Emirates Investment Bank (EIB), the Dubai-based private and investment bank, has named Rasha Badawi as its new Head of Private Banking. The appointment brings one of the region’s most recognised private bankers, and the former CEO of Barclays Private Bank UAE, to the helm of a franchise the bank has placed at the heart of its transformation.
EIB pointed to her near thirty-year career in wealth management and her experience of launching and scaling private banking operations across the Gulf. She now takes charge of expanding the bank’s private client business and refining what sets its service apart.
A Career Built on Client Trust
Badawi has spent her career advising the wealthiest clients in the region: entrepreneurs, business dynasties, ruling families, family offices and institutions, in the Gulf and internationally.
Her leadership experience was forged at HSBC, Standard Chartered and Bank J. Safra Sarasin, where she rose to head wealth management and built out the ultra-wealthy and family office segments across the Middle East and North Africa.
In 2011 she moved to Barclays, initially as a senior private banker focused on Qatar. Promotions followed, first to lead coverage of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, then in 2021 to the top job at Barclays Private Bank UAE. Based in the DIFC, she ran the regional private bank across every function, from client coverage to operations, until mid-2025.
Recognised Leadership
In 2024, Forbes Middle East named Rasha Badawi among the 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen in the Middle East. The recognition reflected both her standing in the region’s wealth management industry and her role in leading a global bank’s private banking business in one of the world’s fastest-growing wealth hubs.
She has also become a regular commentator on the UAE economy, speaking about its resilience, the appetite of wealthy investors for diversification, and the shift of family and institutional capital towards sustainable investment. She takes visible pride in leading as an Arab woman, and has made the development of her teams a hallmark of her leadership.
A Key Role in EIB’s Transformation
Badawi joins as EIB pursues a broad overhaul of its business. The bank said she will help to “shape the future of our Private Banking business,” and expects her to draw on her knowledge of regional markets and her experience of growing private banking franchises.
The timing is significant. The UAE has become one of the world’s leading destinations for private wealth, with families, entrepreneurs and investors relocating to Dubai and Abu Dhabi in growing numbers. For a boutique institution such as EIB, the ability to compete on relationships, advice and tailored solutions, rather than scale alone, is decisive. Badawi’s long experience with the region’s most demanding client segments places her well to lead that effort.
Another Milestone for Women in UAE Banking
Rasha Badawi’s appointment adds to a growing list of women in finance shaping the UAE’s financial sector, from Hana Al Rostamani at First Abu Dhabi Bank to Rola Abu Manneh at Standard Chartered UAE and Shamsa Al Falasi at Citibank UAE. Private banking, long a relationship business dominated by men, is increasingly led by women whose credibility rests on decades of client trust.
At Woman Banker, we congratulate Rasha Badawi on her new role and look forward to following her next chapter at Emirates Investment Bank.
By Meriem Bousselmi
