Julia Assaad

Experience

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  UBS

  Sept 2001 - Aug 2002

  Private Banking Client Advisor/Marketing Assistant

  - Assisting in acquiring and providing investment proposals to high net worth customers (Min $1M)- Creating investment proposals and developing progress reports on portfolio performance- Assisting in organizing marketing events

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  Barclays

  Aug 2002 - Sept 2005

  - Creation, implementation and ownership of all Retail Credit policies and procedures across 11 countries in Africa and the Middle East to improve the quality of the Retail lending book.- Evaluating the performance of the retail book and adopting changes to policies and credit procedures.- Overhaul of the Retail Credit Risk Management Control Document (Retail Credit ‘Book of Rules’). - Providing Credit input in assessing the risk impact of launching new Retail lending products, product reviews (incl. credit limits reviews and scorecard reviews) of existing products. Show less

  • Retail risk policies & procedures Manager

    Oct 2004 - Sept 2005

  • Product Manager

    Aug 2002 - Oct 2004
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  Absa

  Sept 2005 - Aug 2006

  Barclays integration Team- Retail risk synergy realization manager

  - Identify synergies through the integration of the Retail Credit Risk function of Absa into Barclays.- Work with stakeholders in Absa & Barclays UK to identify issues, risks & dependencies to effectively manage & plan projects- Design, implement & project manage the delivery of synergy revenue and cost savings.- Deliver Project level controls for synergies in line with project management governance requirements

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  Barclays Bank

  Aug 2006 - Jan 2007

  Project Manager - Retail

  - Optimize Retail lending process & procedures by increasing automation, reducing turnaround times for personal loans and credit cards, providing efficient service to customers.- Implementing a fast track process for Premier high net worth customer- Project to deliver financial benefits of EGP 10M over 4 years

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  BNP Paribas

  Jan 2007 - Sept 2008

  Deputy GM - Head of Retail Banking Network & Sales

  - Manage the Retail Banking network (44 branches) across Egypt.- Accountable to manage the Retail Banking P&L and budget for branches, direct sales and bancassurance.- Develop and head the first BNP Paribas Egypt call centre.

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  Grameen-Jameel Microfinance Limited

  Jul 2009 - Mar 2017

  - Provide strategic leadership and management of Grameen-Jameel’s operations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, from a regional office based in Dubai U.A.E- Lead, develop and manage relationships with Grameen-Jameel’s Microfinance institution (MFI) and stakeholders in the MENA region- Provide financial (loans, guarantees, etc.) and non-financial products and services to MFIs- Fully accountable for Grameen-Jameel’s funds (USD 60MM), and annual operating budget (USD 2MM)- Own, develop and accountable to deliver regional annual plans, strategic objectives and operating budgets- Communicate with Board of directors periodically and manage board meetings- Represent the company at Microfinance related events, conferences and handling the press & marketing Show less

  • Advisor to the Board of Directors - Consultant

    Sept 2012 - Mar 2017

  • CEO

    Jul 2009 - Sept 2012
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  DAI

  Nov 2014 - Apr 2016

  The Arab Women's Enterprise Fund (AWEF) is a GBP 20 million Programme, which aims to address barriers to women's economic inclusion in the Middles East and North Africa region. The Programme is funded by DIFD in partnership with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).Scope of Work:- Map the Microfinance landscape, including identifying major stakeholders and key financial institution players in the sector.- Provide analysis (data and due diligence) on microcredit figures for women and Islamic lending.- Identify partner financial institution suitable for the (AWEF) Programme.- Provide training on Microfinance and islamic lending.- Set up and facilitate meetings between IDB and key stakeholders and financial institutions in Egypt. Show less EBRD funded project for the National Bank of Egypt (NBE)Responsibilities- Lead all activities related to SME lending expansion and risk management within the NBE.- Provide recommendations and assist with implementation of measures for expanding SME lending by reviewing strategy, product range, policies & procedures, and assist with product development and risk management practices, reflecting client’s strategy and market needs.- Assess feasibility, provide recommendations and assist with the development of microlending, SME lending, credit scoring, as deemed appropriate. Show less

  • Microfinance Expert - Arab Women's Enterprise Fund

    Jan 2016 - Apr 2016

  • Lead Expert SME Lending & Risk Management - Consultant

    Nov 2014 - Feb 2016
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  The Retail Banking Academy®

  Apr 2015 - Aug 2017

  Faculty Member
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  Nathan Associates

  Jun 2017 - Sept 2017

  Senior Consultant

  Microfinance specialist leading project in Ethiopia to evaluate the second level land certificate (SLLC) credit product developed to improve access to finance for micro-entrepreneurs. The evaluation included assessing client segments, commercial viability/sustainability of the product, operational issues, and conducting field visits in Amhara and Oromia regions. In addition to assessing the current and potential credit risk management impact of the product on the MFIs portfolios.

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  European Investment Bank (EIB)

  Sept 2017 - Sept 2020

  Senior Investment Officer
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  IFC - International Finance Corporation

  Sept 2020 - now

  • Global Senior Investment Officer - Housing & Debt Capital Markets

    Jul 2023 - now

  • Global Senior Investment officer - Upstream

    Sept 2020 - Jul 2023