National Bank of Kuwait, the affiliate of IBQ - holds its inaugural International Advisory Board meeting in Kuwait

Bringing together an impressive array of distinguished world figures in the fields of politics, economics and business. Several international key financial and banking organizations such as Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have established similar advisory boards, nevertheless, the NBK International Advisory Board sets a precedent for banks and financial institutions in the Middle East.

NBK Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of International Bank of Qatar (IBQ), Ibrahim Dabdoub, said he was delighted the new International Advisory Board was chaired by The Rt Hon Sir John Major, who for nearly a decade during his years as Prime Minister of the UK, played a vital role in devising regional policies in the Middle East, and that the Board counted among its members some of the most prominent figures from the Middle East, United States, Britain, India and the Far East.

Mr Dabdoub added, "International interest in the Advisory Board has far exceeded my expectations and reinforces the view that National Bank of Kuwait is indeed a world class bank".

NBK International Advisory Board Members

Sir John Major Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Mukesh Ambani Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries Limited, India
Matthew Barrett Former Chairman and CEO, Barclays Bank, UK
John Chipman Director General and Chief Executive, International Institute for Strategic Studies, UK
Anthony Cordesman Chairman, Center for Strategic and International Studies, US
Peter Davies Special Economic Advisor to BP PLC, UK
Ged Davis Co-President Global Energy Assessment, Austria
Mohamed A. El-Erian Co-CEO and Co-CIO, PIMCO, US
HRH Prince Turki Al-Faisal Chairman King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies, Saudi Arabia
Martin Feldstein President and CEO, National Bureau of Economic Research, US
Toyoo Gyohten President, Institute for International Monetary Affairs, Japan
Steve H. Hanke Professor of Applied Economics, The Johns Hopkins University, US
Abdullatif Al-Hamad Chairman and Director General, Arab Fund for Economic & Social Development, Kuwait
Mustafa V. Koc Chairman, KOC Holding A.S., Turkey
Cees Maas Former Vice-Chairman and CFO of ING Group NV, Netherlands
Moises Naim Editor-in-Chief, Foreign Policy, US
Naguib Sawiris Chairman and CEO, Orascom Telecom Holding S.A.E., Egypt
Klaus Schwab Executive Chairman and Founder, World Economic Forum, Switzerland
Tom de Swaan Advisor to Managing Board ABN-AMRO, Netherlands
Tony Tan Keng Yam Deputy Chairman and Executive Director, Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, Singapore
Sir David Walker Senior Advisor, Morgan Stanley, UK
John Waterbury President, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

The establishment of the Board coincides with NBK's ongoing regional and international expansion.