Executive Management
Najla Al Shirawi
Chief Executive Officer
Najla Al Shirawi has more than 21 years of investment banking experience. Having been part of SICO since 1997, she was appointed CEO in 2014 following her appointment as deputy CEO in 2013. Najla served with Geneva-based Dar Al-Maal Al-Islami Trust, where she established private banking operations for the Group in the Gulf region. Najla is a Board member at the Bahrain Economic Board (EDB) and a Chairperson on the Board of Directors for two SICO subsidiaries: SICO Funds Services Company (SFS) in Bahrain and SICO Financial Brokerage in Abu Dhabi. She is also an Independent Board Member of Eskan Bank BSC(c), Bahrain and a Board Member of the Deposit Protection Scheme, Bahrain, the Bahrain Associations of Banks, and the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance. She holds an MBA and a BA in Civil Engineering from University of Bahrain.
Fadhel Makhlooq
Chief Capital Markets Officer
With over 36 years of professional experience, Fadhel Makhlooq joined SICO in 2004 as Head of Brokerage before being appointed Head of Investments & Treasury in 2008. He was re-appointed Head of Brokerage in 2010 and then assumed the position of Chief Capital Markets Officer in 2018. Prior to joining SICO, he worked for a number of leading financial institutions including Investcorp and Chemical Bank (now JPM Morgan Chase). Fadhel holds an MBA from Glamorgan University, UK.
Anantha Narayanan
Chief Operating Officer
With over 28 years of diversified experience in
the areas of operations, audit, and risk in the banking industry, Anantha
Narayanan joined SICO in 2008. He was Head of Internal Audit before being
appointed to his current role of Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining
SICO, he worked for Credit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank, BBK,
Commercial Bank of Oman/Bank Muscat, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Anantha is a
Chartered Accountant and Cost Accountant (India), a Certified Information
Systems Auditor and Financial Risk Manager (USA), and an Associate Member of
the Institute of Financial Studies (UK). He holds a BSc Honours from the
University of Manchester, UK.
K. Shyam Krishnan
Chief Financial Officer
K. Shyam Krishnan has 28 years of experience in
finance, accounting, audit, investments and risk management, with the majority
of his career spent in conventional and Sharia-compliant banking. Prior to
joining SICO in 2015, he was Group Head of Finance at Al Salam Bank-Bahrain. Before
this, he was Head of Hedge Funds’ Operational Risk Management at Investcorp,
Bahrain and Audit Supervisor at the Bahrain office of Ernst & Young. He is
a Chartered Accountant and Management Accountant from India and a Chartered
Financial Analyst, Certified Internal Auditor and also a Certified Information
Systems Auditor. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Madras University, India.
Shakeel Sarwar
Head of Equities Asset Management
Shakeel Sarwar joined SICO in 2004 and has
accumulated over 24 years of investment industry experience in the UK, Pakistan
and the Middle East over the length of his career. Prior to joining SICO, he
worked with Riyad Bank’s Asset Management Division and was part of the team
that managed over USD 3 billion in Saudi equities. He has also held positions
with ABN Amro Asia Securities in the UK and Pakistan. Shakeel holds an MBA in
Banking and Finance from IBA, Karachi, Pakistan.
Ali Marshad
Head of Fixed Income Asset Management
Ali Marshad has over 12 years of experience in asset
management, investments, treasury and brokerage. Joining SICO in 2008 as an
Analyst in the Investments & Treasury division, Ali then headed up the
newly established Fixed Income Desk in 2012 before being promoted to Head of
Fixed Income in 2015. Prior to joining SICO, he worked in the UK as an Analyst
with Mercer Investment Consulting and as a Performance Analyst with UBS Global
Asset Management - London. A Chartered Financial Analyst, Ali holds a BSc
(Honours) in Banking, Finance & Management from Loughborough University,
UK.
Wissam Haddad
Head of Investment Banking and Real Estate
Wissam Haddad has 17 years of experience in
investment banking, private equity and corporate finance. Prior to joining SICO
in 2014, he was a Director with Gate Capital in Dubai and had previously held
senior positions with UAE-based Najd Investments, Unicorn Capital, Emirates
NBD’s NBD Sana Capital, Saudi National Commercial Bank’s NCB Capital, and
Eastgate Capital among others. Wissam holds a BCom degree from Concordia University,
Canada.
Mariam Isa
Head of Brokerage
Mariam Isa has 14 years of experience in
regional equity trading and sales. She joined SICO in 2005. Before becoming the
Head of Brokerage, she held the positions of Chief Broker. Mariam has also
worked as a Senior Officer in the Placement Department at Gulf Finance House.
She holds an MBA in Islamic Finance from University College of Bahrain and has
a n Associate Diploma in Accounting from University of Bahrain; and a Treasury
& Capital Market Diploma from BIBF, and has completed the Leadership
Development Program, University of Virginia, USA.
Nishit Lakhotia
Head of Research
Nishit Lakhotia has nearly 16 years of
experience in the fields of investment research, risk management, hedge funds
and private equity. He has been involved in sell side Research in SICO since
2009 actively covering sectors such as telecommunications, consumers, aviation,
and construction across the GCC. Previously, Nishit worked for an Iceland-based
private equity firm focusing on India’s infrastructure sector and a US-based
global hedge fund. Nishit is a Chartered Financial Analyst, a Chartered Alternative
Investment Analyst, and a Financial Risk Manager from the Global Association of
Risk Professionals. He holds an MBA in Finance from the Narsee Monjee Institute
of Management Studies, Mumbai, India.
Haitham K. Haji
Head of Distribution and Business Development
Haitham Haji has 20 years of experience in
both conventional and Islamic banking with emphasis on alternative investments,
asset management, business development and banking operations. Prior to joining
SICO in 2019, Haitham was the Chief Executive Officer of Investrade, a Category
I investment firm regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain and specializes in
asset management, treasury and investments. Prior to that, he served as a
full-time consultant with Gatehouse Bank in London advising the Bank on the
establishment of its private equity business as well as its private and
institutional client platform in the GCC. Prior to his time in the UK, Haitham
was a Director and Senior Relationship Manager with Credit Suisse AG in Bahrain
covering private banking and asset management across the GCC region. Prior to
that, he was a Director with Arcapita Bank where he was responsible for
institutional and private shareholder and client relationships & distribution
primarily in the UAE among other regions. Haitham started his career in 1999
with BBK as a management associate and subsequently served in various
managerial roles covering operations, research & business development, and
treasury & investments. Haitham holds a BA (Honors) in Public
Administration and Management from the University of Kent, UK, and an MBA from
Durham Business School, Durham University, UK.
Jithesh K. Gopi
Head of Proprietary Investments
Jithesh Gopi has over 24 years of experience in the investment industry spread across asset management, investment strategy, corporate and product development, research and analytics. Since 2013, he worked with Al Rajhi Capital, Riyadh in various roles such as Head of Asset Management, Head of Research and more recently as Director of Corporate Development and Proprietary Investments. He previously worked with SICO as Head of Research until 2013 after joining as a Senior Analyst in 2006. Jithesh holds B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the College of Engineering, Trivandrum, India and an MBA from the Asian Institute of Management in Manila, Philippines. He is also a CFA charter holder and has completed the Asian International Executive Program at INSEAD Singapore.
Nadeen Oweis
Head of Corporate Communications
Nadeen Oweis joined SICO in 2008 and has
accumulated over 19 years of professional experience. Prior to joining SICO,
Nadeen oversaw corporate communications and public relations for Microsoft in
Bahrain. Before this, she handled regional accounts for Lowe Contexture, a
regional branding and communications consultancy based in Bahrain. She also
held posts at Proctor & Gamble Jordan and managed the advertising and
promotions account for Radio Fann FM in Jordan. Nadeen holds an MA in
Diplomatic Studies from the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy, a BA in Law from the
University of Jordan, and a Certificate of Digital Marketing from Columbia
Business School.
Simone Del Nevo
Head of Legal
Simone Del Nevo joined SICO as Head of Legal in
July 2018 and has over 12 years of experience in managing legal affairs both as
private practitioner in major international firms and as in-house counsel.
Before joining SICO, Simone worked several years at the international law firm
BakerMcKenzie in Europe and Japan where he specialized in banking, finance and
securities law. After successfully taking upon a role as finance-specialist
counsel to Snam, European largest gas infrastructure group, Simone moved to the
Kingdom of Bahrain in 2014 working as Senior Associate in the leading regional
firm ASAR - Al Ruwayeh & Partners. He received his Law Degree from Bocconi
University of Milan in 2004 and was admitted to the Milan Bar Association as a
qualified lawyer in 2007.
Mohammed Juma
Head of Compliance and MLRO
Mohammed Juma holds over 15 years of experience in compliance, investment and operations management. Mohammed joined SICO in 2016 as Head of Compliance and MLRO where he is responsible for monitoring SICO Group’s operational adherence with the guidelines of regulatory authorities. Previously, Mohammed was Head of Compliance and MLRO with the International Investment Bank and JS Bank Limited in Bahrain. Mohammed holds a BA in Banking and Finance from the University of Bahrain and has completed the Leadership Grooming Executive Program with the Ivy Business School in Canada and Hong Kong. He is a Certified Compliance Professional and a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist.
Joseph Thomas
Head of Internal Audit
Joseph Thomas has over 16 years of experience
in internal audits, assurance engagements, and other financial advisory
services. Joseph joined SICO in 2015 after having been Head of Internal Audit
at Global Banking Corporation and holding a post with the Risk Consulting
division of KPMG Bahrain. He began his career with Bharat Overseas Bank in
India, followed by an internal audit role at the South Indian Bank. He later
served as Audit Manager and Partner at a Dubai-based auditing firm. Joseph is a
Chartered Accountant and a Certified Internal Auditor. He holds a Bachelor of
Commerce degree from Mahatma Gandhi University in India.
Amal Al Nasser
Head of Operations & Client Relations
Amal Al Nasser has more than 30 years of
banking experience. After joining SICO in 1997, Amal was Head of Operations at
the Bank for 10 years before being appointed General Manager of SFS, a wholly
owned subsidiary of SICO, when it was established in 2006. Amal resumed her
role as Head of Operations at SICO in 2010. Before joining the Bank, she spent
10 years with ALUBAF Arab International Bank in Bahrain, working in the areas
of credit, investment, and commercial banking operations. Amal holds a BA in
Economics from Poona University, India.
Mohammed Ibrahim
Head of Information Technology
Mohammed Ibrahim has over 18 years of
experience in the field of information technology (IT) including IT project
management, business analysis, complex system builds and interfaces, business
continuity planning, and information security. Prior to joining SICO in 2007 he
was Training Head and Technical Consultants Team Lead at the Bahrain Institute
of Technology and Technical and Training Manager at YAT Group, Egypt. Mohammed
is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSIP), a Master
Certified Internet Web Professional (MCIW), a Microsoft Certified Solutions
Expert, and a Microsoft Certified Trainer. He holds a Bachelor of Science and
Education degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in Science and Education from
Alexandria University, Egypt.
Nadia Albinkhalil
Head of HR & Administration
Nadia Albinkhalil more than 24 years of experience
and has been with SICO since inception, during which time she established the
HR & Administration Department and had been responsible for Board meeting
administration. Prior to joining SICO, she provided administrative support for
the Private Banking Unit of Chase Manhattan Bank. Nadia holds a Diploma in
Office Management from Bahrain University.
Sreenivasan Konnat
General Manager, SICO Funds Services Company (SFS)
Sreenivasan Konnat has over 27 years of
professional experience in funds administration, financial control and
accounting, and back office operations. Initially a member of SICO’s Financial
Control department, he transferred to the Bank’s subsidiary, SICO Funds
Services Company (SFS), in 2007 as Head of Asset Administration and assumed his
current position as General Manager in 2017. Prior to joining SICO, Sreenivasan
was Back Office Supervisor and Systems Administrator with GWK Bank-Bahrain and
Chief Accountant with Al Namal Group of Companies in Bahrain. He holds a BSc
degree in Chemistry from the University of Calicut, India and has an
Intermediate Level certification from the Institute of Chartered Accountants,
India.
Bassam A. Khoury
General Manager, SICO Financial Brokerage LLC
Bassam has over 33 years of international
experience in brokerage, investments, and financial consultancy. He joined SICO
in 2008 as Head of Brokerage before leaving in 2010 to join QInvest, Qatar as
Headof Regional Brokerage. Prior to re-joining SICO in 2013 as General Manager
of SICO Financial Brokerage, Bassam was Chief Executive Officer of
Bahrain-based ABC Securities. Previously, he worked with Banque Saudi Fransi in
Saudi Arabia, BMB Investment Bank and Lehman Brothers in Bahrain, a private
family office in Paris, and M Sternburg & Company in the USA. Bassam holds
a BSc degree in Business Administration & Economics from King’s College, New
York, USA.