Muhammad Rehan Syed

Muhammad Rehan Syed is a seasoned Chief Audit Executive and certified trainer with more than 29 years of leadership experience in corporate governance, internal audit, risk management, and financial controls across the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. He has deep, hands-on expertise in banking audit, AML/KYC, digital transformation, and regulatory compliance, and is known for integrating artificial intelligence, process automation, and analytics to strengthen governance frameworks and combat financial crime.

He has held senior leadership and advisory roles across the region throughout his career. Since 2023, he has served as an independent advisor on corporate governance and internal audit transformation, counseling boards and executives on ESG governance, AI oversight, continuous auditing, internal controls, and crisis governance.

He previously served as Chief Internal Auditor of Al Rajhi Holding Group (BSS) in the UAE, Managing Director of Ambusaidi Finance & Management Advisory in Saudi Arabia, Head of Banking Audit at Banque Saudi Fransi, and Vice President, Internal Audit at Faysal Bank. He began his career in bank supervision at the State Bank of Pakistan. As Project Director of Pakistan’s National eKYC Initiative, he led the design and nationwide rollout of the country’s first blockchain-powered eKYC platform.

He is a certified trainer who has delivered programmes on governance, audit, AML/CFT, fraud risk management, the Basel Accord and ICAAP to boards and banking professionals across the Middle East and South Asia. A Pakistani national, he holds professional certifications including CPA, CISA, CICA and CIFP, and a Masters in Public Administration (Finance).

Contact: syedmrehan@gmail.com