British Arab Commercial Bank (BACB), the international wholesale bank dedicated to specialist markets, has announced a series of key appointments to strengthen the bank’s leadership. 

 

These appointments, that follow the naming of Eddie Norton to the CEO's post in October 2020, are expected to enhance its risk strategy framework and focus on growing trade finance flows in key North African markets and re-positioning its UK Real Estate business.

 

Stephen Bell has been appointed as Managing Director and Chief Risk Officer. Recently serving as Chief Executive and Chair of Investment Committee for a private-equity backed real estate lender, Bell has held a variety of executive and board roles with a focus on risk, strategy, transformation and restructuring, a bank statement said. 

 

Sami Al-Sharif, an experienced banker with significant Libyan expertise, returns to BACB as Deputy Chief Executive Officer. A qualified accountant and established banking professional, Al-Sharif joins from Libyan Foreign Bank – BACB’s majority shareholder – where he has held several senior roles, including Deputy Head of Operations and, most recently, Head of Risk. 

 

Another appointment is that of Michael Rolfe as BACB’s new Head of Trade Finance. Rolfe assumes the role in addition to his existing responsibilities at BACB, and has been promoted to Managing Director reporting directly to CEO Norton. He will focus on the bank’s core trade finance competencies.

 

Richard Burrows will take up the role of Head of Real Estate in addition to his existing role as Treasurer. Burrows joined BACB in 2019, having previously held senior positions at the Bank of China, the Co-operative Bank, the Financial Services Authority and Citigroup. 

 

CEO Norton said: “As BACB moves towards its next phase of safe, sustainable growth, it is vital that we maintain a sharp focus on strengthening our risk strategy and framework and our core trade finance offering for the markets that we serve.”

 

“Bell and Al-Sharif bring deep knowledge of our specialist markets as well as a wide range of expertise. Our leadership team is further strengthened by Burrows’s appointment as Head of Real Estate/ Treasurer and Rolfe’s appointment as Head of Trade Finance," he said. 

 

"I am confident that the skills, experience and unique perspectives of Bell, AL-Sharif, Rolfe and Burrows will prove invaluable to the senior leadership team," Norton added.-TradeArabia News Service