Board of Directors

Qays H. Zu'bi is the Founder and Chairman of Zu'bi & Partners, Attorneys & Legal Consultants, a Bahraini professional partnership company, and currently serves as President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bahrain. A licensed Bahraini attorney before the Court of Cassation and the Constitutional Court, and a licensed legal consultant in Dubai, he has extensive experience across corporate, commercial, banking, finance, and regulatory matters.

A graduate of Duke University and the University of Cambridge, Qays began his legal career in Bahrain in 1981 before establishing his own practice, which he associated first with White & Case LLP and later with Clifford Chance LLP. He is a qualified litigator and arbitrator, and a Certified Arbitrator with the GCC Commercial Arbitration Centre.

Qays is a Member of the International Bar Association and the Law Society of England & Wales, a Board Member of the Bahrain Japan Business & Friendship Society, InJAz Bahrain, and AIESEC Bahrain, and Founding Chairman of the Oxford & Cambridge Alumni of Bahrain. He served as Honorary Consul of Canada to Bahrain for 15 years. He has been recognized by Chambers Global and The Legal500 as a leading corporate and finance lawyer and trusted adviser to international companies and Bahraini entities.

Michel Sawaya has served as Citi Country Officer of Citi Bahrain since May 2021. Prior to this appointment, he was CCO and Head of Corporate Banking for Citi Lebanon from March 2016. He joined Citi in October 1995 as part of the team responsible for reestablishing the franchise in Lebanon, holding roles in Operations & Technology and Internal Controls before moving into Treasury & Trade Solutions in 2006, where he expanded his role to Head of TTS for the Levant Cluster in 2010, and was appointed Head of Corporate Banking in 2013.

Michel holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the American University of Beirut. He is a Board Member at the American Chamber of Commerce in Bahrain and at the Bahrain International School Association. Michel is married to Corinne Sakr, and they have three daughters — Celine, Karen, and Sophia.

Dr. Wafa Almansoori is the President & Provost of the American University of Bahrain (AUBH), where she provides overall academic and administrative leadership for the University, guiding institutional strategy, operational performance, governance, and external engagement. She oversees AUBH's academic and research portfolio, including academic programs, faculty affairs, research development, quality assurance, and accreditation, working closely with the University's Deans to strengthen academic quality and support student success.

Dr. Almansoori joined AUBH in 2020 as Director of Institutional Research & Assessment, later serving as Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation before her appointment as Provost in 2025. In these roles, she led the University's national and international accreditation efforts, managed its relationship with Bahrain's Higher Education Council (HEC) and the Education & Training Quality Authority (BQA), and served as secretary of the Board of Trustees.

Prior to AUBH, Dr. Almansoori spent over a decade at Bahrain's Education & Training Quality Authority (BQA), rising to Director of the Directorate of Higher Education Reviews and later Director of the Directorate of Vocational Reviews. She chaired the Authority's Academic Committee for six years and played a founding role in establishing Bahrain's higher education quality assurance system through the Economic Development Board's Education Reform Project. She also served as Vice Chairman and later Board Member of the Council for Regulating the Practice of Engineering Professions, a body appointed by the Prime Minister to implement Bahrain's engineering practice regulations.

Earlier in her career, Dr. Almansoori was a faculty member in the Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering at the University of Bahrain for over two decades, serving as Assistant Professor and Instructor, and coordinating both the Electronics Group and the department's Master's program.

Beyond Bahrain, Dr. Almansoori has served extensively as an external reviewer and panel chair for the Oman Academic Accreditation Authority and the Abu Dhabi Education Council, leading institutional accreditation reviews for universities across the Gulf region.

Dr. Almansoori holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Tufts University, USA, an M.Sc. in Microelectronic Systems and Communications from the University of Liverpool, UK, and a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Bahrain. She is a published researcher with contributions across engineering and higher education quality assurance, and is the recipient of the 2026 Gulf Engineering Pioneers Award and the 2007 Anita Borg Change Agent Award.

Alexander van Veldhoven is the Chief Strategy Officer at Bapco Energies, where he leads the Company's strategic initiatives and drives the implementation of Bahrain's National Energy Strategy. With nearly 25 years of experience in the global energy industry, he is an expert in strategy development, portfolio management, and navigating complex capital-intensive projects, positioning him at the forefront of the energy transition.

Prior to Bapco Energies, Alexander held senior leadership roles at ExxonMobil, where he led multi-billion-dollar acquisitions and built a track record of delivering value through strategic decision-making, risk management, and high-performing teams. He is recognized for his ability to bring stakeholders together and inspire action through clear communication and visionary leadership.

Alexander holds a Master's degree in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Maastricht and speaks Dutch, English, and German fluently. His global perspective and innovative thinking continue to drive Bapco Energies' growth and leadership in the evolving energy landscape.

Abdelkarim Abu Jaber brings over two decades of leadership experience across the Middle East, with a proven track record of driving business growth, strengthening market ecosystems, and enabling digital transformation across public and private sector organizations. He currently serves as Security Solutions Sales & Channels Manager at Microsoft, leading regional strategies focused on cybersecurity, AI, and cloud transformation to help organizations build resilience and unlock sustainable growth.

Throughout his career, Abdelkarim has delivered impact at scale — leading over 70% growth in Microsoft Security solutions across the region, accelerating cloud and AI adoption by more than 65% year-over-year, and transforming Microsoft's channel ecosystems across 13 countries to drive sustained value creation and services-led growth. Beyond commercial outcomes, his focus has always been on building strong partnerships and long-term economic value, strengthening collaboration between global technology providers, local partners, and customers in alignment with AmCham Bahrain's mission to foster trade, investment, and innovation between Bahrain and the United States.

Abdelkarim is particularly passionate about contributing to Bahrain's position as a regional hub for innovation, investment, and digital economy growth. Through board service, he aims to strengthen collaboration between American and Bahraini businesses, support the adoption of emerging technologies including AI and cybersecurity, contribute to policy dialogue that enables sustainable economic growth, and mentor the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs.

Rushdi Kikhia is the Office Managing Partner of Deloitte Middle East in the Kingdom of Bahrain and a Partner in the firm's Enterprise Risk practice, with over 25 years of experience in internal audit, internal control, governance, risk, and compliance. He has led engagements across internal audit framework development, risk assessment, and quality assurance reviews for leading organizations in the region, working extensively with government, public sector, and financial institutions.

Rushdi also serves as Tax and Legal Business Risk Leader for Deloitte Middle East, a member of the ME Purpose Committee, and a mentor under Deloitte's D-180 corporate responsibility program. He previously held several senior governance roles at Deloitte Middle East, including Risk Advisory Business Risk Leader, Director of Independence, Ethics Officer, and Anti-Corruption Leader — experience that has given him deep expertise in governance, compliance, and risk controls design.

He holds a B.S. in Accounting from Beirut University College and an MBA from the Lebanese American University, and is a Bahrain Registered Auditor, a Fellow of LACPA and AICPA, and a US Certified Public Accountant (State of Maine). Over his career, Rushdi has served major regional clients including the National Bank of Kuwait, the Central Bank of Bahrain, Tamkeen, the Bahrain Economic Development Board, and Aramco Trading Company.

Daniel Taylor is the Chief Financial Officer at First Bahrain Real Estate Development Co KSC (Closed), a Kuwaiti-owned firm operating in Bahrain. As a founding member of the executive team, he has helped transform a land bank into a diversified portfolio of commercial, residential, and industrial properties that generate stable cash flow and returns for stakeholders — including the firm's current project building villas for the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning under the Government Land Development Programme.

With a career spanning 38 years, Daniel is a leader and entrepreneur who led and exited two SMEs in Bahrain over the past decade. He also served as a US naval officer, supporting the liberation of Kuwait in 1991. He is an Adjunct Professor of Real Estate & Finance for DePaul University, Chicago, and the former Chairman of the Board of Al Raja School, the oldest school in Bahrain, where he served seven years — another pillar of the longstanding US-Bahrain relationship.

Daniel is a Fellow Chartered Management Accountant (FCMA, CGMA) and holds an MBA with Distinction from DePaul University's Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, a B.A. in History from the University of Virginia, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration at the American University of Bahrain. He and his wife, Nicole, have three adult children and one grandchild.

As an American citizen, leading businessman, and long-term resident of Bahrain, Daniel is uniquely positioned to serve on AmCham's Board as a cross-cultural ambassador deepening ties between business leaders from both nations. As the Chamber's current Treasurer, he has helped build and maintain the strong systems that have ensured its stability and growth.

Wael A. Mirza is the Post Sales and Commercial Affairs Manager at ASRY, where he has worked since 2008, rising through roles as Public Relations Department Head, Regional Business Development Department Head, and Strategic Development Manager. With more than 25 years of diversified experience spanning strategic management, public relations, business development, marketing, events, and insurance, he built ASRY's Post Sales function from the ground up and has consistently delivered record-breaking regional revenue growth and strategic partnerships.

Before joining ASRY, Wael served as Head of Public Relations at the General Organization of Sea Ports, and earlier as Projects Manager at the Bahrain Convention and Exhibition Bureau under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, where he organized major international trade events and exhibitions. He began his career in insurance underwriting and business development at ARIG and Bahrain Kuwait Insurance Company.

Wael holds an MBA in International Marketing from the University of Hull, UK, and a Business Information Systems Diploma from the University of Bahrain. He is ASRY's representative to AmCham Bahrain, a former Vice President of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Committee for Promotions, Exhibitions and Conferences, a US Department of State IVLP alumnus, and a former President of the ASRY Toastmasters Club. He is married with two sons.

Yusuf is the General Manager at Mueller Middle East (MME), a subsidiary of a leading American corporation and a key manufacturer of copper tubes for air conditioning and refrigeration. Strategically leveraging the US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement, MME has built a strong global footprint, exporting the majority of its output to markets worldwide while serving the HVAC&R sector across the Middle East and beyond.

Yusuf's leadership at MME has grown in scope and influence over the years, and he now carries an expanded role with group-level oversight across the EMEA region. In addition to his executive responsibilities, he serves as a board member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bahrain and sits on college advisory councils, where he shares his industry expertise to help shape the next generation of engineering and business talent.

Yusuf began his career as a Process Engineer, developing deep expertise in industrial operations through hands-on involvement including facility construction and commissioning. His strong technical foundation and leadership capabilities saw him rise through the ranks to senior regional leadership across the MENA region and, most recently, to his expanded group-level role with EMEA oversight.

Yusuf holds a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from West Virginia University and an MBA from DePaul University. He is also certified as a Six Sigma Green Belt professional and an Associate in Risk Management.

Izhar Sajid is a Bahrain and US-based entrepreneur and business leader who oversees business development at MSS Holdings, his family's group of companies spanning manufacturing, technology, gold bullion and jewellery, real estate, and transportation. He drives growth strategy and new ventures across a diversified portfolio rooted in Bahrain.

He is also Co-Founder and Director of EcoFibre, the region's first manufacturer of compostable food and medical packaging made from bagasse, the natural fiber left over from sugarcane. EcoFibre exports "Made in Bahrain" products to the US, UK, and Germany, supplying global brands such as Walmart, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's, as well as leading medical institutions, and holds a BRCGS Grade AA+ certification — one of only ten companies worldwide in its sector to do so.

Izhar holds a Master of Science in Management Information Systems from the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona, where he was a Scholar for Industry recipient in the AZSecure Cybersecurity Program. His background combines technology expertise with hands-on entrepreneurship, and his work reflects a commitment to strengthening US-Bahrain commercial ties and showcasing Bahrain as a competitive, world-class destination for business and investment.

Nada AlSaeed is the Chief of Strategy at the Bahrain Economic Development Board, leading strategy formulation, research, policy, and strategic initiatives. Over 15 years at the EDB, she has driven major efforts in economic planning, public policy, and reforms shaping Bahrain’s digital economy, labor policies, and investment climate.

She previously served as a Data Policy Fellow at the World Economic Forum’s Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, focusing on data privacy, cross-border data flows, AI, and emerging tech policy. Earlier, she worked in government roles, including the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and Ministry of Transportation.

Nada holds a Bachelor’s of Commerce in Economics and International Trade and a Postgraduate Degree in Economics from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.