Area Manager - Business Banking

Role Overview

Area Manager – Liability, Business Banking at Mashreq. Reports to the Head of Liabilities Coverage. The role oversees a large and complex Business Banking liability portfolio in a multi-emirate geographic coverage area.

Role Purpose

The Area Manager – Liability Business Banking is responsible for the strategic and commercial leadership of approximately 2,200 to 3,000 high-value client accounts. The role carries end-to-end accountability for business growth, revenue and profitability, portfolio quality, risk and compliance, customer experience, operational effectiveness, and people leadership. The position is expected to drive sustainable growth in the liability franchise by strengthening client relationships, increasing product penetration, optimizing the asset/liability mix, improving customer engagement, and developing a high-performing Business Banking team.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Business Leadership

• Develop and execute the area's annual business plan in line with the overall Business Banking strategy.
• Drive achievement of revenue, profitability, portfolio growth, client acquisition, retention, and product penetration targets.
• Optimize the portfolio mix to maximize sustainable revenue and relationship profitability.
• Identify opportunities to deepen existing relationships and acquire new high-value Business Banking clients.
• Establish the bank as the preferred primary operating bank for SMEs and self-employed customers.
• Identify process gaps and implement sustainable improvements in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
• Drive adoption of digital banking solutions and relevant technology-enabled processes.

Portfolio Management & Client Coverage

• Drive effective portfolio segmentation and differentiated client engagement strategies.
• Strengthen primary banking relationships and increase share of wallet through cross-sell and product penetration.
• Monitor client concentration, portfolio trends, attrition, profitability, and emerging business opportunities.
• Ensure effective management of key and strategically important client relationships.
• Provide market and competitor intelligence to inform product development and pricing strategies.

Risk, Compliance & Governance

• Ensure full adherence to applicable regulatory requirements, AML/KYC standards, internal policies, procedures, and delegated authorities.
• Maintain effective controls and ensure timely resolution of identified risk and compliance issues.
• Ensure the team operates within approved risk appetite and governance frameworks.
• Maintain audit readiness and ensure satisfactory closure of audit and control findings.
• Escalate material risks, exceptions, and breaches through appropriate governance channels.

People Leadership & Organization Effectiveness

• Lead, coach, and develop the Team Manager, Relationship Managers, and Assistant Relationship Managers.
• Establish clear performance expectations, client excellence, accountability frameworks, and business objectives.
• Build a high-performance, collaborative, and customer-centric culture.
• Identify capability gaps and implement targeted coaching, development, and succession plans.
• Ensure effective performance management, talent development, and retention of high-performing employees.

Customer Experience & Relationship Management

• Drive a consistently superior customer experience across the Business Banking portfolio.
• Establish strong relationships with key clients and senior client stakeholders.
• Lead the resolution of significant customer issues, complaints, and escalations.
• Ensure proactive engagement with priority clients and identify opportunities to strengthen long-term relationships.
• Promote service excellence while maintaining appropriate risk and control standards.

Stakeholder Management

• Work closely with Product, Governance, and other support functions.
• Collaborate with Risk, Compliance, and Operations teams.
• Partner with Digital and Transformation teams.
• Maintain strong relationships with key clients, industry bodies, and external stakeholders.

Problem Solving & Decision Making

• Exercise strong judgment in prioritizing opportunities, resolving escalations, and allocating resources across markets, segments, and teams.
• Interpret internal and external market signals to adjust strategy, pricing, and portfolio actions in a fast-changing competitive and regulatory environment.
• Address non-routine issues requiring cross-functional coordination with Product, Treasury, Risk, Compliance, Operations, and Digital teams.
• Develop practical, commercially sound solutions within policy by combining analytical insight, experience, stakeholder alignment, and governance discipline.
• Make decisions within the approved delegation of authority, policies, and governance frameworks, including business planning, client and portfolio strategies, prioritization of opportunities, resource allocation, performance management, and team deployment.

Qualifications & Experience

• 15+ years of progressive experience in Business Banking or Commercial Banking.
• Strong understanding of products, liability solutions, client acquisition, relationship management, and portfolio economics.
• Proven track record of delivering revenue and portfolio growth.
• Significant experience leading and developing relationship management teams.
• Experience operating within robust risk, compliance, and governance frameworks.

Additional Information

Operating Budget: Liabilities Book AED 6.5 billion to 7.5 billion; Annual Revenue approximately AED 300 million to 350 million; Geographic Coverage multi-emirate.

Staff: 20 to 22 direct reports.

Operating Environment: Highly competitive, regulated, and performance-driven. Requires strong judgment, resilience, and availability to manage scale, complexity, and stakeholder expectations. Success depends on strategic clarity, disciplined execution, and people leadership.