Hesham Abdulla Al Qassim

Hesham Abdulla Al Qassim serves as Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Emirates NBD, the largest banking group in the United Arab Emirates with total assets exceeding $200 billion. Emirates NBD was formed through the 2007 merger of Emirates Bank International and National Bank of Dubai, both of which were majority-owned by the Government of Dubai through the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD). Al Qassim has led Emirates NBD's transformation from a primarily Dubai-focused bank into a regional banking powerhouse. The most significant move was the $3.2 billion acquisition of Turkey's DenizBank from Russia's Sberbank in 2019 — a deal that gave Emirates NBD exposure to Turkey's large and dynamic banking market. The group also expanded into Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India, and other markets, building a network spanning 13 countries. His key strategic priorities include managing DenizBank's performance amid Turkey's volatile economic environment (high inflation, lira depreciation, and unconventional monetary policy), growing the Saudi Arabia business to capture Vision 2030 opportunities, driving digital banking transformation, and optimizing the group's capital structure. Al Qassim's decisions on international expansion pace, credit provisioning strategy, and DenizBank risk management are the primary drivers of Emirates NBD's stock on the Dubai Financial Market.