Gulf International Bank has announced the appointment of Khaled Abbas as the CEO of Saudi Arabia, and Sara Abdulhadi as the CEO of its Bahrain operations, with effect from March 3, 2024. 

In their new role, Khaled and Sara will be responsible for bolstering the bank’s presence in KSA and Bahrain. They will take over from Group CEO Abdulaziz Al-Helaissi, who has been handling these responsibilities for the bank in these locations. Al-Helaissi will continue to oversee his group-wide leadership responsibilities including, the bank’s expansion strategy for its regional and international businesses. 

Khaled, who joined the bank in 2018 as UAE Country Head, brings around three decades of leadership experience. Prior to joining the bank, he was serving Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank as the Executive VP and Regional Head of Corporate Banking. He also worked with Samba Financial Group and Banque Saudi Fransi at the beginning of his career.

On the academic front, Khaled holds a BSc degree in Business Studies from the Lebanese American University, a Management Accelerate Programme (MAP) from INSEAD, an Advanced Management Programme from Harvard Business School, and an Executive Leadership Development Programme from Darden Business School, University of Virginia. 

On the other hand, Sara joined the bank in 2019 as Group Chief Investment and Treasury Officer for overseeing operations across Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE. On the academic front, Sara holds a BSc degree in Accounting from King Saud University, an MSc degree in Investment Management from Bayes Business School, City University, London, and an Advanced Management Programme from Harvard Business School. 

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Welcoming the new CEOs for bank’s KSA and Bahrain operations, Group CEO Al-Helaissi said: “The appointment of Khaled and Sara will further strengthen and diversify our leadership structure as we accelerate our growth to develop the full potential of our franchise. I am especially pleased that we have been able to fill two such critical roles with internal candidates."

Adding: "This is a testament to the depth of talent across the Group, as well as the exceptional performance and leadership demonstrated by Khaled and Sara. Both are ideally placed to lead our operations in Saudi Arabia and GCC. I look forward to working with them in this new chapter for GIB and take great pride that we have the people and the culture to move forward with confidence.”

GIB has also elevated Mohammad Al Dubaikel to the role of Head of Recruitment & HR Operations, effective January 2025, to oversee end-to-end recruitment for full-time and outsourced roles, ensuring business alignment and cultural fit, streamlining core processes, ensuring compliance, and managing the employee lifecycle.