The parent company of Al Rayan Bank is Masraf Al Rayan QSC (MAR), a Qatar-based Islamic bank providing banking, financial, investment and brokerage services through a network of branches across Qatar.
Venkat Chandrasekar has joined Al Rayan Bank as chief operations officer to oversee the bank’s frontline functions.
An operations and technology leader with 17 years’ managerial experience in retail banking, he joins from Citibank where he held a number of senior positions over his 13-year tenure, most recently leading the European operations for international personal banking and wealth management business in London.
Sultan Choudhury, CEO, Al Rayan Bank, said: “We are delighted to welcome VC, with his track record of operations and business transformation experience, to the team. It is a critical time for the Bank as it continues to transition to an established European banking brand. VC’s appointment will act as a catalyst for the changes we have made so far, and help to move us forward in that journey.”
Chandrasekar (pictured) added: “I am delighted to take up the position of COO of Al Rayan Bank, a role that aligns perfectly with my skill set, personality, and my desire to be deeply involved in business transformation. It’s an exciting time of evolution, both for the bank and the industry in general.
“Every bank wants to embrace the new digital age of banking but I believe Al Rayan Bank is uniquely positioned to do so. It is not hampered by unwieldy processes and systems, it is a rapidly growing but agile organisation that can make decisions swiftly, it is investing in both the technology and experienced personnel, and, most importantly, it puts the customer at the heart of everything it does. It is only by truly understanding customers that banks can address their needs with the right products and services.”
The parent company of Al Rayan Bank is Masraf Al Rayan QSC (MAR), a Qatar-based Islamic bank providing banking, financial, investment and brokerage services through a network of branches across Qatar. It is one of the largest banks in Qatar by market value and is listed on the Qatar Exchange. Its top 20 shareholders are blue chips in the Qatar investment, corporate and high net worth community.
