Abu Dhabi ( April 30th, 2014) – The National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) has appointed James Burdett as its new Group Chief Financial Officer (GCFO).
Mr. Burdett will lead the Group finance, strategy, group treasury, and investor relations functions. His primary responsibility is to ensure that NBAD’s financial planning and strategic alignment continues to support the Bank’s growth. He is a member of the Bank’s Executive Management team and reports directly to Alex Thursby, NBAD’s Group Chief Executive Officer.
“Recruiting James reflects NBAD’s brand strength to attract high caliber international bankers and our strategic ambitions for significant growth in the UAE and across diverse geographies,” says Mr. Thursby.
Mr. Burdett joins NBAD from Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) where he served as Chief Financial Officer of International & Institutional Banking. Prior to this position, he served as Chief Financial Officer of ANZ’s Asia, Pacific, Europe and Americas.
Mr. Burdett also spent a decade at HSBC, serving in various larger country Chief Financial Officerpositionsbefore undertaking the role of Group Head of Management Information, Planning and Analysis and a member of the Finance Management Board chaired by the HSBC Group Chief Financial Officer.
“James is a seasoned banking professional with varied international experience having worked for global banks in different countries. This extensive career experience will add significant value to NBAD as we deliver against our strategy across the West East corridor,” Mr. Thursby said.
NBAD’s growth strategy is to capitalise on the growing economies and markets that stretch from West of Africa to East of Asia.
On his appointment, Mr. Burdett says: “NBAD is a robust financial institution which benefits from being located within one of the most dynamic economies of the world. As such, NBAD is well poised to successfully deliver its ambitions of growth across the West East Corridor and I am thrilled to be a part of this challenge.”
NBAD has been ranked in the World’s 50 Safest Banks since 2009 by Global Finance, and the Safest Bank in the Emerging Markets. NBAD also has one of the highest credit ratings among the world’s commercial banks.
Mr. Burdett holds a degree in Finance and Accounting from Auckland Institute of Technology and is a Chartered Accountant.