British Arab Commercial Bank (BACB), the specialist UK bank for African markets, has appointed Chris Dunford as its Chief People Officer. As a member of the Executive Committee, Dunford will report into CEO Susie Aliker.
In the Chief People Officer role, Dunford will be responsible for delivering BACB’s people strategy that seeks to further embed the bank’s core values of teamwork, integrity, innovation and excellence in client service.
Dunford, who spent four months as an interim HR Director for BACB ahead of his appointment to the new position, arrived at BACB from American Express Global Business Travel. There, he was the Human Resources (HR) Director for the travel management services provider’s operations teams in EMEA, and for the global support teams, responsible for 5,000 people across 24 countries.
In a diverse career spanning over two decades, Dunford’s experience includes UK HR Director at real-estate services firm CBRE and senior HR positions in defence company MBDA and in the National Health Service (NHS). He has also worked as a lead consultant at global law firm Eversheds LLP where he developed people strategies for companies in a broad range of sectors, including financial services, tech, pharmaceuticals and telecommunications.
Dunford says: “As a specialist, relationship-focused bank, BACB’s people are the most critical element of its business. With that in mind, I am very much looking forward to the opportunity to drive the bank’s people strategy – and fulfilling the core aims of continuing to make BACB a truly great place to work for our niche industry’s best and brightest talent.”
BACB’s CEO, Susie Aliker, adds: “In Chris we have found a versatile and experienced HR leader ready to steer the bank’s people strategy during a period of extraordinary change in the working environment for most sectors, including financial services. We are a bank passionate about attracting and developing the industry’s best people by fostering an innovative and enriching working culture. Given Chris’ long-established track record in developing such strategies, we are delighted to welcome him to the Executive Committee.”
Based in London and regulated in the UK, BACB is a specialist bank that eases the financing of trade flows to and from Africa and the Middle East.
