The Banking Executive Magazine - March 2021

Mashreq NAMES NEW GROUP GENERAL COUNSEL Bank, one of the leading financial in- stitutions in the UAE, has appointed Marouf Mohamed Shweikeh as Group General Counsel, to manage the bank’s Legal Affairs reporting into the Group CEO. In his role, Shweikeh will be respon- sible for managing the bank’s legal requirements, including safeguarding the organisation against local and in- ternational legal risks and pre-empt- ing future risks from a legal, statutory and compliance standpoint. Additionally, Shweikeh will provide expert legal opinion to the bank’s management regarding new and ex- isting ventures, as well as processes in line with prevailing laws, proce- dures, and jurisdictions. Shweikeh brings with him more than 25 years of legal experience. Before taking the position at Mashreq, he served as General Counsel for Al Hilal Bank, where he managed a team of 50 people in the legal de- partment. Prior to this, he also served as the General Counsel, Head of Legal Department, for Alawwal Bank in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – as well as the Legal Advisor & Secretary of the Board of Directors to the Central Bank of Bahrain. His functional ex- pertise covers areas such as lending transactions, new market entry and due diligence, legally focused prod- uct development, regulatory proj- ects, privatisation and commercial litigation, in addition to arbitration and mediation. Ahmed Abdelaal, Group CEO of Mashreq Bank, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with technologi- cal disruption and multiple new en- trants joining the financial eco-system, has transformed the banking landscape in profound ways. At a time in which markets are looking to recover from a particularly challenging period - and Mashreq continues to expand on its interna- tional reach - Shweikeh’s appoint- ment will be vital as we work to mitigate risk and navigate an increas- ingly sophisticated regulatory envi- ronment in the Middle East and beyond. We are pleased to welcome him as the new Group General Counsel and are certain that his ex- tensive legal experience in the region will benefit Mashreq as we look to continue our growth story.” Shweikeh added: “It is an honour to be able to step into this new role at Mashreq. Navigating legal risks, reg- ulatory guidance and statutory com- pliance can be among the biggest challenges that any bank faces in its operations. Under the leadership of the Group CEO, we’ll be working to ensure that Mashreq continues to op- erate in accordance with best prac- tices and deepens ties with regulators, government authorities and – most importantly – our valued customers.” ISSUE 147 MARCH 2021 the BANKING EXECUTIVE 33 Marouf Mohamed Shweikeh Group General Counsel