JEDDAH, 25 March 2007 — Eissa Al-Eissa, managing director and chief executive of Samba Financial Group, won the Middle East CEO of the Year Award instituted by the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute (MEEAI) during a ceremony in Dubai recently.
Al-Eissa won the award for the chief executives in the banking and financial sector for the year 2007, an official statement issued by the bank said yesterday. He received the award from UAE Education Minister Dr. Haneef Hassan.
Prominent personalities and businessmen as well as many UAE government officials and foreign diplomats attended the ceremony that was held at Burj Al-Arab Hotel on March 21, 2007.
MEEAI presents its annual awards to leaders of institutions that play a significant role in the development of various sectors in the Middle East. Former US Vice President Al-Gore is one of the leading recipients of MEEAI awards.
Al-Eissa thanked the institute for selecting him for the award. “I am proud of receiving this award as I represent Saudi Arabia and the banking sector in the Middle East. It will be added to the many achievements of Samba,” he told the ceremony.
Al-Eissa, who joined Samba in 1980, was named the managing director and CEO of the bank in September 2003. He supervised the merger of Saudi United Bank with Samba in 1999. In 2002, he was named a member of the board of directors. His appointment as the bank’s chief executive coincided with the end of its partnership with Citigroup in 2003 as he steered the bank’s quick transfer to the local management within 37 days.
Under Al-Eissa’s leadership, Samba received a number of regional and international awards including 12 in 2006 when it was named the best bank in the Kingdom and the best bank in the Middle East.
“Al-Essa is a leading banker in the Middle East as a result of his administrative and leadership capabilities, his strategic vision and long-standing experience in the field,” the bank said.
Al-Eissa is an active member of several financial, educational and charitable organizations. He is a member of the consultative committee of the Supreme Economic Council, the economic committee of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, a member of the International Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s board of directors, a board member of Saudi Electricity Company and a member of the board of trustees of Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd University.
