His Excellency Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair
(Industrial Engineering, B.S. 1977)
His Excellency Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair is a 1977 graduate in industrial engineering. He is the CEO of Mashreqbank, the largest private sector bank in the United Arab Emirates and the Chairman of Al Ghurair Investment LLC, one of the largest and most successful business groups in the Middle East. His Excellency was appointed in 2012 Chairman of the UAE Banking Federation, representing the 49 member banks operating in the UAE. His current positions include Vice Chairman of the Higher Board of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), and the Board of Emirates Foundation, among many others. Throughout his career, His Excellency has received numerous awards and accolades. Most recently Gulf Business named him the Banking Business Leader of the Year in 2016, the Innovator of the Year in 2014 and gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. He has also been recognized for his commitment to his more than 3,000 employees at Mashreqbank and was named Best CEO by Middle East Magazine in 2008. He leads the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education, one of the largest privately funded philanthropic education initiatives in the Arab world. Established in 2015 with one third of the assets of the Al Ghurair group of companies, the foundation works to prepare young Emiratis and Arabs to fulfill their potential through access to higher education. At Cal Poly, His Excellency graduated with honors and was Chairman of the Cal Poly Muslim Students Association and Arab Student Association.