MUSCAT, 4 May 2010 - BMI Bank (BMI), the Bahrain based associate of BankMuscat, has appointed seasoned Bahraini banker Jamal Ali Al Hazeem as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Jamal will be reporting to Andrew Bainbridge, who becomes the Group CEO and takes on the responsibility of overseeing the bank’s expansion plans as well as its international operations.
Sheikh AbdulMalik bin Abdullah Al Khalili, Chairman of BMI, said: “These realignments in functions reaffirm our commitment towards becoming a stronger regional bank and further strengthens BMI’s position within Bahrain. Jamal brings with him a wealth of experience in banking and will look at implementing the local growth strategy. BMI is a dynamic bank having grown from strength to strength since its inception in 2005 and we are confident that Jamal will be able to lead us towards even greater achievements.”
Jamal was the Managing Director of Arthur Andersen - Bahrain for 22 years before being appointed as CEO of the Economic Development Board in 2000. In his next role, Jamal worked in Kuwait with The International Investor and returned to Bahrain in 2007 to take on the role of CEO of First Investment Bank. Jamal currently serves as a board member at Nass Corporation, Al-Masaleh Real Estate Co. (Kuwait), Taameer Real Estate Investment Company (Kuwait) and Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK).
Welcoming Jamal to BMI, Andrew Bainbridge noted: “I am delighted that Jamal is joining BMI and it is a sign of our ambition and strength that we can attract such talented and respected professionals. I am very much looking forward to working with him as we build BMI Bank together.”
Commenting on his new role, Jamal said: “BMI is a strong local bank with highly respected shareholders and a growing loyal customer base. I am pleased to join BMI at this significant juncture in its relatively young history and look forward to building on the bank’s strengths as well as delivering on our commitment to provide customers with unique and innovative financial products and services.”
BMI offers a full range of retail and commercial banking services through a network of 8 branches and 25 ATMs with net banking for easy access to services.