Mr. Salah Sharif
Mrs. Fatema Kamal
Mr Hazem Abdulkarim
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.
Fatema Kamal is the Chief Executive Officer at Britus Education and is a Senior Executive Director at GFH Financial Group, leading on the Group’s education investments. She has played an instrumental role in the operational transformation of the British School of Bahrain and other education assets in GFH’s portfolio.
Fatema has 18 years of working experience and a strong track-record of sourcing, structuring, advising and managing private equity. She has in-depth field experience in the financial sector specializing in investment structuring, strategic and organizational planning, tax structuring oversight, Sharia product structuring, joint venture negotiation, business development and project management.
Prior to joining GFH, Fatema held the position of Senior Executive Director of Investment Baking at Global Banking Corporation BSC. She also worked as an auditor with KPMG Bahrain.
Fatema holds a master’s degree with honors in Business Administration from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom, and a bachelor’s degree in accounting with honors from the University of Bahrain. Fatema is also a qualified and licensed CPA from The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and CIA from The Institute of Internal Auditors.
Hazem Abdulkarim is an experienced business manager with more than two decades of industry experience. Hazem has played key management roles in the parent company – GFH Financial Group, since his appointment in 2000, with experience spanning various areas, including operations, fund management and corporate communications. As a prominent member of the management team, he actively participates in the development of the group's strategy, and is a member of the boards of directors of a number of operating companies, special purpose companies, and holding companies. Prior to joining the group, Hazem worked in the Corporate Banking Division of the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait.
Hazem holds an MBA from the University of South Wales, UK
