Standard Chartered appoints Emirati woman as new UAE CEO

Standard Chartered has appointed Rola Abu Manneh as the new CEO for its business in the UAE with immediate effect, it announced on Sunday.

Abu Manneh replaces Julian Wynter, who will be retiring following 26 years of service at Standard Chartered. He took over the UAE CEO post in November 2015.

The Emirati banker joins from First Abu Dhabi Bank where she served as a senior managing director and head of Corporate and Investment Banking Division for the Abu Dhabi region.

She has also held senior-level positions in the domestic and international banking divisions and in wholesale banking, a statement said.

Sunil Kaushal, regional CEO for Africa and Middle East, said: “Rola’s leadership and experience will further strengthen and deepen our client relationships in the UAE and she will play a key role in achieving our aspirations in one of the most strategic markets for the group.

Rola Abu Manneh added: “I am looking forward to continuing the growth of the bank’s business and to strengthening relationships with clients, staff, regulators and the community at large.”

Standard Chartered, which began operations in the UAE in 1958, is looking to boost its regional presence.

The bank’s chairman José Viñals also visited the country last year for a board meeting in Dubai and met with the UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.