Emirates Islamic Bank appoints new General Manager - Retail Banking

Aqil, a UAE national, brings with him 15 years of experience as a financial services professional. As General Manager - Retail Banking, he is expected to develop and implement the bank's ambitious retail banking expansion plans.

His early priorities will be to continue the growth of the bank's retail network across the UAE, as well as its services to small- and medium-sized enterprises and its investment and priority banking offerings, while expanding other retail channels, such as self-service banking facilities and call centre - all in a move to provide added value to the bank's customers.

"With his rich background in the field, Faisal brings valuable experience to this position and will certainly contribute to our retail banking expansion and to our commitment to 'Banking in Three Dimensions'. The retail business is a key platform for offering innovative products and quality customer service, all in a Shariah-compliant environment," said Ebrahim Fayez Al Shamsi, CEO of Emirates Islamic Bank.

Aqil has worked for the Emirates Bank Group for the past 15 years. Most recently he was managing the Al Shaheen Club priority banking business. In that role, he developed Al Shaheen into the most successful and recognizable priority banking brand in the market. During his 2½-year tenure, Al Shaheen increased its customer base substantially.

Prior to Al Shaheen, Aqil was the General Manager of meBANK, responsible for products and brands, where he successfully built meBank into the very strong brand it is today. He came to that assignment from his position as the Area Manager for Emirates Bank branches. He also has served as a Branch Manager and in various other capacities at Emirates Bank, including in the Operations, Credit, Trade Finance and Treasury departments.

Commenting on his appointment, Faisal said, "Although less than a year old, Emirates Islamic Bank has quickly gained a strong reputation as a leader and pioneer in innovating new products and services in the Islamic banking sphere. I look forward to joining this energetic and dynamic team as we move to grow our retail banking activities and further enhance the bank's leadership in this market."

Aqil earned a computer science degree from UAE University and participated in the Mohammed Bin Rashid Leadership Program. He is completing his Executive Master of Business Administration degree at the IMD Lauzan. He also is a director of Network International.