Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa has been serving as the Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors since June 2018 as a representative of Mumtalakat Holding Company. He was re-appointed at the AGM in 2020 as a Non-Executive Independent Director, for a period of 3 years.

Shaikh Abdulla is the Chief Executive Officer of Osool Asset Management, the investment arm of the Social Insurance Organisation and the Military Pension Fund, which manages around USD12 billion across different asset classes globally. He started his career as a credit analyst at Arab Banking Corporation and was Head of Wealth Management at Standard Chartered Bank, Bahrain. He has more than 23 years of experience in the Banking and Financial Services Industry. Shaikh Abdulla is the Chairman of SICO Investment Bank, Deputy Chairman of the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK), Board Member of Bahrain Marina and a Board member of the Supreme Council of Youth and Sports. Shaikh Abdulla was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the George Washington University, USA.

Furthermore, Shaikh Abdulla is the Chairman of BTC Sure Group Company (UK).

Committee Membership: Chairman of the Remuneration, Nomination, Donation and Corporate Governance Committee.

Mr. Raed Fakhri has been serving on the Company’s Board of Directors since March 2014, as a representative of Mumtalakat Holding Company. He was re-appointed at the AGM in 2020 as a Non-Executive Independent Director, for a period of 3 years.

Mr. Fakhri is Mumtalakat’ s Vice President of Investments since March 2013 and has over 27 years of experience in various sectors. He holds an Executive MBA from the University of Bahrain, and Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering Technology from the University of Central Florida, Orlando, USA.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Fakhri co-founded BDI Partners in 2010 and headed the firm as Managing Director. He spent 3 years with Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) as a Control Systems Engineer and Project Engineer.

Prior to that, Mr. Fakhri was with Batelco for 9 years and served as Senior Manager in the New Business Development Unit, responsible for start-ups and mergers and acquisitions. Additionally, he spent 3 years at Capivest Investment Bank, heading the Investment Department.

Currently, Mr. Fakhri is a Board Member at Investrade, BDI Partners, Gulf Air Group, Bahrain Airport Company, ELM Education Fund, American University of Bahrain, LE University Holding, Gulf Aviation Academy, Bahrain National Dredging Company, Bahrain Investment Holding Company -ISTITHMAR, Khairat Al Bahrain Holding, Prodrive international Company.

Committee Membership: Chairman of the Executive Committee, Deputy Chairman of the Remuneration,
Nomination, Donation and Corporate Governance Committee.

Mr. Abdulla Alhammadi was appointed on the Company’s Board of Director as a Non–Executive Director at the AGM in 2020 as a representative of Mumtalakat Holding Company for a period of 3 years.

Mr. Alhammadi is a seasoned business leader with over 13 years of experience in management consultancy, tech and startups. Currently Mr. Alhammadi serves as Regional Business Lead for Snapchat MENA. He is in charge of growing Snapchat’s business and market presence across the region in general with particular focus on Saudi Arabia.

Prior to Snapchat, he was a Senior Engagement Manager with McKinsey & Company serving clients across private and public sectors in MENA. In addition, he was a member of the founding team in Careem and has led small business marketing for Google in Saudi Arabia. Mr. Abdulla holds a B.A. with honors from Georgetown University in finance and international business.

Abdulla also serves on the Board of BEYON Money as Deputy Chairman.

Committee Membership: Executive Committee.

Mr. Abdulla Bukhowa was appointed on the Company’s Board of Directors as a Non–Executive Independent  Director at the AGM in 2020 as a representative of the Social Insurance Organization (SIO) for a period of 3 years.

Mr. Bukhowa serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Bahrain Commercial Facilities Company since July 2021. Mr. Abdulla holds a Bachelor of Business from the University of Texas, USA. Previously, Mr. Bukhowa held the role of Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank, Bahrain, established in 1920 as the first bank in the country and the Arabian Gulf region. He also used to hold the role of Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Qatar from January 2017 to March 2019. He was responsible for leading and implementing the overall strategy of the Bank.

Mr. Bukhowa joined Standard Chartered Bank in September 2010 as Bahrain’s Country Head of Global Markets and co-Head of Wholesale Bank. In December 2014 he was given the responsibility for leading both the Financial Markets and Corporate and Institutional Banking segments.

Mr. Bukhowa has over 21 years of experience which includes being Head of Portfolio Management at the Central Bank of Bahrain, and roles at Reuters and Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco). He is currently a Board member in the Bahrain Association of Banks, Future Generations Reserve, National Motors Company, and Tasheelat Insurance Services (TISCO)

Committee Membership: Deputy Chairman of the Audit Committee.

Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa has been serving on the Company’s Board of Directors since June 2018, as a representative of Amber Holdings Company. He was re-appointed at the AGM in 2020 as a Non-Executive Independent Director for a period of 3 years.

Shaikh Ali graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from The George Washington University, D.C., USA, and earned a master’s in business administration from DePaul Graduate program at the BIBF, Bahrain. He earned a Master of Arts in Defense Studies from King’s College, London.

He joined the Bahrain Defense Force in June 1996 and currently holds the rank of Colonel. He has held various positions within the organization during his 24-year tenure.

Shaikh Ali has also been involved in the Kingdom’s sporting initiatives over the years and holds various committee positions including President of Bahrain Football Association, Member of Asian Football Association Executive Committee, Member of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, President of Bahrain Cycling Association and Member of FIFA Competitions Committee.

Additionally, Shaikh Ali is the Chairman of BNET (Bahrain).

Committee Membership: Audit Committee.

Mr. Ali Saqer Alnoaimi was appointed on the Company’s Board of Directors as a Non–Executive Independent Director on 31 March 2020 as a representative of Amber Holdings until the end of term.

Mr. Alnoaimi is the Chairman of the Military consumer and economic associations military officer with the rank of Major General in Bahrain Defense Force. He graduated from the Military College, Kuwait, in November 1978. He joined various military courses in and out of Bahrain, including the Command and General Staff college (CGSC) in Leavenworth, KS 1989-1990.

Mr. Alnoaimi has held various positions in the BDF during his 42-year tenure. He held the position of a commandant of Isa Royal Military College, Bahrain in 1998. In 2003 he was appointed as Director of Logistics & Supplies in BDF.

Mr. Alnoaimi has also been involved in sporting initiatives and has been a golf player for over 30 years. He was a Bahrain Golf National team player, a former Vice President of Arab golf association, a former President of GCC Organizing committee and currently holds the position of President of Bahrain Golf Association since 2017. He is also the Deputy Chairman of the Military consumer and economic associations.

Furthermore, Maj. Gen Ali is a Board and Audit Committee Member at BNET (Bahrain).

Committee Memberships: Audit Committee.

Ms. Fatema Al-Arayedh was appointed on the Company’s Board of Directors as a Non–Executive Dependent Director at the AGM in 2020 as a representative of Mumtalakat Holding Company for a period of 3 years.

Ms. Al-Arayedh is an International Counsel at the law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in New York. Her legal practice focuses on corporate and financial transactions, including advising private equity and venture capital fund sponsors, sovereign wealth funds and institutional investors on their investment management arrangements. Ms. Al-Arayedh also has experience in a wide range of acquisition finance, project finance and other corporate finance transactions, including leveraged buyouts and joint ventures in the telecommunications and technology sectors.

In addition, Ms. Al-Arayedh serves on the Panel of Conciliators at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) at the World Bank Group.

Prior to her legal career, Ms. Al-Arayedh worked on economic development projects at the Clinton Foundation in New York and at the Economic Development Board in Bahrain.

Ms. Al-Arayedh holds a B.A. with honors in Political Science from Yale University and a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. She is admitted to the Bar in New York. 

Committee Membership: Remuneration, Nomination, Donation and Corporate Governance Committee.

Mr. Jean Christophe Durand has been serving on the Company’s Board since March 2017. He was elected by the shareholders at the AGM in 2017 and re-elected at the AGM in 2020, as a Non-Executive Independent Director, for a period of 3 years.

Mr. Durand is the Chief Executive Officer of National Bank of Bahrain and has over 40 years of banking and finance experience. He graduated from ESSEC in 1980 (Ecole Superieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales), French Business School in Paris. Before joining the National Bank of Bahrain, Mr. Durand was the Regional Head of BNP Paribas Middle East & Africa region for Corporate and Institutional Banking and Asset Management for 15 years. He moved to Bahrain in 1989 with Banque Indosuez and joined the  Investment Banking division responsible for the coverage in several GCC countries. He later moved to BNP Paribas in 1996, entrusted with the mission to expand the Investment Banking business regionally and was instrumental in establishing BNP Paribas as one of the key global financial institutions in the region, opening new branches in 2 GCC countries (Saudi Arabia & Kuwait) and in Africa (South Africa & Morocco). Under his tenure, BNP Paribas managed several major regional transactions in the telecommunications sector including a major acquisition.

He currently serves as the Deputy Chairman of Bahrain Islamic Bank (BISB), as  Board Member of BIBF and is the Chairman of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bahrain. He is also the Chairman of Umniah Telecommunications Company (Jordan) part of Beyon Group.

Committee Membership: Chairman of the Audit Committee.