Mashreq Bank has appointed Marouf Mohamed Shweikeh as Group General Counsel, to manage the bank’s Legal Affairs reporting into the Group CEO.
In his role, Marouf will be responsible for managing the bank’s legal requirements, including safeguarding the organization against local and international legal risks and pre-empting future risks from a legal, statutory and compliance standpoint. Additionally, Marouf will provide expert legal opinion to the bank’s management regarding new and existing ventures, as well as processes in line with prevailing laws, procedures, and jurisdictions.
Marouf 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 department. 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 expertise covers areas such as lending transactions, new market entry and due diligence, legally focused product development, regulatory projects, privatization and commercial litigation, in addition to arbitration and mediation.
Ahmed Abdelaal, Group CEO of Mashreq Bank, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with technological disruption and multiple new entrants 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 international reach – Marouf’s appointment will be vital as we work to mitigate risk and navigate an increasingly sophisticated regulatory environment in the Middle East and beyond. We are pleased to welcome him as the new Group General Counsel and are certain that his extensive legal experience in the region will benefit Mashreq as we look to continue our growth story.”
Marouf Mohamed Shweikeh added: “It is an honor to be able to step into this new role at Mashreq. Navigating legal risks, regulatory guidance and statutory compliance 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 operate in accordance with best practices and deepens ties with regulators, government authorities and – most importantly – our valued customers.”
