Apex Group Saudi Arabia

Chairman of the Board

Alan joined Sanne in November 2022 and has been the Regional Head for Middle East and Africa in Apex since the acquisition of Sanne. A Chartered Accountant by profession, he has spent the bulk of his career in the professional service industry and added financial service exposure to that, positioning him well to growing the region on strong client service principals

Executive Board Member

Prior to joining Apex, Zafar worked with SNB Capital as a Consultant primarily to set up custody service and to lead outsourcing of fund administration project. From 2015 to 2022 worked with Albilad Capital and set up Securities Services business consisting of Custody, Agency, and Fund Administration Service. Lead corporate restructuring project and strategic planning. The last position held by him was of Chief Operating Officer of Albilad Capital. Zafar has over 30 years, experience with SABB, SABB Securities Ltd and HSBC Saudi Arabia in different key and challenging roles. Established and lead the Securities Services business from 2001 to 2015 and transformed it into a complex, diversified and market leading business, supporting multiple products (Custody, Fund Administration and Corporate Trust & Loan Agency Services). Established HSBC’s Investment Operation department (Local & International brokerage, Asset Management) and managed as a Head of Investment Operation from 1996-2001, attained an in-depth knowledge and experience of all Investment products. Rich project management experience and managed over 15 major IPOs/ Right Issues. Due to his service to community and the country, Zafar has recently been bestowed the second highest civil award (Sattar E Imtiaz) by the President of Pakistan.

Independent Board Member

Hassan AlShuaiby brings 25 years of local and international experience. Throughout his distinguished professional career, he has held executive positions with key regulators in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that includes the Capital Market Authority, Supreme Economic Council, and the General Awqaf Authority. He also worked as an investment advisor to H.E. Minister of Housing and has extensive international experience at the World Bank and Merrill Lynch. Mr. AlShuaiby is a well-known and respected figure in the financial field, having held various senior roles. Notably, he served as the head of the investment product issuance division, where he was responsible for regulating and approving all investment products including mutual funds and related investment products at the CMA. He also participated in several committees such as the inclusion of the Saudi market in the major indices (MSI, FTSE, and S&P), IOSCO Committee on Derivatives (Committee 7), and the market opening for foreign investors through the QFI scheme. Mr. AlShuaiby is the Chairman SICO Capital, Audit Committee member at AlQassim national Hospital, and holds several board memberships in mutual funds. He holds a Master of Science in Project Management from the George Washington University, USA and Bachelor of Science in Finance and International Business from The American University, USA.

Independent Board Member

Nosaibah is an investment banker and digital innovator, with a true passion for corporate innovation and digital adoption. She has over 10+ years’ experience building and leading high performing teams to solve real world problems through technology and human centered design. Nosaibah leads one of the largest financial technology companies in Saudi Arabia, with a mission to redefine financial well-being for small and medium businesses. As the trail blazer within the banking and fintech industry, Nosaibah founded the first female-led alternative debt-centric and licensed Fintech in Saudi Arabia. Her goal is to cut through the noise to unlock the potential and true value of new technology for customers and the company. Nosaibah is a champion of the concept of the future of value and its global adoption, particularly smart economies, new channels, governance of future business models, and the role of finance and data, particularly how this will create new value for companies, along with the critical balance of flexibility, scalability, interoperability, sustainability, and privacy. Nosaibah has worked across all aspects of a company from investment banking, securities, leading digital strategy, active board roles and open banking strategies, digital operating models, change and agile delivery, through to building and launching companies at scale with mass market adoption. She is a global keynote speaker and plays a leading role in setting standards across the globe from Future Investment Initiative to Saudi Central Bank regulations.

Chief Executive Officer

Prior to joining Apex, Zafar worked with SNB Capital as a Consultant primarily to set up custody service and to lead outsourcing of fund administration project. From 2015 to 2022 worked with Albilad Capital and set up Securities Services business consisting of Custody, Agency, and Fund Administration Service. Lead corporate restructuring project and strategic planning. The last position held by him was of Chief Operating Officer of Albilad Capital. Zafar has over 30 years, experience with SABB, SABB Securities Ltd and HSBC Saudi Arabia in different key and challenging roles. Established and lead the Securities Services business from 2001 to 2015 and transformed it into a complex, diversified and market leading business, supporting multiple products (Custody, Fund Administration and Corporate Trust & Loan Agency Services). Established HSBC’s Investment Operation department (Local & International brokerage, Asset Management) and managed as a Head of Investment Operation from 1996-2001, attained an in-depth knowledge and experience of all Investment products. Rich project management experience and managed over 15 major IPOs/ Right Issues. Due to his service to community and the country, Zafar has recently been bestowed the second highest civil award (Sattar E Imtiaz) by the President of Pakistan.

Head of Compliance & Financial Crime

Abdulrahman AL Faraj, Head of Compliance & Financial Crime, has over 19 years of Banking and Financial services industry experience specialized in the regulatory Compliance and Anti – Financial Crimes in Banking, Fintech and Investment moreover this large experience has a rich experience Even in Retail Banking , Consumer and Operations beside that Head of Compliance & Financial Crimes has a solid ground of knowledge dealing with the regulator such SAMA ( Saudi Central Bank ) And CMA ( Capital Market Authority ). Prior to joining Abdulrahman was the Head of Compliance & Financial Crime at ALINMA Pay one of biggest E-Wallet Fintech Company in the market and earlier he was worked with serval large local Banks in KSA, SAMBA Financial Group, ALINMA Bank, ANB and BSF in different senior level within Compliance, Financial Crime, Operations, Retail & Consumer. Abdulrahman received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from AL Imam Mohammed bin Saud University and earned a sum of professional certificates in Compliance & Anti -Financial Crimes as CCO, ACAMS, CME1 & CME 2.

Head of Finance

Muhammad Imran Burney is a seasoned finance professional with over two decades of comprehensive expertise in finance, accounting, auditing, and financial reporting. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant accredited by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan, complemented by a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from the University of Karachi. His professional journey commenced within the assurance department of KPMG, where he diligently served for more than six years, auditing a diverse array of clients across various sectors. Throughout his career, he has held pivotal roles leading the finance and reporting functions of esteemed companies and groups. Noteworthy achievements include the successful implementation of Oracle at Nayifat Finance Company, spearheading budgeting and financial reporting endeavours at Chalhoub Group, and serving as the Chief Financial Officer for Swedtel International Group companies across multiple jurisdictions. Additionally, he played a pivotal role in steering the budgeting and reporting functions of Taj Holding Group, a prominent conglomerate. His contributions extend beyond traditional finance roles, as he has actively collaborated with management to devise robust financial strategies, ensure regulatory compliance, and streamline accounting and reporting processes through automation initiatives. Beyond his professional commitments, Muhammad Imran Burney remains dedicated to serving the professional accounting community, contributing to their continuous professional development endeavours.

Regional Head of Middle East & Africa

Alan joined Sanne in November 2022 and has been the Regional Head for Middle East and Africa in Apex since the acquisition of Sanne. A Chartered Accountant by profession, he has spent the bulk of his career in the professional service industry and added financial service exposure to that, positioning him well to growing the region on strong client service principals

Regional Managing Director – Middle East

Christiane El Habre brings over two decades of experience in the MENA financial services industry. She joins Apex Group from international management consultancy Elkho Group where she was Partner, Chair of the Board and CEO of Middle East operations. Prior to this, Christiane was CEO and executive board member FFA Private Bank (Dubai) a specialized investment bank in Dubai International Financial Centre (“DIFC). Christiane held senior positions in Gap Corp in Dubai, and she spent 5 years at FFA Private Bank in Lebanon as the Head of Treasury and Operations. She is a member of the GCC business community, serving on the boards of several non-profits, where she is committed to mentoring and coaching young professionals in the finance industry. Christiane graduated from St Joseph University (USJ) in Beirut with a degree in Finance, she completed further education from IE business school in High Impact Leadership, and from the Oxford University in advanced Fintech

Head of Strategic Development – MENA

Email: bhaskar.dasgupta@apexfs.com

Dr. Bhaskar Dasgupta is a Senior Board Member & Business Executive with proven regulatory engagement, strategic business development, fund raising & business transformation experience deploying advanced analytical and pragmatic delivery skills in various regulated and unregulated sectors - banking, markets, crypto, asset management, technology. He is currently the Head of Strategic Development MENA at Apex Group assisting in the development of the region for Apex, a global financial services provider with more than $2.5T AUA – to asset managers, capital markets, private clients and family offices. Apex includes including fund services, digital onboarding and bank accounts, depositary, custody and super ManCo services, business services including HR and Payroll and a pioneering ESG Ratings and Advisory service for private companies.

Regional Head of Sales for Middle East, Africa & Mauritius (MENA)

Andre has 35 years’ experience in the financial services information technology and 3rd party administration industry. He began his career at Andersen Consulting and joined Syfrets in 1991 where he headed up the software development division before setting up FMS, the unit trust outsourcing division of Nedcor Investment Bank. Andre joined Maitland in 2000 and was responsible for the roll out of the FinSwitch business-to-business switch and Maitland’s infrastructure services division. In his role as Head of Business Development (Africa), Andre was responsible for domestic and international sales activities for Maitland’s fund services division. Andre joined Apex Group through their acquisition of Maitland in 2023 and is currently the Regional Head of Sales for Africa, Middle East & Mauritius. Qualifications: B.Bus.Sci (University of Cape Town)