Our navigators have led organizations across 100+ countries, managed billions in revenue, and built careers at Mastercard, HSBC, Prudential, Marriott, MTN, DHL, Citibank, Deloitte and more.
– Chief Executive Officer , Prudential plc
– Divisional Senior Vice President, Emirates Group
– Founding Board Member & Vice President , Turkey Fintech Association
– Chief Operating Officer for dLocal
– Independent Director of OFG , Extra Space and Sphere3D
– CEO of Aramex Group and former DHL executive.
– CEO | Fintech Executive | Payments Expert | Board Advisor
– Chief Fintech Officer RealPage, Ex CEO wave, AfterPay North America
– Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank Handlowy SA
– CEO , Global Hotel Alliance (GHA)
– CEO of MTN Group Fintech
– Founder and CEO of SheKnows
– Chief Operating Officer, Middle East & Africa, Luxury, Europe Middle East & Africa and Global Leader, Design Hotels Marriott International
– Group Chief Executive Officer of Commercial Bank
– Global Chief Risk & Compliance Head, International Wealth & Premier Banking, HSBC
– Head of Wealth for Asia South
– CEO of Citibank Singapore
– Group Chief Financial Officer , TIME dotCom Berhad
– Board Member, Former Vice Chairman and Senior Partner at Deloitte
– Board Member, Payments Executive
– Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Holding Entertainment
– Chief Executive Officer
Prudential plc
Anil is a global financial services leader with more than 30 years’ experience, predominantly in Asia, combining strategic vision and execution in some of the world’s biggest companies.
Prior to joining Prudential, Anil served as President and CEO of Manulife Asia where he successfully grew and transformed its diversified and multi-channel business with significant market share gains in many key markets and made it the company’s largest source of core earnings. Prior to this, he spent 25 years with Citi in Asia Pacific, EMEA and the US, in a number of consumer financial services roles.
Anil holds a Master’s Degree in Management Studies from the Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from the Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics
-CEO
Dr. Nejib Ben Khedher brings over 36 years of global experience in the airline and travel industry, including senior executive roles at Sabre Holdings and Travelocity. He joined the Emirates Group in 2012 as Deputy CIO and has served since 2015 as Divisional Senior Vice President of Emirates Skywards. Under his leadership, Skywards has evolved from a traditional frequent flyer programme into a global lifestyle loyalty platform, tripling in size and introducing industry-first innovations. He also served as Interim CIO from 2021 to 2023 and is an active member of several leadership and talent committees within the Group.
Dr. Ben Khedher is widely recognised for driving business transformation and for his strong commitment to mentorship. He has mentored numerous professionals throughout his career, with women representing two-thirds of his Skywards leadership team. As a father of two young female professionals, he is personally committed to supporting and empowering the next generation of women leaders.
He holds a PhD in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan, as well as Master’s degrees in Robotics, Information Technology, and Air Transportation from leading French engineering institutions in Toulouse.
– Founding Board Member & Vice President , Turkey Fintech Association
Gülçin Aytemizel Telatar is a C-suite fintech executive with over 20 years of experience shaping Turkey’s financial services and digital payments landscape across banking, payments, wallets, and financial services. She is a Founding Board Member and Vice President of the Turkey Fintech Association, where she actively contributes to policy dialogue, ecosystem development, and strengthening Turkey’s position within the global fintech landscape.
She is also responsible for end-to-end strategy, regulatory engagement, product development, partnerships, and full P&L oversight, leading the organization through licensing, market positioning, and scalable growth within a highly regulated environment in Veridion Technology as Financial Institution Coordinator
Prior to this, Gülçin held senior leadership roles at ING Türkiye, BBVA, and Paycell— one of the region’s leading fintech platforms — where she led product, growth, and strategic partnership functions. Lastly, she established a regulated Electronic Money Institution as Founding General Manager at Starpay, building a sustainable digital wallet platform with a strong focus on green fintech and ESG-aligned financial solutions.
Throughout her career, she has launched innovative payment programs, managed large-scale portfolios, driven regulatory transformation initiatives, and built high-performing cross-functional teams across product, marketing, and technology. Her expertise spans digital payments, embedded finance, ESG-driven financial models, ecosystem partnerships, and strategic expansion across emerging markets.
Gülçin is widely recognized as one of the leading women voices in fintech in her region and is deeply committed to advancing women into senior leadership and board roles. She actively mentors women navigating pivotal executive transitions, helping them strengthen strategic positioning, executive presence, and long-term career impact.
She holds a degree in Computer Engineering and an MBA in Marketing.
– Chief Operating Officer
Carlos Menendez is the Chief Operating Officer for dLocal an international payment’s company and is responsible for global operations, treasury, country management, risk and public affairs. Carlos is a seasoned general manager with extensive global experience in creating and scaling businesses, known for his ability to construct successful business models with operational rigor.
He served as the President of the Global Commercialization Office at Mastercard, where he led the scaling and management of new global P&Ls, key initiatives, and drove growth across existing and emerging segments. During his 14 years at Mastercard, Carlos held various leadership roles, including Group Executive for Global Credit, Debit & Network Products, where he was responsible for building the company’s consumer products globally and deploying solutions at the local market level for billions of cardholders.
Before joining Mastercard, Carlos spent 14 years at Citi, where he held several senior roles, including COO of Western Europe Retail Banking, EMEA Bankcards Regional Director and CFO of Citibank USA.
Carlos holds a BA in Economics from Harvard University, an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School, and an MA in International Studies from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania
– Independent Director
Sue Harnett is an Independent Director of three publicly traded companies—OFG Holding Company (OFG), Extra Space (EXR), and Sphere3D (ANY)—has successfully completed four mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions. Notably, she was on the Board of Life Storage during the $15 billion transaction with Extra Space, resulting in the creation of the largest storage company in the United States. Following the merger, Sue then joined the Extra Space Board. Her prior independent and management board experience is extensive.
Sue’s passion lies in nurturing start-up companies and giving back to the community. As a Limited Partner in How Women Invest, a venture fund dedicated to women-led companies, she actively supports their growth. Additionally, she serves on the Boards of two private companies—How Women Lead and GoalSetter—and mentors the FinTech Innovation Lab.
– CEO of Aramex Group and former DHL executive.
Amadou Diallo is the CEO of Aramex Group, with extensive leadership experience across Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Formerly the CEO of DHL in the Middle East and Africa, Europe and Asia, he significantly increased revenue in the MEA region and championed diversity, with over 70% of the business led by women.
Beyond his corporate roles, Amadou actively supports community initiatives, including the Banouna Ba Foundation for Girls Education in Kolda.
A Senegalese national and polyglot fluent in several languages, he holds a.o. an MBA in International Business and is an alumnus of Schiller International University, Wharton School, and CNAM Engineering.
His impact extends beyond numbers, fostering a culture of unity and resilience.
-CEO | Fintech Executive | Payments Expert | Board Advisor
– Chief Fintech Officer RealPage, Ex CEO wave, AfterPay North America
Zahir Khoja is a globally recognized executive and board advisor with 20+ years of experience leading high-growth organizations through transformation, innovation, and inclusive leadership. He brings operational depth and boardroom fluency across technology, finance, and customer-driven growth in North America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and South America.
Most recently, Zahir served as CEO of Wave Financial Inc., a subsidiary of H&R Block and a leading money management platform for small businesses.
-CEO
Banker with a public policy background – over 30 years of management and public policy making experience in the financial industry
Currently serves as an non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank Handlowy SA in Warsaw S.A. For 18 years ( till 2021) he has been President and CEO of Bank Handlowy w Warszawie S.A. ( a member of Citigroup) and for over 10 years also member of Citi EMEA Operating Committee in London.
Before joining Citigroup, he held various executive positions in European banking groups in Poland. His civil service positions included also: Head of Banking and Financial Institutions ( 1990-1994) in the Ministry of Finance, Poland , where his responsibilities were i.a. , pro market transformation of the banking and insurance industry , and design and implementation of the Polish Bank Rehabilitation Program , Mr. Sikora was awarded Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta by the President of Poland.
-CEO
In 2004 Chris Hartley was one of the pioneers behind the launch of Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), and since 2006, has led its growth, forging a unique joint venture, which enables independent, privatelyowned hotel brands to compete with the world’s largest hotel companies. GHA’s shareholders are hotel groups Minor, Pan Pacific, Corinthia, Kempinski, tech-giant Oracle and social media company, ASMALLWORLD.
Today GHA represents a collection of 50 brands with 950+ hotels in 100 countries and offers a shared loyalty platform, the award-winning GHA DISCOVERY, to 34 million customers, which generated US$3.2 billion in annual revenue to the participating hotels in 2025.
Chris has spent his entire 35-year career in the hospitality industry, starting out in marketing with Forte Hotels in the early 1990s, he headed sales and marketing at Kempinski for ten years, which evolved into the GHA role when Kempinski became a founder member of the alliance in 2004. Chris has always been passionate about travel and languages, having studied French and German at London University before doing postgraduate studies in hospitality at Manchester University, and an MBA at NEOMA in France. He has lived and worked around the world and has now settled in Dubai where GHA is based.
– CEO of MTN Group Fintech
Birthday: 31 March
Serigne Dioum currently serves as CEO of MTN Group Fintech, a subsidiary of MTN Group Limited. Prior to this, Serigne was the MTN Group Executive for Mobile Financial Services. Serigne joined the MTN Group in September 2013 and has since then been responsible for driving MTN Mobile Money (MoMo) and related mobile financial services products and services across the MTN footprint.
Since 2009, he has held several leadership roles within the MTN Group of companies including MTN Cote d’Ivoire Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager of MTN Mobile Money in the West and Central Africa region. He also serves on the Board of various MTN Group companies and is a member of the MTN Group Executive Committee. Prior to joining MTN, Serigne headed Orange Money Skill Centre from 2008 to 2010 where he coordinated the launch of Orange Money in several Orange affiliates. Serigne holds a qualification in Telecommunications Engineering from the French institution ENST Bretagne.
His most pivotal projects include significant business growth and customer digital transformation successes which resulted in being recognized locally and globally for delivering consistent and outstanding business results, and meaningful partnerships with customers and businesses alike. Under his leadership, MTN’s fintech offering has expanded to 14 countries, serving over 64 million customers, 1.3 million agents and 2.1m million merchants and businesses generating a transaction value of US$340bn+ recorded for the nine-months ended 30 June 2025. In 2024, MTN Fintech, with Serigne at the helm, achieved a key milestone through the announcement of a commercial partnership with Mastercard as well as a minority investment which valued MTN Fintech at US$5.2bn. The collaboration will help strengthen local infrastructure for digital payments, support potential expansion of transactions in the future and drive financial inclusion through access to assets.
Serigne is passionate about financial inclusion and is spearheading MTN’s ambition to build Africa’s largest fintech platform, accelerating economic and social development through digital innovations for the benefit of citizens across the continent and beyond.
– Founder and CEO of SheKnows
Amnah Ajmal is the former Executive Vice President Market Development, EEMEA for Mastercard. In this role, she led the P&L across multiple business verticals including merchants, telcos, governments, fintech’s, digital players across 80 markets. In addition, she also led the strategy, pricing, analytics and M&A function. Prior to this role she led the North America product & innovation organization, based out of the US, creating sustainable, competitive differentiation for Mastercard and its customers by delivering digitally integrated consumer experiences across consumer and commercial products.
Prior to joining Mastercard she was the CEO for Standard Chartered Consumer Bank Malaysia. She was also responsible for retail banking strategy in a global role based out of Singapore. Prior to Standard Chartered, Amnah worked at Citigroup in UAE, Egypt, UK and Poland. She held a number of leadership positions at Citigroup including Asset Business Head for Poland responsible for full range of consumer asset products, innovation and distribution including credit cards, co brands, personal loans and mortgages.
She was honored to be listed as the top 100 women in fintech, across the globe, for 2019 by Lattice80 and recognized as the top 25 women leaders in financial technology by the Financial Technology Report US for 2019 & 2020. She was also recognized as the top 100 women in fintech, across the globe, for 2021 by IBM & Fintech magazine. She also holds the honor of being in America’s top 10 women in Fintech by the Fintech Magazine for 2020. She was recently recognized as 100 most powerful business women by Forbes Middle east.
She is passionate about social empowerment for women and gender equity. She holds a master’s degree from London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE).
– Chief Operating Officer, Middle East & Africa, Luxury, Europe Middle East & Africa and Global Leader, Design Hotels Marriott International
With over 25 years of international experience in the hospitality industry, Sandeep Walia is responsible for Marriott International’s operations across the Middle East & Africa (including Türkiye) which comprises over 410 properties and nearly 90,000 rooms in operation, and more than 250 projects in the pipeline. He also spearheads the operations for the company’s luxury portfolio in EMEA encompassing close to 200 hotels and residences across renowned brands such as Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, BVLGARI Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, EDITION, The Luxury Collection, JW Marriott and W Hotels. In addition, Sandeep serves as Global Leader for Design Hotels and overlooks the company’s branded residential portfolio across the region.
A seasoned hospitality executive with strong strategic and commercial acumen, Sandeep is focused on delivering operational and financial excellence while building long-term, value-driven partnerships with owners and stakeholders. A dynamic and results-oriented leader, he places strong emphasis on culture and people, fostering high-performance teams and aligning organizational values with key business priorities to achieve sustained growth.
Sandeep joined Marriott International in 2005 and has since held a number of senior leadership roles across EMEA. Following his tenure as General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Moscow, he served in several Area Vice President Luxury roles in both Europe and the Middle East. Prior to his current position, Sandeep was COO for Middle East and Luxury EMEA.
Having worked across EMEA and Asia, Sandeep brings a global mindset and a deep understanding of evolving consumer preferences across diverse markets. He holds an Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, a Leadership certification from Harvard Business School, and is a graduate of the Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development.
Of Indian origin, Sandeep is based in Dubai and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization.
–Group Chief Executive Officer
Stephen Moss is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Commercial Bank.
In addition to his primary executive role, he serves as Vice Chairman of Alternatif Bank in Turkey and sits on the Boards of Directors of the National Bank of Oman and the United Arab Bank in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
He has over 33 years of international banking experience, having held senior executive and board roles across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas.
Most recently, he was Regional Chief Executive Officer for HSBC’s Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye business, with responsibility for operations across nine countries. During this time, he sat on the boards of financial institutions in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and for the wider Middle East. Earlier leadership roles included Chief of Staff to the HSBC Group CEO, HSBC Group Head of Strategy, and HSBC Group Head of Mergers & Acquisitions. He also served on the HSBC Group Executive Committee for 10 years
Stephen is a Chartered Accountant (ICAEW), holds a BA in Economics and Accountancy from the University of Kent and is an Advisory Board member of the Hong Kong Red Cross.
– Global Chief Risk & Compliance Head, International Wealth & Premier Banking (HSBC)
Dinesh Sharma has recently been appointed as Global Chief Risk and Compliance Head for International Wealth and Premier Banking (IWPB), HSBC effective April 01,2026.
Since September 2022, Dinesh Sharma has been responsible for HSBC’s International Wealth and Personal Banking (IWPB) business in the Middle East and Europe. In February 2025, he was additionally appointed as interim Chief Commercial Officer for HSBC’s IWPB business globally.
Dinesh is a seasoned global executive with 30 years of proven track record in driving retail banking growth, wealth expansion and pro-active risk management across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, spanning 22 countries, including country and regional management roles with HSBC and Citibank. A unique business leader who successfully transitioned from business to risk and then back to business. Passionate about talent development, data driven decision making and customer experience.
Before joining HSBC, Dinesh served as the Regional Head of Wealth and Personal Banking for the Middle East & North Africa at Citibank for over six years. Prior to that, he was the Chief Risk Officer for Wealth & Personal Banking for Citibank EMEA, based in London, a role in which he oversaw credit, operational, and fraud risk management, defined risk appetite and optimized risk capital.
Dinesh holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematical Statistics and a master’s degree in business administration.
– Head of Wealth for Asia South
CEO of Citibank Singapore
Yeo Wenxian (Wen) serves as Citi’s Head of Wealth for Asia South and Chief Executive Officer of Citibank Singapore. In this dual capacity, she leads the bank’s wealth and consumer businesses in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. She is responsible for the onshore and offshore Citigold Private Client (high net worth) and Citigold (affluent) segments, as well as the credit card business.
A seasoned banking executive, Wen joined Citi in November 2024. She has a strong track record in spearheading client-centric innovation and business transformation, honed through her various roles across wealth management, consumer and investment banking at DBS Bank and JPMorgan.
Beyond her corporate career, Wen was a stay-at-home mother for four years and also cofounded a small business. Wen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and is married with 3 children.
– Group Chief Financial Officer , TIME dotCom Berhad
A seasoned finance professional with close to 30 years of experience in various finance and investment capacities in transportation, technology and private equity. She has served in an investment capacity leading merger, acquisition and divestment projects domestically in Malaysia and internationally for a leading Asian telecommunications group, Axiata Group Berhad for 7 years. This was followed by her appointment as a Director of Corporate Finance for EDOTCO Group Sdn Bhd, a leading Asian telecommunications towers operator. She currently serves as TIME dotcom Berhad (a public listed telecommunications operator)’s Group Chief Financial Officer.
– Board Member, Former Vice Chairman and Senior Partner at Deloitte.
Anna Celner is a strategic advisor, board member, and executive coach with more than three decades of international leadership experience across Europe, the United States, the Middle East, and emerging markets. She brings deep expertise in corporate governance, board effectiveness, risk oversight, and complex stakeholder environments, with a strong focus on supporting organizations Navigating transformation and growth. Anna partners with CEOs and senior leaders to strengthen leadership effectiveness, navigate complexity, and unlock personal and organizational performance.
Anna is a former Vice Chairman and Senior Partner at Deloitte, where she led the Global Banking & Capital Markets Practice. In this role, she defined and executed global strategy across all business lines and built long-standing relationships with some of the world’s largest financial institutions. She has extensive experience leading large-scale, cross-border transformation programs, with a focus on risk, regulation, technology, and sustainability. Anna also held multiple governance roles, including serving on the Deloitte EMEA Board, the Deloitte Switzerland Executive Board, and as Chair of the Deloitte Switzerland Consulting Board.
Today, she independently advises senior executives and boards across Europe and the Middle East. She serves on the boards of a sustainability-focused firm and non-profit organizations advancing education in Africa and India, and provides strategic advice to the president of the global education.
– Board Member, Payments Executive
Professor Andrew Buckley is a seasoned leader in payments, fintech, and innovation, serving as a Non-Executive Director at the Payment Systems Regulator, Professor in Practice at Birmingham City University, Honorary Professor at The University of Manchester, and Trustee at B:Music (Birmingham Symphony Hall).
At Birmingham City University, he is pioneering an Impact Investment Fund to empower disadvantaged students through entrepreneurship. His research at The University of Manchester explores the complexities of managing innovation in dependable services, while his latest published research explores UK consumer attitudes toward digital currency adoption.
An experienced board member, Andrew has held Non-Executive roles, for example at Birmingham City University and Prepay Solutions UK, as well as Executive leadership positions, including Chair of Vocalink Asia Pacific (Singapore). His fintech expertise extends to angel investments and advisory roles, most recently supporting TabbIT.co.uk on consumer launch and MeshConnect.com on international expansion.
With a global career spanning Payments, Telecoms, and IT, Andrew was formerly Executive Vice President at Vocalink, where he led bank payment products, and President Prepaid at Mastercard. He effectively combines technology expertise with commercial acumen, having led the development of new and patented technologies whilst also driving transformational business growth. His leadership drove the successful launch and scale-up of innovative services, including real-time payments at Mastercard, premium card products at American Express, and international market expansion for BT – executing on time and on budget.
– Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Holding Entertainment
Fernando Eiroa leads Dubai Holding Entertainment, the largest and most diverse entertainment group in the MENA region. Under his leadership, the company oversees a dynamic portfolio of leisure attractions, media platforms, and iconic destinations including Global Village, Ain Dubai, Motiongate, Real Madrid World, Dubai Parks & Resorts, The Green Planet, ROXY Cinemas, Coca-Cola Arena, and Arabian Radio Network (ARN), among others.
With over 20 years of global experience in the entertainment and leisure industry, Fernando brings a strategic vision shaped by leadership roles across 20 countries. He previously served as CEO of Sky Zone Holdings (US), Palace Entertainment Inc (US), and Parques Reunidos (Europe), where he successfully led the company to its IPO.
Fernando has held board positions at Concordia University Irvine, the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), the University of California Irvine Chief Executive Roundtable, and served as Chairman of the Parques Reunidos Foundation.
He holds an MBA from Anglia Ruskin University, a master’s in engineering management from Marconi University, and completed the Advanced Management Program at the Paul Merage School of Business, University of California Irvine. He is also a Chartered Manager accredited by the Chartered Management Institute.
