Archives: Speakers

Ms. Wang joined ICBC Group in 2007 and has 20 years of experience in Banking/Financial Services industry. From 2016 to 2017, Ms. Wang held the position of Senior Manager of Asset & Liability Management Department at ICBC Head Office. From 2017 to 2022, Ms. Wang held the position of Deputy Division Head of Asset & Liability Management Department at ICBC Head Office. She was appointed as Assistant General Manager of ICBC Dubai (DIFC) Branch from February 2022.

Ms. Wang has a PhD and a master’s degree in economics from University of International Business and Economics, China and is a CFA charterholder.

Dr. Jelena Janjusevic is Deputy Global Head of Accountancy, Economics and Finance, at Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University Dubai.

She teaches both Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes in finance and economics. She has been a part of the University since 2017.

In her 20-year-long working experience, Dr. Janjusevic has worked with – government of Montenegro officials, municipalities, social partners, foreign government officials, and international institution representatives – World Bank, IFC, EBRD, USAID, UNDP, CHF, EC, etc.

Besides teaching, Dr. Janjusevic has strong managerial and research experience. She has previously been engaged with many different projects dealing with macroeconomics, sustainable development, and public administration capacity building (initiating several reforms in the energy sector, urban planning, financial, health, pension system, education system, investments, business environment, and legislation improvement).

Previously, she used to teach at Montenegro Business School and the University of Mediterranean in Montenegro. Dr. Janjusevic spent nearly seven years working in the first think tank in Montenegro as a researcher and analyst. Additionally, she has successfully organised and attended many conferences, seminars, workshops, and press conferences. Furthermore, Jelena has a deep understanding of econometrics and statistics, organising surveys, focus groups, trend analysis, training, etc., and preparing many macroeconomic, socioeconomic, and financial analyses and papers.

Her areas of interest are – Quantitative Finance, Portfolio Selection, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Finance, and Sustainable Tourism.

She has been recognised among the Top 100 Sustainability Voices of 2025 by Climate Penpal Media alongside inspiring leaders driving real change in the Middle East.

Matteo Coppola is the global practice leader for Risk & Compliance at Boston Consulting Group. He has worked with clients in a variety of industries and geographies on topics including credit risk, compliance risk, cybersecurity, climate risk, scenario planning, operational resilience, business continuity, and the risks associated with emerging technologies.

Matteo believes in a proactive approach to risk management, regulatory changes, scenario planning, and risk anticipation. He is experienced in the management of financial and geopolitical risks as well as crisis management, and has successfully led a number of complex transformation programs at banks and insurers, with an emphasis on credit, liquidity, and operations risk management. He also has significant experience working with regulators and central banks.

He is a strong advocate of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) programs, sustainability, and climate change, embedding climate risk and sustainable finance in transformation programs. He helps clients adapt responsibly, create value, and effectively mitigate associated risks in the fast-changing ESG regulatory and compliance landscape. He actively leads and participates in research and thought leadership within BCG and with higher education institutions to advance the development of risk management and compliance practices in the 21st century.

Prior to joining BCG, Matteo was Director of Centralized Sales at HSBC in the US. He returned to Europe in 2007 to join BCG and established the multidisciplinary Risk Management & Compliance team based in Milan.

Mohamed Moawad has over 24 years of Banking experience, Driving technical growth, Stocks portfolio management, Profitability, Liquidity & capital structure, Asset efficiency, Fundamental analysis and Equity valuation.

He currently occupies the position of Chief Credit Officer at ADCB – Egypt responsible for the following divisions Corporate Credit, Commercial Credit and SME’s Credit, Credit Administration and Investigation, Retail Credit, Special Accounts & Remedial Division (SARD) covering both corporate and retail clients. He is a member at Senior Credit Committee, SMEs Credit Committee, Retail Credit Committee and Executive Committee.

He was Deputy CRO at IDB, Board Member in a Group of Companies on Behalf of IDB, Member of Main Credit Committee, NPL Committee and Head of the Sub-Credit Committee, and also acted as a CRO at Bank Audi during the legal merge with FAB Misr and worked as a Head of Credit Risk Assessment for 3 years as well.

He was appointed as a technical member in many working groups, and is always keen on enhancing his leadership strategies as he was the Head of a Steering Committee at IDB which was designed to fully integrate IDB’s financial activities with Environmental Social Responsibilities Principles (ESRM).

He also hold an IFQ certificate from Charted Institute for securities & Investment.

He has attended many professional trainings such as Moody’s Financial Analysis and Bank Counterparty Risk Assessment from Lloyds TSB where he managed to learn Quantitative Analysis Techniques and Qualitative, Forensic & Advanced Analysis Techniques.

Hussain Al Khalsan joined Zand as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) in June 2019. In his role, he oversees and manages the Cyber Security Programme of Zand.

He is a seasoned professional with 18 years of experience in IT Security, Information Security and Cyber Security within the banking and financial services industry. Prior to joining Zand, Hussain held multiple leadership roles, including serving as the Head of Technology Risk at the Commercial Bank of Dubai.

Antoine is the CEO of BNP Paribas Wealth Management Middle East and Africa, based in Dubai. He previously was the GCC Market Head for the business.

Before joining BNP Paribas, Antoine was advising private and institutional clients on asset management ranging from venture to mature investments, strategy, corporate finance, M&A, balance sheet optimization and restructuring, in the US, Europe and the GCC.

Antoine held senior positions as CEO and board member in a group of companies for part of the UAE Royal Family, with activities in banking, real estate, industries, oil and gas, and investments. As CEO of EIIC, Antoine managed a capital markets portfolio across asset classes invested globally and strategic investments in Europe and the GCC. Antoine was instrumental in setting the group strategy, restructuring the portfolio during the financial crisis in 2008.

He is co-founder of Digital World Capital (DWC), a London based multi asset-class hedge fund, investing in Telecom, Media and Technology. Previously, Antoine worked in the Venture Capital industry in Silicon Valley and in the banking and telecom sectors in MENA.

Antoine holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from McGill University, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from INSEAD.

Dr. AI-Suwaidi joined QNB in 2000 and currently serves as Group Chief Risk Officer; having previously held the role of Assistant General Manager of Credit Risk Management. She has almost 23 years of experience in banking and she holds a particular interest in banking innovation. She is currently a member of the Board of QNB Finansbank (Turkey) and The President Commissioner of QNB Indonesia. Dr. Al Suwaidi has a BSc in Accounting, a Master’s in Business Administration from Qatar University, an MSc in Risk Management from the University of New York, a Juris Doctor Degree from Hamad Bin Khalifa University and a Doctorate in Business administration from Grenoble University, France on the subject of ‘Innovation in Banking and Financial Markets’, focusing on crypto currencies.

Vikrant Bhansali serves as chief executive officer of United Bank for Africa Plc in Dubai,
where he leads the bank’s Middle East operations and strategic expansion across the
region. With more than 25 years of international banking experience spanning Sub-
Saharan Africa, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, North Africa and India, he brings
deep expertise in cross-border financial services and emerging markets.
Before joining UBA, he served as chief representative for international markets at DIFC
Authority, the government entity overseeing Dubai’s premier financial center.
His distinguished career in banking and financial markets includes serving as regional head
of institutional sales for Sub-Saharan Africa at Standard Chartered Bank and managing
director at Société Générale in London, where he spearheaded the bank’s Middle East
and North Africa regional expansion strategy.
Vikrant has held senior leadership positions across global financial institutions, including
Morgan Stanley in London, Citigroup in London, Dubai and Bahrain; HSBC in India; and
Arthur Andersen & Co. in India. His diverse experience across multiple markets positions
him uniquely to drive UBA’s mission as Africa’s global bank.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in law and is a CFA charter holder.
Vikrant is also qualified as a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of India, where he ranked 18th nationally. He has served as a consultant for
the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group) and as an independent nonexecutive
director in Kazakhstan.

A well-known and respected thought leader in MENA affairs, Edward James has been with MEED for more than 19 years, working as a researcher, consultant and content director. Until September 2008 he was MEED’s Gulf Bureau Chief, after which he moved over to head up the consulting arm of the business. From 2015-2021 he was responsible for content and research at MEED Projects, the region’s leading projects tracking service. Today he heads up all content and research produced by the MEED group. His specific areas of expertise are construction, hydrocarbons, power and water, and the petrochemical market, and is considered one of the world’s foremost experts on the MENA projects market. He is a regular guest commentator on Middle East issues for news channels such as the BBC, CNN and ABC News and is a regular speaker at events in the region. He has an honours degree in Arabic and Middle East Politics.

Adnan joined National Bank of Fujairah as the Head of Finance in December 2005. He assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer in January 2010 and was then appointed Deputy Chief Executive Officer in November 2020.

With over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, Adnan brings a profound understanding of the banking sector and a proven track record of success. He has been instrumental in driving NBF’s commercial success and is passionate about fostering innovation and change to benefit both customers and employees.

In his current role, Adnan aims to solidify NBF’s position as a leader in the UAE banking sector by enhancing customer and employee experiences. He focuses on expanding the bank’s product offerings and digital services, striving for sustainable growth and service excellence.

Adnan holds an Executive MBA with distinction from London Business School. He is also a fellow member of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (UK) and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (Pakistan).