Umayya Salah Toukan

Position: Governor, Central Bank of Jordan

Biography: Umayya Salah Toukan was reappointed as governor of the Central Bank of Jordan for a second term on 1 January 2006 having already served one five-year term in the role. Toukan was born in Amman and completed his undergraduate and MBA studies at the American University of Beirut. Having completed his postgraduate studies at the UK’s Oxford University, he completed his doctoral studies at Columbia University in New York. His career started at the Central Bank of Jordan in 1967. Toukan has served as economic adviser to the prime minister of Jordan, as head of the economic research department at the Central Bank of Jordan, and as CEO of the Amman Financial Market. From 1989 to 1991, he held the post of senior economist at the Arab Monetary Fund in Abu Dhabi. He served as Jordan’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU from 1996 to 2000.

Contact Tel: (+962) 6463 0301

Abdel Hamid Shoman

Position: Chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), Arab Bank

Biography: Abdel Hamid Shoman was elected chairman of Arab Bank upon his father’s death in July 2005, having been CEO since 2000. The bank was established in 1930 by his grandfather, Abdel Hameed Shoman, and father, Abdul Majeed Shoman. In 1972, Abdel Hamid Shoman was appointed executive regional manager for Arab Bank’s branches in the Gulf region. In 1976, he became senior managing director, a position he held for 25 years. Over the same period, he headed the senior credit committee of the bank, where he was responsible for all lending activities and portfolio management. Shoman, who was born in 1947, has served as a member of the Jordan Senate and as a member of the board for the Central Bank of Jordan. He holds a bachelor’s degree in science in business administration from the American University of Beirut.

Contact Tel: (+962) 6560 7231

Abdel Karim al-Kabariti

Position: Chairman & CEO, Jordan Kuwait Bank

Biography: Abdel Karim al-Kabariti has been chairman of Jordan Kuwait Bank since July 2007. Since his appointment, Kabariti has presided over an impressive pace of growth. Kabariti served as head of the Economics & Finance Committee for the Jordan Senate between 2005 and 2007, and remains a member of Jordan’s upper house. He currently serves as chairman of both United Financial Investments Company and Gulf Algeria Bank, as well as being a board member of Kuwait’s Burgan Bank. He also serves as vice-chairman of the board of the Jordan-based Middle East Insurance Company. Kabariti holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the US. He joined Jordan’s parliament as a deputy in 1989, when he was also appointed minister of tourism and antiquities, a position he held for two years. Kabariti went on to serve as prime minister and minister of defence and foreign affairs from 1995 to 1997.

Contact Tel: (+962) 6568 8814

Michel Marto

Position: Chairman, The Housing Bank for Trade & Finance

Biography: Michel Marto has been chairman of the Housing Bank for Trade & Finance since 2004 and was re-elected to the role in March this year. Marto began his banking career at the Bank of Jordan in 1979, first as deputy manager and then as managing director. In 1989, he was appointed deputy governor of the Central Bank of Jordan, a position he held for eight years. From 1997 to 1998, Marto was chairman of the Jordan Securities Commission. Marto was appointed Jordan’s finance minister in 1999, having also served as finance minister in the previous government. Marto served as chairman of the Association of Banks in Jordan until March this year. He holds a master’s degree and a PhD in economics from the Southern California University, and worked from 1975 to 1977 as an economist with the World Bank in Washington D.C, US.

Contact Tel: (+962) 6560 7315

Marwan Awad

Position: General manager and CEO, Jordan Ahli Bank

Biography: Marwan Awad has been general manager and CEO of Jordan Ahli Bank since 2006. In April this year, he inaugurated the Ahli Corporate Branch, which is designed to exclusively serve the needs of its corporate banking clients. The branch will complement the existing financial services of the bank’s corporate banking division, which has been providing its services to both local and regional clients for almost 55 years. Awad has also been a key figure in the establishment of Middle East Payment Services, a region-wide initiative launched last year to improve electronic payment services. In March this year, the board of the Association of Banks in Jordan (ABJ) elected Awad as its chairman for a three-year term. The ABJ was established in November 1978 to strengthen the co-operation between its member banks and co-ordinate their activities.

Contact Tel: (+962) 6563 8800

Rajai Muasher

Position: Chairman, Jordan Ahli Bank

Biography: Since it was established in 1955, Jordan Ahli Bank has been a leading player in the financial services industry in Jordan and beyond. Rajaei Muasher became chairman of the bank in 1997. Muasher is continuing to drive change within the bank through investing in new risk-management systems, highly trained personnel, and customised products and services. Jordan Ahli Bank generated $35.2m in profits in 2008, a 35.5 per cent increase on 2007, while its total assets reached $2.9bn. Its income is highly diversified, with the bank generating revenue from a healthy mix of enterprises, including retail and investment banking. Muasher also represents Jordan in the Beirut-based Union of Arab Banks and chairs the financial committee of the Jordan Senate. He has also previously served on the foreign affairs committee and was Jordan’s trade and industry minister in the 1980s.

Contact Tel: (+962) 6563 8800