Lazard has appointed Sarah Al-Suhaimi as chair of its financial advisory business in the Middle East and North Africa, expanding the boutique investment bank's push to establish the region as a key growth hub. Al-Suhaimi will also take on the role of chair of Lazard Saudi Arabia, pending regulatory approval.
The appointment, announced in September 2022, marks the first step in strengthening Lazard's ground presence in the region, according to Peter Orszag, chief executive officer of financial advisory at Lazard at the time. Lazard has operated in Riyadh since 2010 and designated the city as its regional hub office to serve investment banking clients across the Middle East and North Africa. "The appointment of Sarah as Chair is the first step in strengthening our presence on the ground, and given her extensive financial services background, I can't think of a better leader to represent our business in the MENA region," Orszag said in a statement. Al-Suhaimi commented that she looked forward to working with Lazard's international advisors network to serve clients across the region and grow the firm's presence there.
Al-Suhaimi brings a two-decade track record in Saudi Arabian financial services. She served as chief executive of Saudi National Bank Capital from 2014 to 2021, overseeing significant expansion of assets under management and growth in brokerage market share. Before that, she was chief investment officer at Jadwa Investment, an independent Saudi asset management boutique that she joined in 2007 as head of portfolio management. She began her career as a senior portfolio manager at Samba Financial Group, where she managed billions in local equities. She is a graduate of King Saud University with highest honors in accounting and completed the General Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2015.
Lazard is a global financial advisory and asset management firm founded in 1848 with operations across 26 countries. The firm advises on mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, capital raising and corporate finance, as well as asset management. In September 2022, Lazard was pursuing a long-term strategy to double revenue by 2030, with the Middle East identified as a key growth region. The firm has since expanded further, opening a new office in Abu Dhabi in 2025 as part of Chief Executive Officer Peter Orszag's expansion plans.
The hire signals alignment between Al-Suhaimi's regional stature and Lazard's ambitions in a high-growth market. As chair of the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) since 2017, Al-Suhaimi already oversees the largest bourse in the Middle East and sits on boards including Saudi Airlines and Saudi Telecom. Her appointment to Lazard's leadership in the region combines her Saudi market credibility with the firm's global advisory capabilities, positioning Lazard to compete for major M&A and capital markets work as the Gulf states continue diversifying their economies away from oil.
