PM appoints two new state ministers: Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum named Lana Nusseibeh (LinkedIn) and Saeed Al Hajeri (LinkedIn) as state ministers, according to a post on X.

About the ministers: Nusseibeh previously served as assistant foreign affairs minister for political affairs, following an 11-year stint as the UAE's ambassador to the UN, Wam reports. Al Hajeri previously worked as assistant minister of foreign affairs for economic and trade affairs, having also served as executive director at Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

Gulftainer appoints three senior execs: Emirati ports operator Gulftainer tapped Omar Rishi (LinkedIn) as executive VP and chief commercial officer (CCO) for ports and terminals, Peter Verheijen (LinkedIn) as executive VP and MD of its newly created container shipping lines division, and Aju Abraham-Thomas (LinkedIn) as executive VP and MD of marine and logistics services, according to a statement.

Meet the team: Rishi was most recently deputy region head and CCO at CMA CGM, Verheijen previously served as VP of Milaha’s container shipping division, and Abraham-Thomas has held senior roles at Wilhelmsen Group.

Deutsche Bank to move top private banker to Middle East: German investment bank Deutsche Bank AG is relocating one of its top private bankers, Salman Mahdi (LinkedIn), to the Middle East, Bloomberg reports, citing a staff memo it has seen. Mahdi, global vice-chairman of the firm’s private banking division, will relocate next year as the company looks to strengthen its presence in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Doha, and Riyadh — with a particular focus on Saudi Arabia.

NetApp taps Bassel Kassem as UAE country manager: Nasdaq-listed intelligent data infrastructure company NetApp named Bassel Kassem (LinkedIn) as country manager for the UAE, according to a press release. Kassem will focus on expansion into critical sectors including government, finance, healthcare, and energy — having previously held senior roles at Rubrik and Nutanix.

KSA fintech Geidea taps UAE office CEO: Riyadh-headquartered payment services provider Geidea appointed Pankaj Kundra (LinkedIn) as chief executive officer of its UAE office, according to a statement. Kundra’s appointment has been in effect since 25 August, with a mandate to scale the firm’s UAE operations. He has over 25 years of experience in digital transformation and growth strategies across MENA and India, previously holding senior leadership positions at Network International, Mashreq Bank, and Citibank.

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