The board of directors of The National Bank’s (TNB) have given their unanimous approval to elect Mr. Salameh Khalil as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).  

Mr. Khalil is a highly experienced executive with a career spanning over 20 years.  His in-depth knowledge includes financial planning and strategy, risk management, treasury, internal controls, auditing, and accounting. 

Mr. Khalil has a keen sense for managing complex stakeholder issues.  He has a proven track record in identifying and nurturing leadership, which promotes strong teams to deliver successful results.  His passion for the role that banking can play in transforming the Palestinian society resonates strongly with the board.  He also critically has a good grasp of the strategic challenges facing the bank, within a challenged global economy and competitive landscape, as well as the required regulatory and governance framework.  

Prior to his appointment as TNB CEO, Mr. Khalil has been the Chief Financial Officer of Paltel Group for the past eight years, where he was responsible for managing and supervising the financial, administrative, human resources, and procurement departments, as well as setting the strategic objectives of the group. Mr. Khalil has represented Paltel on the board of various subsidiaries and associates including Jawwal, Jericho Gate Real Estate, Palvest and The National Bank (TNB).  Before joining Paltel, Mr. Khalil was the vice president of Finance at Bloom Holding in the United Arab Emirates, where his role included defining the group’s financial strategies, overseeing the treasury activities, and financing the group’s operations and projects.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Khalil was an audit manager at Ernst & Young (Palestine), where he managed the audits of leading corporates, banks, projects related to the World Bank, the European Commission, and USAID. In addition, Mr. Khalil also managed international projects for the Ministry of Finance related to audit and internal controls, budgeting, risk management, and institutional capacity building for the sovereign institutional infrastructure. 

Mr. Khalil holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Birzeit University. He has also obtained several international financial and accounting certificates including Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Project Finance Specialist (CPFS), and Master Financial Controller (MFC). 

Announcing the appointment, TNB’s chairman, Mr. Talal Nasereddin, praised Mr. Khalil’s appointment and his extensive knowledge of the banking environment, stressing the value that his appointment will bring to TNB’s dynamic and enthusiastic team.  
Mr. Nasereddin underlined the importance of investing in young, innovative leaders, like Mr. Khalil, who can successfully execute on TNB’s digital transformation strategy. Mr. Nasereddin also thanked Mr. Zaher Muala for his tremendous efforts whilst serving as TNB’s acting CEO since October 2020, wishing him continued success in his new position as Deputy CEO.