Damian Grice

Damian Grice is a Partner and Chief Operating Officer of KPMG Lower Gulf, a role he has held since November 2023. He is a seasoned COO and innovator within professional and financial services with over 22 years of experience in transformation focused leadership. In his role at KPMG, Grice oversees all operations across the United Arab Emirates and Oman region, serving as a member of the firm's 8-strong leadership team.

Damian holds a Bachelor of Business Management in Human Resources from Queensland University of Technology. Early in his career, he held roles as a Human Resources Consultant with the Queensland Government and later at PwC, where he worked in the Banking and Capital Markets group in London. He subsequently held leadership roles at a British universal bank, serving as Chief of Staff for the Global COO and Global Head of Innovation for the Corporate Bank.

Since relocating to the UAE in 2013, Grice has held several Chief Operating Officer roles at prominent financial institutions. At First Abu Dhabi Bank, he served as Group Chief Operating Officer, Technology, where he was responsible for running the bank's global technology department. He was subsequently appointed Head of Barclays' Non-Core Corporate Banking business in the region, where he led the successful restructuring of a 200-person, $500 million assets business. Most recently, Grice was Chief Operating Officer at Greenstone Equity Partners, one of the largest fund managers in the region.

Career history

• Partner and Chief Operating Officer, KPMG Lower Gulf (2023–present)
• Chief Operating Officer, Greenstone Equity Partners
• Group Chief Operating Officer, Technology, First Abu Dhabi Bank
• Chief Operating Officer – Corporate Banking, Barclays Bank Middle East (2013)
• Chief of Staff for the Global COO and Global Head of Innovation, Barclays Corporate Bank, London
• Banking and Capital Markets Group, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), London

What Damian Grice could bring to KPMG Lower Gulf: Grice has a proven track record in transforming, running, and scaling business operations across Australia, Asia, Europe and the Middle East for top-tier banking institutions. He is credited with launching Barclays Corporate Bank's first innovation ideas platform across multiple regions and implementing over 60 solutions which grew revenue, reduced complaints and lowered costs. These competencies position him to drive operational excellence and innovation initiatives across KPMG's Lower Gulf practice.