Mr. Omar Alghanim

In a business career spanning over 20 years, beginning as an M&A Analyst with Morgan Stanley, Omar has brought a unique skill set to his role as Group CEO of Alghanim Industries and Chairman of Gulf Bank.

During his 17-year tenure at Alghanim Industries, Omar grew a geographically diverse multi-business group fivefold. This growth was enabled by building a culture of meritocracy of people and creativity. The Harvard Business School even wrote a case study to showcase the company for MBA students. Omar’s distinctive management style was also successful at Gulf Bank, where in seven years, he doubled net profit with double-digit growth figures every year, making Gulf Bank one of the fastest-growing banks in the region.

Omar is co-founder and continues as a regional board member of INJAZ-AL ARAB, which has touched over 3 million youth in the region. He is also involved with the World Economic Forum as Chair of the MENA Regional Business Council (2014-2015), and Chair of the initiative, ‘A New Vision for Arab Employment’ (2014-present). Omar also sits on the Leadership Council at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Centre for Public Leadership (2018-present), Harvard Business School’s Board of Dean’s Advisor’s (2018-present), and Harvard Business School’s MENA Advisory Board (2015-present). In 2018 the Family Business Council –Gulf (FBCG) elected Omar as their chairman.

Omar is soon to launch a new impact investment vehicle. He believes very strongly that business cannot exist for the sole purpose of profit. As a responsible investor, he wants to combine financial performance with social commitments, to become a pioneer in quality-of-life investments. He sees it as a way of improving the lives of the people in the Gulf Region.

In 1997, Omar received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Commerce from New York University’s Stern School of Business and has an MBA from the Harvard Business School (Class of 2002).