Mr. Shehab M. Gargash is a member of Dubai’s Gargash family, one of the leading business families in the UAE. The family has been actively involved in various businesses since 1918 with multiple interests that include automobile, real estate and investments. In 2016, Mr. Gargash oversaw the closing of a 9-year project to consolidate the family business, thereby creating a launch platform for the business as it enters its second century.
Mr. Gargash is the Managing Director & Group CEO of the Gargash Group. Mr. Gargash is also the Founding Chairman of Daman, a non-banking financial services company based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates since 1998. Prior to establishing Daman, Mr. Gargash enjoyed a successful 12-year banking career in the UAE, initially with Citibank and later with Emirates Bank International (now Emirates NBD). Mr. Gargash serves as a Director on several regional boards. Mr. Gargash was a Board Member of the Commercial Bank of Dubai in the UAE (2011 – 2018) and also served as a Board member of Burj Bank in Pakistan (2006 – 2016). He currently also serves as a Board member of the Coutts & Co. Middle East Advisory Board, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the UAE-UK Business Council.
Mr. Gargash is a frequent public speaker and a commentator on regional socio-economic issues and trends. He wrote a popular daily column in the UAE’s Al Ittihad newspaper from 1997 to 2008. Mr. Gargash is also an enthusiastic art collector and has established the Daman Middle East Art Fund which invests in Middle Eastern contemporary art and supports regional artists.
Born in 1966, Mr. Gargash is married with four children. He holds an MBA and a BBA, both from the George Washington University in Washington, DC, USA.
Mr. Ahmed Khizer Khan is the CEO of Daman Investments. Mr. Khan started his career with PWC and Citibank; spending his formative years in USA, Central Europe, UAE, and Pakistan; before joining Barclays Global Retail and Commercial Bank as its Chief Executive, Emerging Markets, responsible for 15 countriesincluding high-growth markets in India, Pakistan, UAE, Africa, Russia and Indonesia. Mr. Khan served on the Barclays Board for several countries, working with the Global Chairman on formulating strategies for the emerging markets.
After an impactful stint at the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector, Jeddah, as its COO & Director Coverage, Partnerships and Syndication, across 35 countries; he became the President & Chief Executive Officer of Burj Bank Limited in Pakistan, where he turned around a small loss-making entity into the fastest growing Islamic bank in Pakistan.
Mr. Khan, with nearly three decades of international banking industry experience, took over the reins at Daman Investments in 2016, with a mandate to reengineer the business. Under his leadership, the company has increased footprint in new areas and won mandates for large M&A and investment banking projects. In a short span of time, he has been instrumental in achieving over 100% growth in profitability. He has led Daman Investments in conducting one of the largest leveraged buyouts within the family-owned entities in UAE.
Ahmed Waheed is a seasoned business leader with over 15 years’ experience in financial markets and equity brokerage. He has extensive experience covering different products within the MENA and GCC region.
To Daman, Ahmed brings his expertise in setting up new business lines and diversifying revenue streams through different asset classes. Prior to Daman, Ahmed was most recently Head Institutional Coverage at Menacorp, where he initiated, developed and executed new product lines, including launching Menacorp’s business in the Saudi Arabia market. Ahmed started at Menacorp as VP of its Institutional Trading Desk in Dubai. Before Menacorp, Ahmed worked in senior roles with leading MENA brokerage houses including Raddah Investment, Naeem Holding, CI Capital and Dynamic Securities Trading.
Ahmed received his MBA from Hult International Business School, Dubai and has a BA in Economics from Cairo University. Ahmed is CISI certified.
Wael Mahdy is the Trading Manager at Daman Securities since 2016. Wael brings in 19 years of experience covering local and regional markets.
He has acquired analytical skills that helps him manage and trade client portfolios in a profitable manner. He worked for Delma Brokerage and Al Awael Securities prior to joining Daman Securities. Wael has experience trading different asset classes regionally and internationally. Wael is CISI licensed and authorized by the Securities and Commodities Authority in the UAE to assume the role of a trading manager along with all the responsibilities that accompany the role. He holds a bachelors degree in Commerce and Finance.
Compliance Manager
Mr. Essam M. Abdel Mawla is an experienced Compliance Manager and is well-versed in SCA’s UAE legal guidelines as well as corporate governance best practices. He is a seasoned professional bringing with him over 24 years of experience in the Middle East market.
His core strength lies in providing guidance and training for brokerage staff as well as ensuring all policies and procedures are well developed, up to date and maintained. He maintains high level of ethical standards and works diligently to complete tasks to achieve objectives of the business.