Prior to that, Dew served as chief operating officer (COO) for HSBC Bank USA and chief auditor for HSBC North America. Earlier, Dew gained his firsthand experience in Saudi Arabia and the GCC when he worked as deputy managing director and COO of SABB from 2001 to 2004. He is a member of the board of SABB.

"I am very pleased that we have David Dew as managing director of SABB. With his extensive experience, I am quite confident that he will carry on the great heritage of SABB, put our customers at the forefront of everything we do, and lead the bank into a new era of sustainable growth." said Fuad Bahrawi, acting chairman of SABB.

Dew received his MA in Economics from the University of Cambridge in the UK.  He joined HSBC in 1977. Previously, he held senior positions with HSBC in Singapore, Italy, Oman and UAE.

SABB was incorporated in 1978 as a joint stock company. HSBC Group, one of the world's largest banking and financial services organizations, owns 40 percent of SABB's shares with the remaining 60 percent owned by individual and institutional shareholders in Saudi Arabia.

SABB operates through 90 branches and some 500 ATMs in the Kingdom. It is a full financial services group providing services in the areas of personal banking, corporate banking, investment banking, private banking, Islamic banking, treasury services, equity brokering and custody, mutual funds, and insurance.