Saudi Chapter the Middle East Investor Relations Association (MEIRA KSA) as well as a member of the main MEIRA Board.

A multi-award-winning investor relations professional, with over 26 years of experience in IR and finance, that experience spans from IPOs to sukuks and restructuring in industries including retail, telecommunications, Banking and real estate. Having led the Investor Relations function at real estate player Dar Al Arkan, telecommunications operator Zain KSA, and most recently FAS holding (Arabian Centers & Fawaz Alhokair Fashion retail).

Currently, advising varies companies on IR, and servicing on multiple corporate boards include Chairman of Razeen Capital, a founding member and chairman of the Saudi chapter of the Middle East Investor Relations Association (MEIRA) in addition to being a main MEIRA board member, as well a council member of the Saudi Swiss Business Council at the Saudi Chambers of Industry and Commerce. He is also a member of the board of Falak Consulting, a values-based, purpose-driven strategy and innovation consultancy that helps build stronger economies.

Widely recognised as a leading lawyer for capital markets in the Middle East, Andrew Tarbuck is often the first port of call for both issuers and underwriters for IPOs and other securities offerings. He represents clients throughout the Middle East, USA, Asia and Europe on capital markets transactions, public and private M&A, restructurings, flotations and secondary equity fundraisings. In addition, Andrew also advises on debt capital markets transactions and sukuk.

Andrew is also actively involved in the market as a member of the NASDAQ Dubai Practitioners’ Committee, Chairman of the Middle East Investor Relations Association and a member of the Corporate Finance Faculty of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales.

Consistently ranked in Band 1 for Capital Markets (UAE and the Middle East) by Chambers Global and in Legal 500 EMEA for Corporate and M&A (UAE), he has advised on many award-winning transactions, including the largest IPO ever in the Middle East.

A.Tarbuck@tamimi.com

Mahmoud Salem is a Managing Director in BNY Mellon’s Investment Services sector and the Regional Manager for the Middle East and Africa.   As head of transactions for the region for more than 15 years, Mahmoud has helped numerous governments and foreign issuers structure and execute IPOs, secondary offerings, mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions involving depositary receipts.

Mahmoud structured the first depositary receipts program for the following countries: Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Tunisia and UAE.  He has helped structure some of the largest cross-border acquisitions in the Middle East region and has worked on a number of key NYSE and NASDAQ listings and offerings for foreign issuers from Europe and South Africa.

Mahmoud also held the role of Head of Global Marketing for the Depositary Receipts Division from 2011 to mid-2014.

Mahmoud is a board member of the Arab Bankers Association of North America (ABANA).  He speaks regularly at capital markets and securities industry conferences and forums.  He received a BA and an MBA from Rutgers University and joined BNY Mellon in 1993.

mahmoud.salem@bnymellon.com

Peter Gotke is Executive Director and Head of Sales, EMEA at IHS Markit Corporate Solutions. Peter has been involved in investor relations for over 20 years, including several roles in EMEA at Thomson Reuters, and then as head of their Asia Pacific Corporate Services team. Peter then moved to BNY Mellon, initially based in the Middle East covering depositary receipt issuers. Peter has been involved with the Middle East Investor Relations Association for over 10 years, sitting on the main board, and also on the board of the Saudi Chapter. Following his time in the Middle East, Peter moved back to London as the Head of the UK & Ireland for BNY Mellon’s depositary receipt division, and before joining IHS Markit was at Deutsche Bank for 3 years as their global head of Product Management, continuing to stay closely involved throughout with the Middle East.

peter.gotke@ihsmarkit.com

Sofia is the Head of Investor Relations of First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), result of the merger between First Gulf Bank (FGB) and National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) in April 2017. In her current role, she oversees all investor-related activities and is responsible for developing and implementing an effective IR program designed to ensure accurate understanding of the company’s story and strategy, and to enhance investor confidence in its value proposition. Previously, she was Head of Investor Relations at First Gulf Bank (FGB), a role she has occupied since 2013. Before moving to Investor Relations, Sofia was a sell-side equity research analyst for more than 7 years, and was heading the Banks & Financials coverage team at Dubai-based SHUAA Capital.

Sofia holds postgraduate degrees in financial management and control from Paris Dauphine University, and in international management from the American University in Washington, DC. She has been an active Board Member at MEIRA since 2014.

sofia.elboury@bankfab.com

Redwan is the head of Investor relations at DP World and is responsible for the strategic planning, development, coordination and execution of all investor relations activities with the aim of increasing shareholder and debt investor return and enhancing DP World’s image within the investment community.

Previously, he was sell-side equity analyst for 13 years which includes eight years in London covering mostly large-cap UK media companies. More recently at EFG HERMES, the largest regional Investment Bank, he covered sectors such as media, shipping and transportation, logistics and infrastructure (including DP World).

Redwan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Insurance and Investment from Cass Business School, City University London.

redwan.ahmed@dpworld.com

Mohammad Abdal is a founding member and chairman of the Middle East Investor Relations Association Chapter in Kuwait and a member of the globally recognized National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI).

Mohammad Abdal was appointed Chief Communications Officer of Zain Group effective July 10, 2015, heading three significant divisions within Zain Group: namely Investor Relations, Corporate Communications, and Corporate Governance & Compliance.

A Kuwaiti national, Abdal is a home-grown success story having joined Zain in 2001 as a finance executive soon after graduation. Over the next 16 years Abdal rose rapidly through the organization; playing a key role in various aspects of the company’s evolution and success from a local operator in Kuwait to becoming the leading telecom conglomerate it is today.

Abdal has led the Zain Group Investor Relations department since 2008 and in January 2012 was given the added responsibility of overseeing the Group’s Corporate Communications Department. In early 2014, he established the Group’s Corporate Governance division, one of the first companies in Kuwait to fully embrace the new compliance regulations initiated by the country’s Capital Market Authority.

Key milestones in Abdal’s impressive career at Zain include managing two of the largest capital raisings in the history of Kuwait, namely a US$4.5 billion capital rights issue in September 2008 and a US$2.3 billion rights issue in November 2005. Additionally, he has overseen the IPOs and listing of various Zain entities over the years, including the successful listing of Zain Saudi Arabia on the Tadawul Stock Exchange in March 2008, and a subsequent capital raising of US$1.6 billion in July 2012; as well as the IPO and subsequent listing of Zain Bahrain in December 2014. He was also involved in the IPO and subsequent listing of Zain shares in Zambia in 2008 (known as Celtel at the time), and in June 2015 was involved in the successful IPO and listing of Zain Iraq on the Iraqi Stock Exchange.

Abdal graduated in 2001 from Portland State University, Oregon, US with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a double major in Finance & Management Information Systems. He has also attended reputable executive programs in recent years that earned him several recognitions as a Certified Investments and Derivatives Auditor (CIDA), a Certified Investor Relations Officer and a Certified Corporate Governance Officer.

mohammad.abdal@zain.com