UAE’s Al Ghurair appoints former Dubai Holding executive as new group CEO

UAE conglomerate Al Ghurair has appointed the former chief financial officer of Dubai Holding, Samer Alhaj, as its new group chief executive.

Alhaj is tasked with driving new levels of profitability and sustainability in line with the company’s values, Al Ghurair said.

The new CEO was at Dubai Holding for five years and has held other senior roles including COO and CFO at the Abu Dhabi Basic Industries Corporation, CEO of Waha Capital, deputy CEO of Gulf Investment House and deputy general manager of asset manager KIPCO.

Read: Dubai Holding appoints new CEO, denies any merger plans

Prior to this he held various investment banking roles with William Blair, Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers in London, Chicago and New York.

“In line with Al Ghurair’s mission to constantly enhance our offerings and strengthen our businesses, we hereby welcome Mr Alhaj who will make a tremendous addition to our leadership team,” said Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, chairman of Al Ghurair’s executive committee.

“We are very confident that he will drive innovation in Al Ghurair in times of change, and help us achieve our vision, not only for the company but more especially for the communities that we serve.”