ED & Head of Cross-Border Payments​

Role Overview

Executive Director & Head of Cross-Border Payments at First Abu Dhabi Bank. The role is based within FAB's global payments operations, with primary focus on local and international markets.

Company Overview

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) is the largest bank in the UAE and one of the world's largest and safest financial institutions. FAB offers a comprehensive range of personal and private banking services, including credit cards, Islamic banking, investments, loans, and mortgages. The organization is committed to excellence and innovation in delivering top-tier financial solutions. FAB's culture emphasizes performance, customer focus, and career development, with structured plans for recruitment and progression of talent across the financial and banking sector regionally and globally.

Role Purpose

To drive development, commercialization, and market expansion of new and existing cross-border payments product propositions through partnerships with payment service providers and strategic stakeholders. The role owns end-to-end management of payment initiatives across different markets, leveraging technology as an enabler, with continuous focus on increasing FAB's market share and revenue while maintaining regulatory compliance and first-mover advantage in emerging payment solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Product Development

• Develop and commercialize new payments product propositions at digitally relevant scale across local and international markets.
• Strategize and work with new strategic propositions including BUNA, tokenization, blockchain, and other next-generation payment solutions.
• Conceptualize new product propositions including blockchain and token-based solutions.
• Lead business cases and track benefits for new initiatives and propositions.
• Develop products covering pricing, market positioning, customer segmentation, and ongoing efficient management.
• Manage and own the P&L for payment propositions through regular review and reporting.
• Evaluate market practices and changing regulatory guidelines to re-engineer propositions and bring changes to the existing landscape of available offerings within local and global markets.

Commercialization & Market Expansion

• Drive commercialization of existing cross-border payments propositions.
• Strategize and launch campaigns to gain market share in the overall cross-border payments space.
• Drive the tokenization and CBDC agenda forward and obtain internal buy-in.
• Actively contribute to the commercialization of FABAccess.
• Continuously track and report transactional FX as a mainstream income stream.
• Develop state-of-the-art digital collaterals, website content, go-to-market strategy, and communication strategy for product launches and commercialization.
• Drive product launches through planning and management in close coordination with internal and external stakeholders.
• Monitor product performance with regular updates including uptake and volume trends, working with Sales to proactively cross-sell payment solutions.
• Represent and support the bank in driving Cash Management Product evolution in alignment with overall strategy and goals.

Regulatory & Industry Engagement

• Engage extensively with regulators and bring in propositions that ensure FAB has first-mover advantages for specific payments products.
• Work with regulators and industry forums for proactive identification of new solutions including Digital Wallets and digital payments to address client requirements.
• Manage proactively fraud, regulatory, and compliance risks in transactions when developing solutions for clients.
• Analyse and discuss client pricing for presentation to Deal Review Committee.

Operations & Product Lifecycle Management

• Support Payments Product Management, Product Development, Innovation, and delivery channels within the global landscape.
• Manage and review products in line with the Product Life Cycle (PLC) from business cases to actual delivery and commercialization, including management of UAT and sign-off.
• Re-engineer and synchronize processing principles, cut-off timings, and currencies across various units within the bank including Channels, Operations, IT, and Risk.
• Work with Platforms, IT, and Operations to ensure all payment products are reviewed regularly for complete functioning and fitness for purpose.
• Handle end-to-end transaction flow and liaise between operations and clients for smooth transaction processing.
• Participate in review of service standards, operational processes, product and service quality to ensure expectations are met and exceeded.
• Support continuous improvements in financial, operational, and service performance of payments products and increase market share versus competition while working within the bank's risk and audit principles.

Digital & Technology Integration

• Engage with Digital team for end-to-end development and product functioning.
• Ensure client touchpoints and channels related to payments are managed.
• Review blockchain, tokens, and partner bank propositions based on relevant review and finalize use cases for FAB to adopt.
• Work closely with cash product managers to finalize documentation, structures, and rollout of new products and solutions across UAE and internationally.

Regional & Stakeholder Coordination

• Drive regional RFPs to ensure all payment-related propositions are joined up and seamless from client perspective across all international locations.
• Manage and own vendor relationships to support and enhance the payments product over time, including agreeing on and monitoring service levels and ensuring end-to-end client delight.
• Maintain close liaison with Solutions & Advisory, Client Services, Channel Support (Global), Magnati/NI, Payment processors, Fintech providers, branch network, Relationship Managers, IT Desk, Operations, Legal, in-country operations, Risk, and other relevant stakeholders in product management, development, and commercialization.

Client Management & Support

• Attend client meetings involving complex requirements and own responsibility for providing the right solution.
• Provide guidance and support to Relationship Managers, Sales, and Marketing teams for promoting relevant products.
• Assist clients in understanding and using Cash Management products and channels.
• Ensure delivery of promised solutions to clients in professional manner and provide premier service across FAB locations.
• Build FAB's GTx market profile by organizing or participating in various industry events.

Product Optimization & Continuous Improvement

• Evaluate and recommend new ideas and solutions that deliver bottom-line benefit through understanding of product opportunities in areas of new propositions, technology, regulation, industry, and market.
• Review existing products and define business requirements for new products.
• Contribute to identification of opportunities for continuous improvement of products, systems, processes, and practices while considering client needs and market developments.

Reporting & Governance

• Report on transactional FX and other key metrics on a continuous basis.
• Perform other activities as assigned by Manager or Head of Cash Product Management.

Qualifications & Experience

• Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Commerce, or equivalent discipline.
• 15–18 years of relevant experience in individually driving product launches, strategizing product roadmap, and managing P&L.
• Proven track record of having driven product launches individually end-to-end, including periodic product review.
• Strong P&L management experience regarding fee-based income for products.
• Past experience in Payments, Collections, or Cash Management around Product Management area.
• Work experience in electronic banking channels for newer solutions including Virtual Accounts, Payments on Behalf Of (PoBo), and instant payments landscape across the region.
• Knowledge of new-age banking propositions around CBDCs, tokenization, and virtual assets.
• Knowledge of ERP, accounting, and Treasury systems used by clients for reconciliation.
• Knowledge of Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and recent payment and cash management global trends.
• Familiarity with the regulatory environment concerning the financial industry in UAE and jurisdictions where FAB is present (preferred).
• Professional qualification in Cash Management (preferred).

Skills & Competencies

• Strong analytical skills to track revenue opportunities and understand complex problems.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with ability to articulate concepts effectively to business users, operational teams, and technologists at all levels of seniority.
• Ability to make sound technical decisions, provide recommendations, and communicate solutions in proactive manner.
• Consultative approach with IT and business partners within bank and client organizations.
• Service-driven approach with ability to convince clients and interact effectively in good and difficult conditions.
• Strong interpersonal skills and team player with strong influential skills to motivate team members toward business objectives.
• Ability to work in matrix environment.
• Self-confident and performance-driven with ability to work under pressure and maintain strong delivery focus.
• Ability to articulate, formulate, and deliver high-quality client presentations.
• Ability to make decisions, influence others, work cooperatively, and find resolution to client needs.
• Strong appreciation of operations processes and procedures with understanding of risks.
• Basic sales and business mindset.
• Self-starter with motivation, aptitude, and willingness to undertake self-learning.
• Keen interest to learn business and processes in order to best support clients.
• Ability to function within framework and boundaries of Group policies and overall organizational and governance frameworks.
• Authority to take decisions as per approved authorization matrix.

Additional Information

• Focus is primarily on all client segments across local and global marketplaces.