Group Chief Executive Officer
Nandan is the Chief Executive Officer of the Group, working closely with the Chairman and Board members to set strategic expansion goals for the organisation and lead the Executive Management Team in the accomplishment of these objectives.
He also serves as Chairman/Director of Network International subsidiary companies for the Middle East and Africa.
Nandan holds a strong background in payments, consumer finance and corporate banking with a deep understanding of the Middle East and Africa as well as experience in India, Czech Republic, Israel, Russia and UK markets.
His more than 30-year track record of successfully building and growing businesses to profitable scale and dominant market share spans several markets globally, at leading financial institutions including American Express, Citigroup, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and most recently at Mastercard.
During his 11-year career at Mastercard, Nandan was Strategy Head for International Markets, President for the Japanese business and Head of Global Consumer Credit and Loyalty Solutions. Prior to that, Nandan was Head of UBA - International Corporate and Investment Banking. Before UBA, Nandan built and led consumer banking businesses for two decades with Citigroup in India, Czech Republic, Israel, Russia and the UK. Nandan began his career at American Express Cards.
When not passionately engaged in business building, he enjoys playing golf and tennis.
Rohit is the Group’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer, responsible for overseeing financial activities across the Group as well as Corporate Development, including M&A. Having joined the Company in October 2010, Rohit has been actively involved in the growth of the business for many years, including the acquisition of Emerging Markets Payments Holdings in 2016.
He has 20+ years of experience in the financial services and FMCG sectors and prior to joining Network, was the Head of Financial Policy and Processes at Emirates NBD, where he led Finance systems implementation across the Group. Prior to that, Rohit was one of the senior team leads in the Global Balance Sheet Reporting function of American Express, working closely with the Investor Relations team and before that he managed the Financial Planning activities for Nestlé’s South Asia Region.
Andrew is the Managing Director – Acquiring for the Group, responsible for the strategic plan, financials, customer proposition and overseeing all execution related to servicing Merchants and Governments across all of the Group’s geographies. He joined the company in 2017 and was the Managing Director for Africa prior to his current role.
He has 25 years of experience with a significant track record of success in the payments industry. Andrew was previously the President of Elavon Europe, a subsidiary of US Bancorp (USB), and responsible for the P&L of the European business of Elavon. He was accountable for the diverse range of partner relationships that deliver distribution or product capabilities to Elavon’s European business and led the team of 1,400 colleagues located in six markets, providing end-to-end payments services to 350,000+ customers. Prior to Elavon, Andrew held key positions in organisations such as Mastercard, Lloyds Banking Group and Barclaycard.
Jay is the Group Risk Officer and Group Company Secretary and has overall responsibility for the Risk, Compliance and Legal functions. Her responsibilities include the management and oversight of all risk-related disciplines across the Group, including enterprise risk management, regulatory and compliance, data governance and information security, and the legal and secretariat teams.
She joined the Group in 2017 after working at Elavon, a subsidiary of US Bancorp, where she served as Head of Legal – International Markets. Jay has over 20 years’ experience working across a number of major financial institutions including Citigroup and Royal Bank of Scotland Plc. She has advised on legal, regulatory and compliance issues impacting the retail financial services and payments services sectors in particular, across a number of jurisdictions in Europe and Latin America. Jay is a qualified Solicitor in England and Wales.
Sandeep Chouhan, Network International’s Group Chief Business Transformation & Technology Officer, is a global business transformation leader with an exceptional track record of performance acceleration, business turnaround, digitization & cost efficiency with over 34 years’ experience at blue-chip banks across mature & emerging markets.
He has held C-suite roles at multinational and regional banks and payment companies, managing businesses in 33 countries across the US, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Sandeep has successfully led organizations from vision through execution. He has spearheaded several digital transformations, launching award-winning digital banks in partnership with FinTechs & Startups in Artificial Intelligence, Analytics, and the Open Banking ecosystem.
Sandeep holds a Masters Degree in Management & Systems from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and a Bachelors of Technology Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology India.
Jamal is Group Chief Operating Officer & Country Head – UAE, responsible for leading operations across all the markets served by the Group. Jamal’s 15 years of experience with Network in business, technology, delivery management, governance and operations helps enhance the Group’s operational expertise and capabilities while driving cost efficiencies and overall profitability.
Prior to his current role at Network, Jamal was SVP – Group Head of Delivery Management, having previously worked as SVP – Group Head of Governance where he oversaw strategic and project governance across all streams of Group Operations – including PMO, Audit and Risk, Vendor Management, Quality and Controls, and Inventory and Assets Management. His previous positions with the company include VP – Head Of Enterprise Delivery Management, VP – Head of Customer Experience, and Associate Vice President for Projects.
Jamal has an MBA from the University of Wolverhampton, UK, and is currently pursuing his doctorate degree. He has also completed leadership courses from the London Business School, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Business School.
Hend is the Group’s Head of Human Resources and Facilities and is responsible for leading the Group’s human resourcing functions across the UAE, Jordan and Africa, developing and implementing the Group’s human resource strategy and programmes. Under her stewardship, the Group has won government recognition and awards for human development and Emiratisation.
She joined the company in 2013 and has more than 20 years’ experience working with and leading HR departments at various national and international operations based in the UAE. She is a recipient of the prestigious Dubai Human Development Award given by the Dubai Economic Department. She is also part of the Women’s Committee in the Banking Sector, which is run by the Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies.
Ian is the Group’s Chief Internal Auditor, responsible for leading Group Internal Audit to provide independent assurance to Executive Management and the Board on the effectiveness of the company’s control framework and risk culture.
He has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry including investment banking, insurance, payments and retail banking.
Abdulaziz Al-Dahmash is the Managing Director for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), responsible for implementing the strategy for driving business growth in Saudi Arabia.
He is well-known in the Saudi Payments Industry, having been a member of the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) and having played a major role in initiatives such as growing the Saudi National Card Payment Network (MADA). He was previously the Head of Digital Banking and Payments at Saudi British Bank (SABB) which he helped build as the largest e-commerce acquirer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He was also a former Board Member of Saudi Financial Lease Contract Registry Company (SIJIL).
Abdulaziz has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and a Master’s Degree in Business Management (MBA). He has also completed Executive Leadership Programs from the University of Virginia, Darden School of Management and London Business School.
Dr. Reda Helal is the Managing Director and Co-Head of Processing – Africa, leading a client-focused business unit serving financial institutions, fintechs and payment partners. Reda has been with Network since 2007 in several roles, including partnering with the KSA team to launch the company’s business in the Kingdom as well as being Group Chief Sales Officer - Processing.
He is passionate about payments innovation, financial inclusions and cashless societies, with over 22 years of experience in Digital Payments, Strategic Planning and Execution, New Market Entries and Leadership Practices in multinational payments organisations. He’s also held various leadership roles in international banks across the Middle East, Africa and North America including Citibank, United Bank, and Arab Bank.
Reda holds a doctorate degree from the University of Liverpool, UK, and a Master’s degree from York University, UK.
Dounia drives the marketing strategy with a focus on brand management and the development of the group product strategy to enable and accelerate growth. Having taken on key customer-facing roles across the Middle East and Africa since joining Network in 2011, she has a deep understanding of the payments value chain and the needs of key partners and stakeholders.
Dounia has over 24 years of experience in the payments industry, including Business Development, Relationship Management, Digital Payments, and Solutions Design. Her various leadership roles in financial services across the MEA region include stints with Visa, Société Maghrébine de Monétique (S2M), and Attijariwafa bank. She was previously in charge of overseeing Network’s sales and business development functions to achieve revenue growth across the GCC markets.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a double major in Finance and International Trade from Al Akhawayne University in Ifrane, Morocco.
Ahmed is Regional Managing Director – UAE for Network’s Acquiring business, responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy to drive business growth in the country.
He joined the company in 2014 as Senior Vice President of Administration and has more than 18 years of experience in retail banking, branch operations, customer service, SME banking, sales and relationship management.
Chinwe Uzoho is Network International’s Regional Managing Director for West and Central Africa, based in Nigeria.
Chinwe brings nearly 30 years of experience in banking. She was previously the Group Head for Retail Banking at Access Bank PLC, reporting directly to the Executive Director of the Retail Banking Division. She drove both the sales performance of the Sector Heads for Retail Liability and Risk Asset Products and the Loyalty Scheme across various segments in Nigeria.
Chinwe holds a BSc Degree in Economics from the University of Uyo, an MSc in Global Consumer Marketing from the University of Liverpool in the UK, and an MBA with Distinction from the UK’s Bangor Business School. A Certified Chartered Banker, she is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland (MCIB) as well as an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers Nigeria (ACIB).
In her free time, Chinwe likes to cook, dance, and involve herself in various charitable works.
Yazan Kharouf joined Network in December 2000 and is currently responsible for all aspects of the company’s Acquiring business in the Levant region. He oversees the delivery of revenue targets, the management of Merchant relationships (new and existing) and ensures the product development roadmap meets market needs.
Yazan was previously Chief Financial Officer for Network’s Jordan operations and was the CFO of Othman Nasif Co. prior to joining Network
Amjad joined Network International in March 2016 and is responsible for all aspects of the Company business in the Levant region. He also oversees the development and implementation of a comprehensive strategy to drive the growth of the Company’s business in the region.
He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, and another degree in Electrical Engineering.
Amjad brings over 30 years of diverse experience in the payments industry with in-depth knowledge of acquiring, bank processing services, operations, electronic bill payments, e-commerce, mobile payments, EMV, Fintech and security. Amjad played major roles in supporting country Fintech solution through the past year, He has also played a key role in building the main ATM switch in Jordan (JONET). Amjad was previously the Regional Director of Emerging Markets Payments (EMP) Jordan, which was acquired by Network International in March 2016. Prior to working with EMP, he was the Executive Manager for Visa Jordan Card Services (which was fully acquired by EMP in June 2011).
Ahmed Samir joined Network in January 2017 and is currently responsible for all aspects of the company’s Acquiring business in Egypt. He oversees the development and implementation of a comprehensive strategy to drive business growth.
His previous roles at Network include Issuing GM and Chief of Products and Marketing – both for the Africa business. He has worked for leading multinational and regional institutions including ALEXBANK, Barclays Bank Egypt, Commercial International Bank (CIB), and Citibank Egypt.
Ahmed has more than 20 years of experience in banking and financial services management, with a proven track record in accelerating portfolio growth while boosting revenue and profit margins. His expertise covers retail banking, cards and assets management, portfolio management, profitability enhancement, digital payments, cost control, people management, identifying growth markets, and marketing and sales management.
Bassem Ramzy is Network’s Regional Managing Director, Processing- Northern Africa. In this role, Bassem supports the regional teams to grow and establish the company’s processing business in multiple sub-regions and countries. His focus is to drive Network’s strategy in Northern Africa with the support of the Country Managers and their teams.
Bassem was previously Network’s Regional Director – ELS (Egypt, Libya, Sudan) where his responsibilities included Revenue, P&L, Business Development and Client Relationships in the region. Prior to Network, Bassem worked in eFormalites-France, Egyptian Gulf Bank, Mashreq Bank and Citi. His competencies include Financial Accounting, Sales & Account Management and Credit. Bassem has Bachelor degrees in Commerce and Business Administration from Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt and the European Network of Information Centres, Paris, France.
Brendon Williamson is Network/DPO’s Regional Managing Director for Acquiring in South Africa, and Managing Director of PayFast.
He is a veteran of the payments and e-commerce industry with 20+ years experience in sales, marketing and fraud management. He is passionate about and has a strong track record in growing businesses and has a deep understanding of the world of e-commerce payments. Brendon has been part of DPO’s growth for 10+ years as Chief Sales Officer, Chief Marketing Officer and most recently Head of Commercial.
Abhinav Nehra is the Group’s Regional Managing Director – Processing, for Francophone Africa, responsible for bringing more focus and supporting Network’s growth in French-speaking African countries. He has led several digitization initiatives in the digital lending, payments and neo banking domains across Africa, driven by his passion and belief in the potential of the continent and its people.
Abhinav has more than 30 years of experience in banking and payments in markets across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. He started his career with Citibank India where he spent 18 years, during which he helped set up CitiFinancial India as CEO. He was Deputy CEO (Retail and Private Banking) of Bank of Kuwait and the Middle East.
He joined United Bank of Africa as Group Director (Retail) and set up UBA (RFS) retail financial services and helped expand the UBA franchise from two to 16 countries. Subsequently, he was appointed Group Director (Retail and Commercial) for Ecobank.
Abhinav is an avid golfer who is also passionate about travelling.
Carlo Ricci is the Co-Regional Managing Director for Network International in the Southern Africa and Palops region.
He is responsible for managing and growing Network’s processing business in the region, with a focus on generating strong revenue streams by way of new financial institution and fintech partnerships.
Carlo comes with over twenty years of experience working in digital payments, financial technology and financial services across the African continent, the UK and Asia.
John Njoroge is the Group’s Acting Regional Managing Director for East Africa. He joined Network in 2021 as Country Manager for Kenya.
John started his banking career of over 20 years with Dinner Club Africa Limited. Before joining Network, he worked for I&M Bank in Kenya as Head of Card Centre and Alternate Banking Channels, a position he held for over 11 years. Prior to that, he was the Head of Transaction Banking at Ecobank Kenya and Cluster Head for Cross Border Transfers (Eastern and Southern Africa) at Ecobank. John was instrumental in launching Card Programs at Stanbic Bank where he served as a Regional Manager, and at NCBA Bank Kenya where he was Head of Card Services.
John is an Executive Committee Member of the Kenya Credit & Debit Card Association (KCDCA) and is the association’s current (outgoing) Chairman.
He is an ardent supporter of activities that strengthen the conservation and protection of natural resources.
Richard Kadiaka is Network International’s Acting Co-Regional Managing Director for South Africa, responsible for driving the growth of the processing business across the Southern Africa market, including Portuguese-speaking countries. He drives the localisation of capabilities to align better with regional markets and offering regulatory-compliant processing services as well as market-relevant products.
A seasoned payments professional with over 18 years of banking and consulting experience across the African continent focusing on technology modernization, transformation, and program delivery, Richard brings together experience from different markets and different Financial Services Providers.
His passion for digital payments is in the life-changing impact of financial inclusion and accelerated distribution and access to modern payment methods. The role that Network International plays in enabling Banking institutions, MNOs and Fintechs to scale payments is directly aligned to this passion.