Description
A multiple award-winning leader in professional services, Yaser serves as the main point of contact for the financial services and government sectors at Grant Thornton Bahrain.
Since joining GT in 2015, Yaser has significantly grown the firm’s portfolio of clients in the financial services industry spanning banking, insurance, asset management, microfinance, ancillary service providers and crypto-asset licensees; delivering a range of services including assurance, internal audit, risk advisory, forensic services, transaction advisory, special engagements, IT advisory and regulatory advisory services. A member of the Grant Thornton Middle East Financial Services Working Group, he has also led multiple large cross-border engagements within the Grant Thornton network across the Middle East including KSA, Oman and Sudan.
Before joining the firm, Yaser was associated with Gulf International Bank and Ernst and Young. He joined GIB’s internal audit department at a critical stage in the bank’s strategy implementation, which allowed him a very unique opportunity to participate in the launch of the new Retail Bank in KSA. In addition to auditing most of the Bank's key departments, Yaser was also involved in the overhaul of existing policies and procedures which were replaced with newly developed policies and procedure manuals. At Ernst & Young, he was part of the Banking & Financial Services Group which has a specialization in banking sector audit engagements.
He was awarded the William S. Smith CIA – Certificate of Honors Award by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA, USA) in the year 2014 for achieving one of the top 50 results worldwide in the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) exams out of 70,000 candidates, where he was the only Arab on the list. He was again honoured the following year by the same institute with the CFSA Highest Achievement Award for achieving the highest score worldwide in the Certified Financial Services Auditor (CFSA) exam.
Yaser commenced his professional career at a very young age, having completed his university studies and ACCA qualification exams simultaneously at the age of 20.