Dr Stephan Schönwälder to manage Russell Reynolds' Dubai office

Source: Russell Reynolds
Associates website.

Russell Reynolds Associates has opened an office in Dubai, located at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The global assessment, recruitment and succession planning specialist for CEOs, boards of Directors and key roles within the C-suite started doing business in the Middle East in 1975. The firm now has 46 offices in 26 countries spread across Europe, Asia, North and South America and the Middle East.

“Our firm was first in our industry to establish a Middle East Practice, and we remain unique with dedicated consultants based both inside and outside of the region. Our Dubai office is another important step in the global expansion of Russell Reynolds Associates,” says Clarke Murphy, CEO of Russell Reynolds Associates. "Our company continues to expand: the past calendar year was an history high."

The executive search firm's presence in the Arab world will be boosted by the new office, which will be tightly integrated with the firm’s Middle East desk in London. "The Middle East continues to play a key strategic role for many of our clients, most major multinationals and world banks. Our Dubai office complements our clients' growing demands for physical presence in the region," explains Dr Stephan Schönwälder, Managing Director at Russell Reynolds Associates and Area Manager for Dubai. Dr Stephan Schönwälder works with senior members of the London desk Mat Green and Lamees Al-Ashtal. Green coordinates the firm's Middle East practice and conducts assignments for clients in the financial services, oil & gas, mining and natural resources sectors.

Dr Schönwälder joined Russell Reynolds Associates from another search firm, where he led the Middle East Financial Services Practice for four years. He also worked on numerous assignments in the ICT and FMCG industries and served family-owned businesses. Schönwälder was a former Partner with McKinsey & Company, serving as the head of the company’s Middle East Business Technology Practice and as a core member of the region’s Financial Services Practice. He also worked for numerous family conglomerates and government institutions, with a focus on Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Schönwälder explains, "The region has considerable potential. Many of the Gulf States are successfully expanding their range of economic activities – moving away from oil toward promising sectors of the future such as tourism and hospitality, financial services and telecommunications. We advise companies and institutions in the region on all talent issues across all industries, with our wide-ranging executive search knowledge and international and local expertise."

Qatar Executive offers private jet travel for umrah over Ramadhan

For Qatar Executive, Qatar Airways’ private jet division, Ramadhan is one of its busiest seasons as religious travellers plan their trips to Ta’if, Jeddah or Medinah to perform umrah. 

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, who also heads up the airline’s business jet division, said: “Traditionally, the Holy month of Ramadhan is a busy season for religious travel, and we are pleased to provide our passengers heading to Saudi Arabia for umrah unparalleled service and a convenient option to perform their spiritual journey during this special time of the year.”

Qatar Executive offers private jet travellers a personalised service that includes the convenience of booking an aircraft in as little as four hours prior to departure, access to premium lounges and check in only 10 minutes prior to take off.

Other privileges of chartering a Qatar Executive private jet include the convenience to choose preferred flight times, allowing passengers to travel early in the morning and return home in the evening. This flexibility allows travellers to avoid overnight stays, and make their journey as effortlessly as possible.

Doha skyline at sunset.

Qatar Executive Global 5000 interior.

Qatar Executive’s Challenger 605s with a single cabin configuration can accommodate up to 11 passengers, and the more spacious Global 5000s or the luxurious Global XRS with a two cabin configuration have a capacity for up to 13 passengers.

IFSB and INCEIF 7th Executive Forum to educate, further Islamic finance progress

The Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) and the INCEIF - The Global University of Islamic Finance are organising the seventh Executive Forum (EF) on Islamic Finance on 3 and 4 June 2015. The IFSB-INCEIF EF Series aim to provide a platform for global leaders in Islamic finance to discuss emerging issues facing the global Islamic financial services industry. 

The EF, to be held at Sasana Kijang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, emphasises supervision and prudential regulation at national and international levels. Themed Building Momentum for Islamic Liquidity Management the EF will surface new insights through panel sessions, discussion groups, and practical case studies on the interactions between internal liquidity and external funds (e.g. profit-sharing investment accounts and sukuk).

The EF will also compare current conventional and Islamic overviews of liquidity risk management and discuss the challenges in building a resilient and robust liquidity risk management framework in the future. New developments in the regulatory landscape, with a special focus on the emerging liquidity risk management requirements, such as the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) and net stable funding ratio (NSFR), are on the agenda as well.

The current speaker list includes:

• Azahari Abdul Kudus, Chief Treasurer, KFH Malaysia 
• Daud Vicary Abdullah, President and CEO, INCEIF 
• Ijlal Alvi, Chief Executive Officer, International Islamic Financial Market 
• Abdullah Karatas, Manager, Investments, Islamic Development Bank 
• Professor Dr Merouane Lakehal-Ayat, Adjunct Professor, INCEIF 
• Prasanna Seshachellam, Director, Supervision, Dubai Financial Services Authority, UAE 

Next steps? 

Register

Email ifsb_sec@ifsb.org with questions