Former DIFC Governor Dies

Dubai: Former governor of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and former vice chairman of Emirates NBD, Abdullah Mohammad Saleh, died on Monday night, his relative confirmed.

Saleh, who was most recently a board member of DIFC, died at Rashid Hospital after having been in a coma for the past few months. He was at the Dubai hospital after receiving treatment in London earlier following open-heart surgery.

Ahmad Lutfi, office director of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE’s Minister of Finance, who is also Saleh’s brother-in-law, confirmed the news to Gulf News.

Saleh was appointed governor of DIFC in 2011, and in 2013, received an accolade of recognition for his service from Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and first deputy chairman of the Dubai Executive Council.

Prior to his stint as governor, Saleh was vice chairman of Emirates NBD until mid-2010. He had been the first Emirati officer of National Bank of Dubai and served there from its inception in 1963. He was managing director of the bank from 1981 until December 2003.

Saleh became chairman of the bank in January 2005, and then was made chairman after it merged with Emirates Bank International to create the entity now known as Emirates NBD.