Abu Dhabi: First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) has added two new global banking veterans to its executive committee (ExCo) – appointing Simon Thorn as Group Chief Compliance Officer and Neil Barrable as Group Chief Credit Officer – as the FAB Group continues to accelerate growth and deliver sustained business momentum across geographies.

Simon Thorn will oversee FAB’s regulatory compliance, anti-money laundering, and financial crime policies and procedures, ensuring that FAB maintains the highest compliance standards in all its business activities. Thorn brings with him a wealth of expertise in compliance, having joined FAB in 2023 from Barclays Bank in the UK where he was Chief Compliance Officer. Prior to this, he held senior leadership positions in compliance in several high-profile organisations, including Merrill Lynch, Nomura, and the UK Financial Services Authority (FSA).

Neil Barrable will lead FAB’s credit function and brings with him nearly 30 years of experience in credit and its related functions, covering a wide range of markets and products. Barrable joins FAB from HSBC in London, where he was Managing Director, Global Head of Wholesale Credit & Lending. Prior to this assignment, he held senior executive positions with several leading international institutions in the Asia Pacific region, including JP Morgan, Barclays Capital, and Deutsche Bank. He assumes responsibilities from Acting Group Chief Credit Officer Rajesh Deshpande, who will now take up the position of Chief Strategic Business Initiatives Officer & Head of Capital Portfolio Management.

With their combination of diverse experience and expertise, these latest appointments at FAB are strong additions to the bank’s senior management group. Building on strong foundations, they will each play a vital role in realising FAB’s strategic vision as the financial partner of choice in the UAE and wider MENA region, driving growth regionally and globally as the bank meets the evolving needs and expectations of its customers.

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ABOUT FIRST ABU DHABI BANK (FAB)

Headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, First Abu Dhabi Bank is one of the world’s largest and safest financial institutions, with total assets exceeding AED 1.2 trillion (USD 336 billion) as of March 2024. In addition to being the largest bank in the UAE and second-largest bank in the Gulf region, FAB operates in 20 markets globally.

FAB provides comprehensive financial services, including Investment Banking, Corporate and Commercial Banking, Consumer Banking, Private Banking, and Global Markets. Listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), FAB is rated Aa3/AA-/AA- by Moody’s, S&P and Fitch respectively, with a stable outlook.

A regional leader in sustainability, FAB has an MSCI rating of ‘A’ and ranks among the top 10% of banks globally according to Refinitiv’s ESG scores, leading in the MENA region. The bank also received a regional-best Low ESG Risk evaluation from Sustainalytics, and the highest CDP score among UAE banks.

For more information, visit: www.bankfab.com. For investor-related queries, please contact the FAB Investor Relations team on ir@bankfab.com; for PR and media-related queries, please contact PRandmedia@bankfab.com.

Media:
Weber Shandwick MENAT
Bana Dajani 
E BDajani@WeberShandwick.com