His Excellency Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mashreq Bank PJSC | Chairman of the UAE Banks Federation | Chairman of the Executive Committee of Al Ghurair |Chairman of Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation | Founder of Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund | Governing Council Founding Partner of the Global Muslim Philanthropy Fund for Children in partnership with UNICEF and Islamic Development Bank 

His Excellency, Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair is one of the Arab world’s most influential business and philanthropic leaders. In 2025, he was recognized on the TIME100 Philanthropy list as one of the world’s 100 most influential philanthropists, an acknowledgment of his unwavering commitment to empowering youth, advancing education, and fostering innovation that shapes a better future.

He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mashreq Bank. He was the CEO of Mashreq for nearly 30 years and under his leadership, Mashreq grew from a small local bank to a leading customer centric financial institution in the region known for its innovative products and services.

Furthermore, His Excellency is the Chairman of the Executive Committee of Al Ghurair, one of the biggest and most successful business groups in the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East, with operations spanning more than 20 countries and business roots stretching back half a century.

His Excellency was elected as a speaker of the United Arab Emirates Federal National Council (UAE Parliament), from 2007 until 2011. Previously, he sat on the Board of Directors of major companies such as Emaar, Dubai Investments, Visa International, MasterCard, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Co-Chairman of the Arab Business Council – World Economic Forum (WEF). He was also a member of the Consultative GCC Council for the GCC Leaders and President of The Knowledge Fund, and a member of the Board of Trustees of New York University, USA.

His Excellency serves as the Chairman of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation, one of the region’s largest private philanthropic foundations, committed to empowering Emirati and Arab through transformative education opportunities, so they can shape their future and uplift their communities. Under his leadership, the Foundation has positively transformed the lives of over 400,000 young people to date.

His Excellency holds an Honours’ Degree from the California Polytechnic State University in Industrial Engineering.