Profile and experience

Andrew has more than 30 years of global experience in the Financial Services sector, specialising in Private and Retail Banking services. In 2020 Andrew stepped into the role of CEO. Having worked at BLME as Head of Wealth Management and Head of Business since 2015, he is uniquely placed to lead the Group as it continues to sharpen its focus on wealth management and real estate as its core offerings. Andrew’s motive continues to be creating the best possible outcome for clients. He believes success is achieved through focusing on the Group’s values, maintaining good governance and continuing to grow positive culture. In doing so, the BLME team remain empowered to provide exceptional expertise and service to our valued clients. Andrew is also a member of the Board of Directors of BLME Capital K.S.A and Walbrook Asset Finance Limited.

Previous appointments 

Before joining BLME in 2015, Andrew was Head of Strategy and Head of Retail Banking at International Bank of Qatar (IBQ). He began his career with Lloyds Bank in 1989, working onshore in the branch network as well as in the Offshore Banking Group in the Channel Islands before moving to Citibank International PLC where he held several roles including Head of Sales and Distribution. In 2004 Andrew joined National Bank of Kuwait as Head of Affluent Sales, after which he worked at Al Khaliji where he held several senior positions including Group Head of Consumer Banking and Head of Premium and Business Banking.

Profile and experience

Chris has more than 35 years of global experience in Banking and Financial Services, specialising in Financial Control, Operations, Internal Audit and Risk. In January 2020 Chris was promoted to Chief Finance Officer and Chief Operating Officer having worked at BLME since September 2015. Chris is also a member of the Board of Directors of Walbrook Asset Finance Limited and MKL Construction Equipment Finance Limited. Chris was an integral leader in BLME’s strategy refresh in 2016 and driving the related projects to turn the Bank around into a consistently profitable organisation. Chris was also instrumental in the planning and execution of the Group’s share buy-back program in 2018 and the delivery of the acquisition by Boubyan Bank in February 2020. Chris is a graduate of the London School of Economics, qualified as a chartered accountant in 1986, is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and holds an MBA.

Previous appointments

Before joining BLME in 2015, Chris was Group Finance Director of the Board of CLS Group Holdings AG (“CLS”), the world’s foreign exchange settlement utility. He began his career with Deloitte in London before moving to Hong Kong and progressing to Senior Manager and heading up the Hong Kong Banking and Securities Group. Chris joined the ABN AMRO Banking Group in 1994, where he held various senior control, compliance and finance positions whilst working in Hong Kong, Thailand and Brazil. This culminated in Chris heading up the control function for South America and joining ABN AMRO’s Top Executive Group as a Corporate Executive Vice President, prior to joining CLS in 2008 as Chief Financial Officer and then being promoted to the main Board.

Bank of London and The Middle East plc (BLME)

Profile and experience
Tracey is a HR specialist with a passion for people and for achieving business results through an engaged workforce. In her role she is responsible for creating and leading on employee engagement and development programs, implementing reward and talent management strategies, and reinforcing a strong company culture. Tracey also leads on corporate communications, ensuring internal and external audiences are kept updated on the Bank’s work.

Volunteer roles
In addition to her role at BLME, Tracey holds a voluntary position as a Board member for Fat Macy’s, a social enterprise that supports people to move on from temporary accommodation through culinary and hospitality training. Tracey was recently sworn in as a volunteer Magistrate in North London and previously held the role of Chair of the People Platform for the Association of Foreign Banks.

Qualifications
Tracey holds a Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Arts from the Queensland University of Technology, and a Masters in Applied Linguistics from the University of Southern Queensland.
Tracey is a member of the Chartered Institute for Professional Development in the UK. She is a qualified mental health first aider.

Previous appointments

Tracey previously worked in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates where she focused her career on a broad range of human resource functions in the education, hotel, and aviation industries. After 13 years in Dubai with Emirates Airline, Tracey relocated to London in 2012. After taking time off following the birth of her daughter, she moved into the Banking and Financial Services industry and enjoyed HR roles at both Capital Group (Asset Management) and Lazard (M & A Advisory) before joining BLME as the Head of HR.

Profile and experience

Simon Gibbons assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer in 2024. He returned to BLME in 2021 as Chief Operating Officer: to spearhead our change & transformation, outsourcing & procurement functions, day-to-day operations, IT infrastructure, and facilities management. He previously worked in this role with the Bank in 2015.

Previous appointments

Simon has over three decades of C-level experience in banking and financial services. His previous positions include Regional Chief Operating Officer (Europe & Americas) at First Abu Dhabi Bank UK and Chief Financial Officer at International Bank of Qatar.

Yasser joined BLME in February 2022, and he is responsible for the securities company’s operations and strategy direction, as well as increasing BLME’s profile within the GCC. Prior to joining us, Yasser worked across Wealth Management, Investment Banking and Corporate Banking roles for 15 years. He joined from EFG Bank, a Swiss Private Bank, where he was an Executive Director of Wealth Management. Prior to joining EFG, Yasser was VP Wealth Management at Deutsche Bank in Riyadh and Head of Business Development in Corporate Banking Group at Bank Saudi Fransi. He has also held senior positions in Samba Financial Group and Saudi Hollandi Bank. Yasser has an MBA from the University of Essex in the UK.

Profile and experience

Fahim is highly experienced in financial risk management, board, and regulatory engagement. He has over 25 years of diversified international experience in risk and business with a proven track record in developing risk governance frameworks, portfolio management, internal controls, policy development and change management. Fahim holds an MBA from the University of Warwick, he is SMF4 approved, and holds Diplomas in Green & Sustainable Finance and Islamic Banking.

Previous appointments 

Fahim’s career spans markets across the GCC, UK, and Africa, and he has most recently held CRO roles at iFast Global Bank, Bahrain Islamic Bank, and Country CRO roles with Standard Chartered Bank.

Profile and experience

Paul is a highly respected figure in the financial services industry, with 23 years’ experience and periods spent working in UAE and Lebanon. His expertise is in driving strategic change and accelerating growth, particularly in the digital platform space. Paul also sits on the University of Birmingham Business Advisory Board and is a Non-Executive Director of a fast-growing Sport England governing body.
 
Paul’s role is a newly created position within the bank: responsible for Nomo’s revenue creation, including identifying new consumer and market opportunities and enhancing existing products. He is instrumental in forming the bank’s strategy and vision and will drive the growth of Nomo in its key markets.

Previous appointments

Paul joins from C. Hoare and Co, where he was Chief Operating and Customer Officer. Prior to this, he was Global Head of Digital Transformation and Agile Deployment at HSBC, where he led the transformation and commercialisation of the bank’s digital channels.