Dr Rassem El Zok is the Chief Executive Officer for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region at Standard Bank Group, bringing more than 30 years of experience in investment banking, capital markets, and asset management. His career includes senior roles at Credit Lyonnais, Sakura Bank, Merrill Lynch, and J.P. Morgan in Paris and London, where he advised sovereigns, financial institutions, and corporates on major debt and equity issuances across Europe and the Middle East.

He joined Standard Bank Group in 2009 as CEO for the MENA region, operating from the Dubai International Financial Centre, and was appointed to the Group’s International Executive Committee in 2015. Prior to this, he served as President of International Financial Advisors, a Kuwaitbased listed investment conglomerate.

Dr El Zok holds a BSc in Economics (Honours) from the London School of Economics and postgraduate degrees from the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris, including a PhD in Economics (with distinction).