Chaired by James Adams, Group Treasurer at Chalhoub, the ACT Treasury Network Middle East Advisory Panel was developed to provide the ACT team with on the ground intelligence and guidance. The panel consists of treasury professionals from some of the largest and most influential organisations across the GCC. These volunteers dedicate their free time to supporting the development of the profession and ensure that the ACT is supporting the local needs of the treasury and finance community.
Matthew Hurn FCT, Chief Financial Officer, Alternative Investments & Infrastructure, Mubadala Investment Company
Matthew is the Head of Finance for the Group’s Emerging Sectors platform which incorporates Mubadala interests in Real Estate and Infrastructure, healthcare, Mubadala Capital and Enterprise Technology and Services. Prior to this Matthew was the Group Treasurer with responsibility for treasury, financial risk management and insurance. Prior to joining Mubadala, Matthew was the Group Treasurer of DSG International (formally Dixons Group) where he was instrumental in developing the company’s treasury framework and strategy to accommodate its overseas expansion into 28 countries. Matthew has worked extensively in the treasury industry for over 20 years in both the public and private sectors. His previous treasury experience also includes several years at Otis, with responsibility for the UK treasury operations of United Technologies Corporation, a Fortune 500 company.
James Adams FCT, Group Treasurer, Chalhoub Group
James is the Group Treasurer at Chalhoub Group; a leading partner for luxury across the Middle East, expert in retail, distribution and communication. He is responsible for all aspects of treasury and has recently led several projects to establish the new function within the firm. Prior to joining Chalhoub in 2014, James was a senior manager in the Deloitte Treasury Advisory team based in London. He has worked with group treasurers and CFOs at a variety of companies in the UK, Europe, Middle East, North America, Russia and Asia. His particular areas of interest are treasury systems, risk management and treasury strategy. James is a Fellow of the ACT and a Chartered Management Accountant. He studied at Royal Holloway, University of London, where he completed a BSc in Economics and MSc in Financial and Industrial Economics.
Riyad joined Tabreed in 2021 as Head of Treasury and IR, after gaining 17 years’ experience in the banking, contracting and real estate sectors in the UAE & Gulf. He holds an MBA in Finance and various financial, banking and treasury management related qualifications.
James is the Group Treasurer at Chalhoub Group; a leading partner for luxury across the Middle East, expert in retail, distribution and communication. He is responsible for all aspects of treasury and has recently led several projects to establish the new function within the firm. Prior to joining Chalhoub in 2014, James was a senior manager in the Deloitte Treasury Advisory team based in London. He has worked with group treasurers and CFOs at a variety of companies in the UK, Europe, Middle East, North America, Russia and Asia. His particular areas of interest are treasury systems, risk management and treasury strategy. James is a Fellow of the ACT and a Chartered Management Accountant. He studied at Royal Holloway, University of London, where he completed a BSc in Economics and MSc in Financial and Industrial Economics.
Rahul is a Fellow of the ACT
Laura Ford is Senior Treasury Manager at Majid Al Futtaim, one of the largest developers and operators of shopping malls and hypermarkets in the MENA region. She has led a number of financial system implementations and cash management initiatives and is currently responsible for funding. Prior to joining MAF in 2008, Laura was based in the UK, in the European Treasury Centre of Cargill Plc, a multinational producer of food and agricultural products. Laura has 14 years of corporate treasury experience. She holds a Certificate in International Treasury Management from the ACT.
Raphael has over 12 years of Debt Capital Markets experience, most of which have been spent in the Middle East. Raphael joined Rothschild four years ago as Head of Islamic Finance, focusing primarily on providing financing advice to Shariah-compliant/minded corporates, financial institutions and governments. At Rothschild, Raphael has been working with clients such as Al Jaber, Dubai World, Nakheel, Kingdom Hotels, Emaar, Aayan, OIF, Etisalat, Dubai Aerospace, Amlak and the Ras al Khaimah Investment Authority. Prior to Rothschild, Raphael was at HSBC, Dubai, for three years where he was part of the Islamic Debt Capital Markets platform, originating and structuring Islamic fixed-income instruments (sukuk) as well as Islamic syndications. Before joining HSBC, Raphael worked for Credit Agricole Indosuez, the investment banking arm of Credit Agricole (now called Calyon) both in France and Saudi Arabia (with Banque Saudi Fransi where he was seconded from France). There, Raphael was part of the Structured Finance & Syndications team, focussing on structuring large Saudi transactions in the oil & gas, petrochemical, shipping and financial institutions sector. Raphael has been educated both in France (Sorbonne) and in the UK (SOAS, University of London). He holds a Masters in International Economics.
Andrew is a trusted business partner who provides independent financial counsel to public companies, multinationals, family firms and Government Organisations in a variety of industries. He has spent the past 30 years growing the business of KPMG through building relationships in North America, Oman and for past 18 years in the UAE. Andrew inspires change to deliver profitability targets and maintain healthy working capital positions through expert project management leadership. He has significant experience in acquisition transactions and more recently on sustainability and has lectured several times on these topics. He is accredited in the application of IFRS, US GAAP and SOX standards for reliable financial data, risk mitigation, & strong decision support.
Roshun Tulkens is the Group Treasurer for Mantrac Group; an authorized Caterpillar dealer, selling across three continents. Originally from the UK, Roshun has lived in the UAE since 2014. Prior to Mantrac, Roshun was at RB and joined to implement a regional treasury in the region, responsibilities include all areas of international treasury and risk management. Prior to this Roshun was based in the UK, working for Burberry, with front, middle and back office responsibilities. Previous companies include Rexam where he supported the roll out of a TMS, for which they won the Large Cap Treasury Team of the Year award. Roshun is a Fellow of the ACT; he became AMCT qualified in 2012 and obtained his MCT Diploma in February 2015.
Diana has over a decade of business development experience in the Middle East including 7 years working for the Association of Corporate Treasurers. Diana joined the Structured Trade Finance team at Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM), one of the world’s largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers in April 2018. She is in charge of building relationships with banks and other financial institutions in EMEA. She also acts as an advisor to HH Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, founder of the Women’s Empowerment and Equality Board (WEEB).
Andrew is the Group Treasurer for Agility, a Kuwait based, global logistics company with a turnover of around USD 5bn, operating in over 100 countries. After obtaining a degree in chemistry and business administration in 1990 from Kingston University, he joined Unilever in the treasury department and obtained his ACMA in 1994. He joined Ocean Group plc (later renamed Exel plc) in the treasury department in late 1994, and became Group Treasurer in 1998. He left Exel in 2004 and worked with a start-up company specialising in trade receivable financing, but has now returned to mainstream treasury and has moved to Kuwait. Andrew obtained his AMCT in 1995, and is a founding member of ACT Middle East.
Fadey is currently an instructor at the College of the North Atlantic – Qatar. He teaches courses in the School of Business Studies, including Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. He’s lived in Qatar for over three years. Before teaching, Fadey’s roles revolved in three main areas; treasury, commercial lending, and trading operations. Fadey was the treasurer at the Municipal Group of Companies before relocating to the Middle East. As treasurer, his role revolved around cash management, intercompany financing, and credit administration. Fadey was also the financial analyst in the treasury department at Emera Inc. Fadey has been involved in commercial lending, first at CIBC in Halifax Nova Scotia, and more recently at Barclays in the UAE. He’s lived in Toronto and Abu Dhabi, and is now located in Qatar. He is active in coaching his son’s soccer teams, and enjoys getting involved in community events. A seasoned professional, Fadey brings new insights and a logical perspective to the panel.