Hisham Alrayes

Board Member & Group CEO, Executive Director at GFH Financial Group

Panellist

Hisham Alrayes is leading GFH forward towards its vision of becoming the region’s most prominent, diversified financial Group and one that provides a remarkable platform for delivering superior asset management, commercial banking and investment services. As the Group CEO & Board Member, Hisham brings extensive expertise and banking knowledge to the Group and was instrumental in driving the creation and execution of the Group’s regional and international investment strategy. With a distinguished career spanning over 26 years, Hisham’s profound understanding of banking and investment strategies have been pivotal to the Group’s success.

Under his stewardship, the Group has seen significant growth and expansion in its business lines and geographic footprint, demonstrating resilience even in challenging market conditions. Hisham’s commitment to excellence is reflected in his active involvement in various directorships across financial, industrial and real estate sectors, including notable positions at Esterad Investment Company, Khaleeji Bank, GFH Capital, GFH Partners, GFH Equities and Infracorp.

He holds a Master’s degree (hons) in Business Administration from the University of DePaul, Chicago (USA) and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Hons) from University of Bahrain.

In 2023, Hisham received the First-Class National Action Pioneers Medal from His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Moreover, Arabian Business also named him within the ‘100 Most Inspiring Leaders in the Middle East’, ranking first in the financial sector and seventh overall. He was also named CEO of the Year in Financial Services by CEO Middle East. In 2022, Forbes ranked Hisham as one of the “Top 100 CEOs in the Middle East” while Arabian Business named him as “CEO of the Year - Financial Services”.

In 2021, Hisham was ranked one of the “Top Listed CEOs” in the CEO Today Middle East Awards and “Best CEO in Investment Banking - Bahrain” from Global Economics. In 2020, Hisham was named ”Banker of the Year” by MEA Finance in recognition of his role in steering the Group’s diversification strategy which has seen the Group expand its business lines and geographic reach, while remaining resilient in the face of unprecedented market conditions. He was also ranked one of the top CEOs in Financial Services & Investments in 2019 and named “Investment Bank CEO of the Year” at CEO Middle East 2019.