Colin Macdonald, Group CEO of SHUAA Capital and former Regional Head of ABN AMRO, to join board

Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- 5 February, 2013 -- Gulf Finance Corporation, a subsidiary of SHUAA Capital and a leading UAE-based finance company servicing the region's Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) community, today announced that Colin Macdonald, Group Chief Executive Officer of its parent company SHUAA Capital psc and former Group Managing Director and Regional Head of ABN AMRO Middle East, is to be appointed to the company's board of directors, taking the board's size from 5 to 6 members , after receiving the necessary regulatory approvals.

"Colin has extraordinary banking and business expertise, as well as years of experience in the Middle East, and we are delighted that he is joining Gulf Finance's board of directors," said His Highness Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Al Maktoum, Executive Chairman of SHUAA Capital and Chairman of Gulf Finance.

Mr Macdonald currently serves as Group CEO of SHUAA Capital, a leading independent regional full-service financial investment company specialising in Asset Management, Investment Banking advisory services, and Credit. Over the last thirty years, SHUAA has played a prominent role in shaping the financial services landscape in the GCC and continues to be at the forefront of integrating the region into global financial markets.  SHUAA is a public shareholding company, regulated by the UAE Central Bank and listed on the Dubai Financial Market.

Previously, Mr Macdonald was Group Managing Director and Regional Head of ABN AMRO Middle East where he was responsible for all business units in the region, including Private, Corporate and Investment Banking and Retail. During his almost 16 year tenure at ABN AMRO, Mr Macdonald held various senior positions, in origination and Global Head of Financial Markets Advisory as well as Chief Operating Officer of Global Clients and Global Corporate Finance. He joined ABN AMRO from Lawson Mardon Group where he was European Treasury Manager.

Mr Macdonald started his banking career at National Westminster Bank where he was instrumental in the business review, strategy and the integration of corporate banking, capital markets, equities and treasury during the formation of Natwest Markets.

"Colin brings a wealth of banking experience as well as the insights that come from running a successful multinational bank in a growing yet challenging region such as the Middle East. He will be a great addition to our board," said Steve Williams, Gulf Finance Group Chief Executive Officer.

"I am honoured to join the Gulf Finance board and work with this exceptional team," Macdonald said. "Gulf Finance has been successfully confirming its position as a pioneering financial institution in the region over the past few years. It has lent more than a billion Dirhams to the UAE's SME community during the last 3 years and plans to significantly extend these funding lines going forward as demand continues to grow. I look forward to sharing my experiences and contributing to the future direction and growth of this regional leader."

Mr Macdonald is an Honours graduate in Business Finance, a London Business School Alumnus and recently became a Certified Professional Director through the Institute of Directors.

 In addition to Colin Macdonald, Gulf Finance's board of directors consists of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Al Maktoum, Executive Chairman of SHUAA and Chairman of the Board of Gulf Finance; Dr Sabah al-Binali, Vice Chairman of Gulf Finance; Hesham Al Qassim, Vice Chairman of Emirates NBD Bank; Steffen Schubert, CEO of Anapix Capital Ltd; and John Blanthorne, former Executive Director for HSBC Middle East.

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About Gulf Finance:
Gulf Finance is an established business finance company focusing on the needs of small and medium sized businesses. The company's prime focus is on serving clients from the power, oil and gas, healthcare, manufacturing and logistics industries. In addition it has built a solid and credible reputation in the marine finance industry. Gulf Finance has invested heavily in the right people, moulding a team of seasoned bankers, financial veterans and credit professionals. This has given Gulf Finance the perfect platform to build an admirable credit model and exceptional due diligence process, meaning it has the ability to make quick decisions and offer clients an execution time that is second to none.

For information about Gulf Finance, please visit www.gulf-finance.ae

For and on behalf of Gulf Finance in the GCC and Middle East
Shane Dolan/Vadia Rai @ FTI Consulting
T: +971 (0)4 4372110
Shane.dolan@fticonsulting.com / Vadia.rai@fticonsulting.com

For media queries, please contact:
Hazar Alzaki
Head of Corporate Communications
E-Mail: hazar.alzaki@gulf-finance.ae

© Press Release 2013