Board of Directors

Abdul Wahed Al Fahim is a member of the Board of Directors of Commercial Bank of Dubai, Dubal Holding, Emirates Global Aluminium, Emirates Development Bank and Meydan City Corporation. His 26 year career with Emirates NBD included the role of Group Deputy Chief Executive of Wholesale Banking. Mr. Al Fahim holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration Management from Saint Edward's University, Austin, Texas.

As Vice Chairman, Edward Knight manages global government relations and serves as a senior advisor on public policy and litigation.

During his tenure as Nasdaq’s General Counsel from 2001 to 2019, Ed championed many causes for investors and public companies: proxy reform; corporate governance modernization, including the JOBS ACT passage in 2012; regulatory reform; immigration reform; and enhancing the self-regulatory organization model. He has worked tirelessly to ensure Nasdaq’s U.S. equity market maintains its position as the premier global marketplace for capital formation.

Ed currently serves as a Trustee of the University of Texas Law School Foundation, a member of the Advisory Board of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and a member of the District of Columbia, Texas and Supreme Court Bars. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and sits on its Committee on Corporate Affairs. Ed is a member of TechNet’s Executive Council and also sits on the Leadership Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness and the Board of the U.S. Chamber’s U.S.-India Business Council. He is a member of the Nasdaq Dubai Board. He is based in Nasdaq’s Washington, D.C., office.

Before serving as FINRA’s General Counsel from 1999-2001 and then NASDAQ’s General Counsel, Ed served as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of the Treasury from September 1994 to June 1999 — the longest tenure since the position was created in 1934. Upon his departure, he received the Alexander Hamilton Award, the Department's highest honor. He also received the Honor Award from the Secret Service. Before being named Treasury General Counsel, Ed served as Executive Secretary and Senior Advisor to Secretary of the Treasury Lloyd Bentsen. He also served as a member of the Obama Transition Team at the U.S. Treasury Department in 2008-2009.

Prior, he was a partner with the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer and Feld in Washington, D.C. A Texas native, Ed received his Bachelor of Arts, with honors, in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law.

H.E. Essa Kazim is Governor of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). He is the Chairman of Borse Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Financial Market. He is a Member of the Dubai Supreme Fiscal Committee and Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Legislation Committee.

He began his career at the UAE Central Bank in 1988 and moved to the Dubai Department of Economic Development as Director of Planning and Development in 1993. He was subsequently appointed as Director General of DFM from 1999 to 2006.

H.E. Essa Kazim holds an honorary Doctorate from Coe College, a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Iowa, a Master’s degree in Total Quality Management from the University of Wollongong, and a Bachelor’s degree from Coe College.

He currently sits on a number of official advisory committees and boards; he is a Member of the Higher Board of Directors of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Chairman of the DIFC Authority Board of Directors, Chairman of the DIFC Investments Board of Directors, Free Zones Council, Nasdaq, Inc. Etisalat and Member of the Board and Secretary General of the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre.

He also serves as a Board Member for a number of educational institutions, both in the region and around the world.

George Möller is a Member of the Advisory Board of the UAE Securities & Commodities Authority. He also holds several other non-executive directorships with Boards outside the UAE. He is Chairman of the Board of Erven A.de Jager, Groningen, Netherlands; Chairman of the Board of Inbox Group Holding, Zeist, Netherlands and Board Member of The Winton Fund, Cayman Islands.

He was formerly Chief Executive Officer of Robeco Groep NV in Rotterdam from July 2004 to September 2009. He is a former member of the Managing Board and Chief Operating Officer of Euronext NV and was the President of the Federation of European Securities Exchanges. He was the CEO of Amsterdam Exchanges NV prior to the merger into Euronext. Mr Möller was also a director of LIFFE plc from 1992-1996 and its Deputy Chairman from 2002-2004. In 2003, Mr Möller was a member of the Dutch Corporate Governance Committee that issued the Tabaksblat code named after its chairman. Between 2010 and 2015 he was Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the AFM, the Netherlands Authority for Financial Markets.

Jamal Nasser Lootah was Assistant Undersecretary for Industrial Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Finance and Industry from 2003 to 2009. Earlier he held senior positions in the ministry starting in 1989 including Head of Unit for Monetary Coordination section and Finance, GCC Department, Head of Investment Department, and Director of Budget Department. He was also Assistant Undersecretary for Property & Procurement Affairs and Revenue & Budget. 

He is a former Chairman of the Governing Board of the OPEC Fund for International Development, Vienna, Austria. He is a former Board member of UAE Central Bank; Emirates Real Estates Corporation; the UAE Marriage Fund; Islamic Development Bank; Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting; Arab Industrial Development and Mining; Emirates Industrial Bank and Gulf Navigation.

Mr. Lootah is a former UAE member of the National Committee of the World Trade Organization and a former member of the National Committee for Environmental Strategies and Sustainable Development. He is also a former Chairman of the Board of Deputies, Ministry of Finance and Industry. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Marketing, The American University, London, UK.

Majid Saif Al Ghurair is a Board Member of Al Ghurair Group, one of the largest family-owned corporations in the United Arab Emirates, with businesses spanning a broad variety of industry sectors, including retail, industrial manufacturing and real estate.

Mr. Al Ghurair currently holds numerous roles in public and private sectors in UAE. He is the Chairman of Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry and a Board Member of Nasdaq Dubai, Dubai Islamic Development Centre (DIEDC) and Al Etihad Credit Bureau.

Mr. Al Ghurair is also the Chairman of Dubai Shopping Malls Group (DSMG) and was involved in the formation of the Middle East Council of Shopping Centers (MECSC). He was the Chairman of MECSC since its inception in 1994 for around 23 years, and his contributions to the shopping centers industry are immeasurable.

Previously, Mr. Al Ghurair had numerous prominent positions in different industries, where he was the Chairman of Drake & Scull Int’l, Chairman of Shuaa Capital PSC, Board Member of Mashreq Bank and Board Member of Investcorp Bank BSC, to name a few.

Mr. Al Ghurair is a graduate in Accounting from UAE University in Al Ain. He was awarded the “Business Leader Personality of the Year 2004” in the United Arab Emirates by H.H. Sh. Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and the “ABLF Ambassador of Commerce Award” in 2017 by H.H. Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan.

Rashid Al Shamsi is the Vice Chairman of Dubai Financial Market.

He is the founding partner of MEECON, an architectural and engineering project management consultancy and owner of Al Shamsi Property Management Company in Dubai. 

He was the General Manager of Emirates General Petroleum Corporation (Emarat) and chaired several Emarat joint ventures and subsidiary companies.  He is a   former member of the Board of Directors of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and  Industry,  Dubai Mercantile Exchange,  Emirates General Transport Corporation and Gulf Navigation (PJSC).

He is a  former CEO of Sama Dubai, the international real estate development arm of Dubai Holding.

Mr. Al Shamsi was actively engaged in the marketing and distribution of energy-related products for over 22 years. He received his Bachelors of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Southern California, USA.