Hisham Ezz El-Arab

Current Role

Hisham Ezz El-Arab was reappointed as Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of Commercial International Bank (CIB) – Egypt in November 2024. He leads Egypt's largest private-sector bank with a market capitalization exceeding EGP 300 billion.

Education

Hisham Ezz El-Arab holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from Cairo University. He later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Career History

• Chief Executive Officer, Commercial International Bank (CIB) – Egypt (November 2024–present)
• Non-Executive Chairman, Commercial International Bank (March 2023–November 2024)
• Founder and Chairman, HE Advisory (2020–2023) – advised corporations on growth strategies, resources mobilization, and financial risk management
• Advisor to the Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt (2022)
• Chairman and Managing Director, Commercial International Bank (2002–2020)
• Managing Director, Deutsche Bank, London (1997–1999)
• Managing Director, J.P. Morgan, London (1990–1997)
• Assistant Vice President, Merrill Lynch, London (1986–1989)

Notable Achievements

During his tenure as Chairman and Managing Director (2002–2020), Ezz El-Arab transformed CIB from a wholesale lender with EGP 1 billion market capitalization into Egypt's largest private-sector bank. He introduced sustainability and gender equality initiatives, making CIB the first Egyptian bank to issue a sustainability report and join UN Environment Programme Financial Initiatives for Responsible Banking. In 2019, CIB was named to the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, the only Egyptian company to achieve this recognition. He led the bank's digital transformation, including establishing the first data analytics unit at an Egyptian bank.

Ezz El-Arab received the African Banker's Lifetime Achievement Award in May 2023, Global Finance's Lifetime Achievement Award in March 2025, and MEED's CEO of the Year award in June 2025. He was named Best CEO in Egypt and Africa by EMEA Finance in 2014.

Leadership Legacy & Community Impact

Ezz El-Arab founded the CIB Foundation in 2010, which has impacted the lives of nearly 8 million children through healthcare partnerships focused on underprivileged youth throughout Egypt. He was formerly Chairperson of the Federation of Egyptian Banks and a board member of the American University in Cairo.

What Ezz El-Arab Could Bring to CIB's CEO Role

Ezz El-Arab's return as CEO represents continuity of proven institutional transformation expertise. His leadership is committed to positioning CIB for long-term, sustainable growth through a five-year strategic journey (2026–2030) spanning innovation, sustainability, and financial inclusion. With four decades of international banking experience across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, combined with his track record of building Egypt's banking benchmark and pioneering ESG leadership, Ezz El-Arab brings strategic vision for navigating evolving macroeconomic conditions and capturing emerging opportunities in African markets and fintech expansion.