Long-time banking veteran takes new role; Mr Abdulkarim Bucheery is BBK’s new CEO

BBK, one of the leading commercial banks in Bahrain, announced the appointment of Mr. Abdulkarim Ahmed Bucheery as its Chief Executive Officer,(CEO) with effect from immediately.

Mr. Bucheery’s  role in the past few months and since his appointment in an acting capacity has been instrumental and effective in helping the transition period..

For the past 6 years, Mr. Bucheery has worked alongside BBK’s Executive Management and was a key contributor to maintaining the Bank’s position as  one of the leading commercial banks, driving its vision and strategy. He also helped expand the Bank’s range of products and services and its geographic reach to where they are today.

Commenting on the new appointment, the Chairman Mr. Murad Ali Murad, said, “We are pleased to make this announcement to appoint Mr Abdulkarim as the CEO  and we are confident that he will lead the Bank and add value making use of his expertise and long experience and will no doubt  work to achieve the objectives of the Bank

“We are satisfied with the improvements in our core profitability, with most business indicators showing an encouraging trend. As such, we are certain that the appointment of Mr. Bucheery will further contribute to the Bank’s good progress in implementing its current corporate strategy and its continuous business growth and profitability”

Mr. Bucheery’s executive experience spans almost 30 years in commercial banking, with extensive and diverse skills and strength in credit and country risk management, marketing, and product development, including Islamic banking.

Prior to joining BBK in January 2002, Mr. Bucheery was Executive Vice President at one of the leading merchant banks in the Middle East,  responsible for the Institutional banking business. With over 21 years of commitment and dedication in his previous job, he has undertaken various responsibilities in different management roles, enriching his expertise across the board.  Mr. Bucheery has also spent two years in the city of London looking after its Middle Eastern relationships.

Mr. Bucheery holds a B.Sc. in Economic Science, with an emphasis on Economic, from Aleppo University in Syria, which he obtained in 1976. He has attended many specialized banking and management training programmes such as the Citibank Credit (CAD) program in Athens, Darden Executive Management Program in Virginia, International Banking Summer School in Boston, Bank Treasury Management, Capital Markets and many more.

He has been an active member of various committees in his previous positions  but more recently, at BBK.

Presently, he is the Chairman of the Board of CrediMax, Vice Chairman of the Board of Bahrain Credit Facilities Co (BCFC) and Board Member and Chairman of the Executive Committee of SICO, Bahrain.

On his appointment as the CEO, Mr. Bucheery said: “BBK has a strong reputation as a preeminent innovative financial services provider. I am very proud of my appointment as the CEO for a leading commercial bank in Bahrain, and I will take it as a challenge in sustaining and improving the Bank’s competitive position and enhancing its retail franchise in the local and regional markets."

BBK has grown brighter with confidence, becoming the largest commercial bank in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Over 35 years, it has introduced cutting-edge technologies providing customers with a wide variety of products, ranging from individual banking services, treasury and investment, to innovative commercial-focused solutions.

BBK has succeeded in building a solid name and reputation, respected locally as well as internationally, and has branches overseas in State of Kuwait and Republic of India, as well as a representative office in Dubai. Looking ahead, it is also exploring other regional markets to expand on these successes.

As a market leader, BBK conceived the revolutionary ‘Financial Mall’ concept, providing customer-convenient services, personal financial advisors and queue beating automated systems. It also offers comprehensive e-banking solutions and provides new generation services through its user-friendly, award winning website.

Today, more people are turning naturally to BBK to make their banking brighter. www.bbkonline.com