Profile and experience

Simon has over 30 years of C-Suite experience in banking and financial services across multiple disciplines throughout finance, operations, and front/middle/back office.   Simon returned to BLME in 2021 as Group Chief Operating Officer (SMF24) which he previously held between 2015 and 2017 and additionally assumed the role of Group Chief Financial Officer (SMF2) in 2024.  Simon is a member of the board of directors at BLME Holdings Limited, Bank of London and Middle East plc as well as Walbrook Construction Equipment Finance Limited.  Simon leads our change & transformation, outsourcing & procurement functions, day-to-day operations, IT infrastructure, Treasury in addition to the financial day to day running of the bank.

Previous appointments

Before joining BLME in 2015, Simon was Regional Chief Operating Officer (Europe & Americas) at First Abu Dhabi Bank UK.  Simon held other roles in either with in the  UK and internationally, these include Chief Financial Officer at International Bank of Qatar, Chief Financial Officer for National Bank of Oman and Chief Financial Officer for Commercial Bank of Qatar.  Simon began his early career at PWC as well as holding roles in Deloitte / Barclays.  Simon is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. 

Yasser joined BLME in February 2022, and he is responsible for the securities company’s operations and strategy direction, as well as increasing BLME’s profile within the GCC. Prior to joining us, Yasser worked across Wealth Management, Investment Banking and Corporate Banking roles for 15 years. He joined from EFG Bank, a Swiss Private Bank, where he was an Executive Director of Wealth Management. Prior to joining EFG, Yasser was VP Wealth Management at Deutsche Bank in Riyadh and Head of Business Development in Corporate Banking Group at Bank Saudi Fransi. He has also held senior positions in Samba Financial Group and Saudi Hollandi Bank. Yasser has an MBA from the University of Essex in the UK.

Profile and experience

Paul is a highly respected figure in the financial services industry, with 23 years’ experience and periods spent working in UAE and Lebanon. His expertise is in driving strategic change and accelerating growth, particularly in the digital platform space. Paul also sits on the University of Birmingham Business Advisory Board and is a Non-Executive Director of a fast-growing Sport England governing body.
 

Previous appointments

Paul joined from C. Hoare and Co, where he was Chief Operating and Customer Officer. Prior to this, he was Global Head of Digital Transformation and Agile Deployment at HSBC, where he led the transformation and commercialisation of the bank’s digital channels.

In the first half of his career, Graham worked for various banks and commercial finance institutions in London as an originator and relationship manager, focusing on corporate banking, trade, and asset finance.

After transitioning into risk management, in 2002 Graham secured his first senior risk role at Bank of America in Chicago, where he served as the Chief Credit Officer for the USA Mid-West. Following that in 2006, he moved to Amsterdam to become the Executive Director (Risk) for GE Capital (Continental Europe).

Graham joined HSBC in 2008 as the European Head of Credit Risk for the trade, receivables, and asset finance businesses. 

After graduating from the HSBC CRO Development Programme in 2014, he was appointed Chief Risk Officer for the UK and Channel Islands Private Banking and Wealth Management Businesses.

After leaving HSBC in 2021, Graham joined Weatherbys Banking Group as Group CRO and in May 2023, was appointed Interim Chief Risk Officer at Bank of China (London) to lead the bank through a significant regulatory transformation programme, leaving in September 2025.

Graham holds an MBA from Durham University Business School, is married to Angela, and resides in Cambridgeshire.

Graham brings a forward-looking client focus to the team, which will be essential in the execution of our growth strategy.

Layla has been with us since 2022, joining BLME as a freelance contractor in the portfolio office before obtaining a permanent position in 2023. She currently governs the change activities that happen across the bank on behalf of the CFO and the Executive Committee. In a recent Tatawar (meaning growth in Arabic) spotlight post, Layla said: “I’ve been in portfolio and project management for over 17 years and BLME has been a real breath of fresh air. Right from the first day I started all the employees felt like one team. Attending my first Majlis was also a big moment, as I was immediately treated as one of the family.”

CEO Andrew Ball comments: “Since joining us, Layla has made a hugely positive impact both on the business as a whole, and the individual team members she works with. As you know, we have had to make some significant changes to how BLME and Nomo operate over the last year, to ensure we can grow sustainably. Layla has been a key part of this process, and I look forward to bringing her experience in change management roles & governance to the ExCo, and to working with her more closely.”

With over 16 years of experience in banking operations, operational risk management, and large-scale transformation, Ash has made substantial contributions to both UK-regulated institutions and international digital banking platforms. 

Before joining BLME, Ash held various senior leadership roles at Barclays. He was responsible for managing Digital Banking Operations for their Online and Mobile Banking platforms, as well as overseeing Service Delivery and Risk and Control management. Ash led major digitisation initiatives, developed scalable operating models, and implemented regulatory changes in complex environments, all while ensuring a seamless and customer-focused operations - experience that underpins his ability to drive performance and operational rigour in line with our growth agenda.

Since joining BLME, Ash has served as Head of 1st Line Risk for Nomo before expanding his remit across the BLME Group as Head of Group Operational Controls. In this role, he has transformed our risk and control landscape by introducing a unified Enterprise Risk Management framework and has overseen significant progress in third-party risk management, procurement optimisation, governance, and operational performance management, delivering measurable commercial and operational benefits, including significant cost efficiencies. These achievements have further underscored his commitment to maintaining high standards of customer service and operational excellence.

Ash holds a degree in Computer Science from Brunel University, and resides in Ickenham, Uxbridge with his wife Rina and their two children.