Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo (Holdings), one of the largest, independent family-owned multinational businesses in the Middle East, has appointed Khalid Mohamed Kanoo as the new group chairman.

Khalid Kanoo has a wealth of knowledge and experience, where he held many positions and executive roles within and outside the group, as well as in many boards of directors and government agencies.

He is the founder and president of the Bahrain Family Business Association. He is also a Board Member of several banks and investment houses, and chairs the Board of Trustees of the Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Award amongst many other leadership roles.

Welcoming the appointment, the YBA Kanoo Group board of directors in a joint statement, said: "We are grateful for the lessons taught by our late group chairman Mubarak Kanoo. As a family, we strive to continue to build upon his legacy in making our company one of the most respected and largest family-owned businesses in the Middle East."

"Khalid Kanoo’s appointment is a clear reflection of the company’s future aspirations to be ready to take on our Vision 2020 program. He has been supporting the group in Bahrain, the GCC and globally for many years as a known and trusted leader both within the Group and the wider business community," he stated.

"He brings with him a wealth of knowledge, experience and dedication to the role and we know that his strong focus on compliance, transparency, governance and fairness will continue to serve our business well. We couldn’t be happier with Khalid Kanoo taking the chairmanship of our board and helping our family, management and customers achieve continued success," the board members stated.

On the appointment, Khalid Kanoo said: "I am honoured and humbled to take the torch and continue to grow and nurture our family and businesses through sustainable strategies and sound leadership."

"Succeeding great fore-fathers starting with the founder Haji Yusuf bin Ahmed Kanoo and down to generations of extraordinary leaders who led the way through more than 128 years of successful entrepreneurship is both an exciting challenge and responsibility and I look forward to working with everyone in our family, our communities and business partners to bring further growth and success," he noted.

Khalid Kanoo is also a published author with two books, the first entitled "House of Kanoo" and the second "Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the future challenges of the chambers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries."

He has written many articles on family businesses, lectured and arranged several conferences and seminars on this subject in several countries from within the region and beyond, said the company in its statement.

He is also a visual artist who has taken part in many events in the kingdom, it added.-TradeArabia News Service