Issa al-Issa

Issa Mohammed al-Issa (born February 12, 1956) is a Saudi banker and a former member of the Shura Council.

Issa al-Issa enrolled at King Abdulaziz Military College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He then pursued higher studies at the College of Business Administration at King Saud University and joined a master’s program for one year.

Issa al-Issa began his career at Citibank Group in 1980, where he held various leadership positions in executive management. He completed several leadership and technical training programs in banking, finance, and investment and participated in numerous international economic and financial conferences and seminars. He also delivered lectures on financial and banking markets. He later served as chairman of the board of Samba Financial Group from 2010 to 2019. He was also responsible for overseeing the technical aspects of the acquisition of Saudi United Bank by Saudi American Bank. Additionally, he was appointed as the managing director and chief executive officer of the bank, founded Samba Capital, and served as vice chairman of Visa for the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.

Issa Al-Issa held memberships in several committees and boards, including the Advisory Board of the Supreme Economic Council for twelve years, the Competition Protection Council, the Board of Directors of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC), the Board of Directors of the Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation, the Board of Directors of the Saudi Electricity Company, the Board of Directors of the International Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors of the Saudi Limited Investment Fund, the Board of Trustees of the Centennial Fund, the Investment Committee of the Public Pension Agency (currently the General Organization for Social Insurance), and the Board of Trustees of the American University.

During his tenure in the Shura Council from October 20, 2020, to September 6, 2024, he was a member of the Financial and Economic Committee as well as the Eighth Parliamentary Friendship Committee, which included the parliaments of Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Libya, Somalia, the Union of the Comoros, Djibouti, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Madagascar, Seychelles, South Sudan, and Eswatini.

Issa al-Issa has received several awards, including the Arab Banking Personality of the Year Award (2017), the Lifetime Achievement Award in Business for the Middle East (2010) from CEO Middle East, the Best CEO in the Middle East award from EMEA Finance, and the Best CEO Award from Saudi Arabia’s Human Resources Forum, along with other awards.