Zaid Al Rawi

Zaid Al Rawi brings 25 years of experience in financial services, with a career focused on advising ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and institutional investors across the Middle East and North Africa region. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics & Management from King's College London.

Al Rawi's career began in 1999 with Merrill Lynch in London, advising Middle Eastern family offices on investment and structuring needs. In 2006, he relocated to Dubai as Sales Director for Barclays Wealth in the Middle East, North Africa & Turkey region. Since 2013, he has worked in capital advisory with European private equity real estate firms, developing deep expertise in cross-border investment structuring and investor relations across GCC markets.

Career history

• Chief Executive Officer, Sanctuary (2025–present)
• Managing Director, Middle East, Sanctuary (2024–2025)
• Managing Director, MENA, M7 Real Estate and Martley Capital (2013–2024)
• Sales Director, Barclays Wealth, Middle East, North Africa & Turkey (2006–2013)
• Investment Advisor, Merrill Lynch, London (1999–2006)

What Al Rawi could bring to his CEO role at Sanctuary: His two decades of relationship-building with GCC family offices and sovereign wealth investors, combined with proven capital-raising and regional expansion expertise from his tenure at M7 Real Estate, position him to scale Sanctuary's fiduciary services across the MENA region. His background in wealth structuring and alternative investments—particularly European real estate asset management—aligns strategically with Sanctuary's positioning in cross-jurisdictional financial services and trust administration.