A key player in the strategic management of the Group’s core operational functions, Salah Sharif, Chief Operating Officer of GFH, is also responsible for ensuring the highest standards of operational excellence across the Group and its Special Purpose Vehicles and Project Companies. He has more than 30 years of regional and international exposure to conventional and Islamic banking and finance, with experience across commercial and wholesale banking and in industrial and infrastructure advisory sectors. In addition to his executive role at the Group, Salah also serves on a number of investee company boards. He is the Chairman of Falcon Cement Company, Vice Chairman of Infracorp and Vice Chairman of Gulf Holding Company, and a Board Member of Khaleeji Commercial Bank, GBCorp and CapCorp.

Prior to his current role in GFH, Salah was seconded as the CEO of Cemena Holding Company (CHC), an industrial subsidiary of the Group, one of the largest cement holding companies in the MENA region. Previously, he held a number of senior roles in leading, global financial institutions, including American Express and Standard Chartered Bank where he held key executive positions.

Salah holds an MBA from the University of South Wales, UK. And most recently, he completed the Senior Executive Leadership Program offered by Harvard Business School, Boston, USA.