Board Of Directors
Mr. Saad AZHARI
Member of the Board of Directors – Chairman
Mr. Saad Azhari holds a BS in Computer Engineering and an MBA in Business Administration from Michigan-Ann Arbor University in the United States. From 1986 to 1991, he worked at PBZ Privatbank, a subsidiary of UBS Group in Zurich, where he was promoted to run, from Zurich, the Bank’s operations in the Middle East and in its Hong Kong office. He joined BANORIENT (SUISSE) SA in Geneva in 1991 where he was appointed General Manager in 1997, then elected Chairman in 2001. Between 2001 and 2007, he held the position of Vice–Chairman and General Manager of BLOM BANK S.A.L. in Beirut (Lebanon) before occupying the position of Chairman and General Manager in 2008. He also assumes several functions on the Board of Directors of BLOM BANK Group’s entities. Since 2001, he is Vice President of the Association of Banks in Lebanon.
Chairman of the Board
Me Oren-Olivier PUDER*
Vice-Chairman of the Board
Mr. Jean Paul DESSERTINE
Member of the Board of Directors – Director
Mr. Jean-Paul Dessertine holds a Bachelor in Science (geology, chemistry, physics) from the University of Strasbourg.
He is also a graduate of the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris and holds a Master’s Degree in Philosophy from
the University of Paris-Sorbonne. From 1966 to 1993, he was hired by the Bank of the European Union (Empain-
Schneider Group and then CIC Group) as International Director and then Deputy General Manager. He also rose to
several positions as Chairman or Director of banks and companies within this Group, notably at BUE AG in Frankfurt,
Banca Rosenberg Colorni in Milan, Creusot Loire Entreprise, then Technip and Locafrance-Locamur (Crédit Bail). He
was also appointed member of the Supervisory Board of the Caisse Centrale de Coopération Economique (Central
Fund for Economic Cooperation -French Development Agency) and director of its subsidiary Proparco and Vice-
Chairman of the Commission of the French Banks Association. From 1993 to 2005, he rose to the position of Director
General and then Director of the National Committee of Foreign Trade Advisers of France and Chairman of the
Asian and CIS Commissions (ex-USSR). From 2001 to 2009, he was President of Carto Funding Spa in Milan of the
Group Management and International Securitization. He joined the Board of Directors of BANORIENT (SUISSE) SA in Geneva in 2012.
Director
Dr. Werner FREY
Member of the Board of Directors – Director
Dr. Werner Frey holds a PhD in History, Constitutional Law, and Political Science from the University of Zurich. From 1975
to 1997, he was hired by Bank Leu in Zurich and appointed from 1988 to 1997 as a member of the Executive Committee
in charge of Treasury, Stock Market and Trading Activities. He established his own management consultancy firm in
1997 working in the field of financial market infrastructure and banks. Since 2002, he has managed the “European
Securities Forum” in London and its successor organization, the Post Trade Division of the Association for Financial
Markets in Europe (AFME). He is also a member of several Boards of Directors in the financial sector. He has been a
member of the Board of Directors of BANORIENT (SUISSE) since 2004.
Director
Mr. Jean-Marc REBOH
Director
Mr. Ahmad G. SHAKER
Member of the Board of Directors – Director
Mr. Ahmad Shaker holds a degree in Political Economy, with emphasis on Finance, from the University of Geneva as
well as several technical certifications in the Information Technology field. He has also completed several training
courses from the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (Practical Applications of Futures and Options), from ESA
Beirut (Corporate Governance Program for Board Members of Lebanese Banks) and from IMD Lausanne (Executive
Programs, Family Business, High Power Boards, Family Office, Digital Strategy) . He began his career in a multinational
group active in the international trade of raw material, thus climbing the ladder of the agro-industrial sector to rise
to the management of the said-department. He then established his own trading company and oversaw, for several
years, the running of a fruit juice factory in France. After settling in the Middle East, he remains active in several
companies working in the field of telecommunication, new technologies, and information technology. Also active in
real estate trade, he participated in several international agro-industrial and real estate development projects. With
several years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, he also acts as advisor to several computer companies,
including a listed company. In 1992, he became a member of the Board of Directors of BANORIENT (SUISSE) SA and in 2017 a member of the Board of Directors of BLOM BANK S.A.L in Beirut (Lebanon)
as director.
Director
* Membre indépendant / Independent member
