Bassam El Hage

Bassam is a member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) External Audit Committee since November 2019. He is also a non-executive board member of Saraya Holding Company PLC, registered in DIFC Dubai, UAE and an advisor to the audit committee of Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank PJSC UAE.

Bassam retired from Ernst and Young (EY) in July 2019, where he served for the last eight years as Managing Partner, Markets for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and was based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. He has over four decades of experience across the accounting, finance, corporate governance and business transformation fields.

During his tenure at EY, Bassam’s roles spanned various capacities and sectors, including financial services, energy, utilities, real estate, government and public sector. He led the transformation of the operating, delivery and teaming model at EY to bring a sector focus approach along with driving digital, innovation and technology solutions to proactively respond to the Governments’ transformation and modernization agendas and the transformation agenda of the major industries in the MENA region.

Bassam has also served as a member of the Middle East International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) desk at EY and was responsible for advising clients on technical IFRS related matters. He was the engagement partner for the audit of several major banks and financial institutions in the United Arab Emirates.