YOUR OPPORTUNITY
IS OUR OPPORTUNITY

WHO WE ARE

IBEM Gulf is a partner-led team of world-class leaders with deep, real-world experience who truly partner with CEOs, boards, and investors to translate strategy into high-impact execution.

The expertise of our people drives the excellence of IBEM Gulf and ultimately the success of our clients.

WHY WE EXIST

Our partners help top management in major multinational corporations, leading national companies and family offices develop and deliver winning strategies that achieve major transformations that are aligned with their long-term vision.

True enterprise performance requires the seamless integration of People, Process, and Technology – IBEM Gulf hardwires these three elements to eliminate operational waste, accelerate innovation, and build resilient enterprise cultures and capabilities.

GLOBAL EXPERTISE + REGIONAL PEDIGREE + INSIDER EXPERIENCE = ENTERPRISE IMPACT

H.E. LAILA RAHHAL AL ATFANI

Executive Chair

H.E. Laila Rahhal is a global business leader and advocate for youth and women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship, and peace.

She is President and Founder of the Women’s Business Circle, the “I Am Africa” platform, and Business Gate, as well as Vice Chair of the Global Chamber of Business Leaders.

Her work bridges humanitarian initiatives, economic development, and inspirational leadership across Europe, Africa, and Asia, making her a recognised voice for transformative impact and global change.

GEOFF
HUDSON-SEALE

Chief Executive Officer

Geoff Hudson-Searle is an international C-suite executive, board director, and business advisor with over 30 years of experience leading global growth, corporate governance, and digital transformation.

Specialised in large-scale M&A and operational scaling for private and listed companies, he has delivered strategic programmes for the British Government, BT, Barclays, Citibank, and Kaspersky Laboratory.

A Fellow of the Institute of Directors and co-founder of the Neustar International Security Council, Geoff serves on the Global Cyber Academy advisory council and as Lead Judge for the Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards. He is a TEDx speaker, a Top 250 Harvard Business School thought leader, and the author of seven books, including The Trust Paradigm.

DAVID
FROST

Chief Strategy Officer

David Frost is a global executive and transformation leader with 20+ years experience driving leadership growth and talent capability across multinational and high-growth organisations including Boeing, Thomson Reuters, Majid Al Futtaim, CEB, SHL, Curve and Tripledot.

A proven architect of enterprise transformation, he aligns strategy, talent, and culture to deliver high performance at scale.

David is regarded as one of the GCC’s leading executive leadership and organisational development experts for his ability to rapidly cultivate enterprise value, having led large-scale, highly visible enterprise transformations affecting hundreds of thousands of employees and millions of customers worldwide.

MURIELLE
YATES

Chief People Development Officer

Murielle Yates is a distinguished, award-winning Leadership Catalyst and Certified Executive Coach with over 30 years of experience as a senior leader for global corporations across the US, Europe, APAC, and the MEA regions.

She specialises in architecting customised transformation journeys that equip C-suite executives and high-potential leaders with the agility, resilience, and psychological safety required to navigate complex transitions.

Renowned for her innovative approach, Murielle integrates a sophisticated suite of psychometric and behavioural frameworks – including Hogan, Insights Discovery, HDI, Lencioni, and Emotional Intelligence – to unlock peak leadership potential.

TALIB
HASHIM

Managing Director – TBH Advisory

Talib Hashim (Abdulmuttalib “Talib” Hashim), is a Dubai-based Emirati entrepreneur and HR expert specialising in workforce localisation across the UAE and GCC.is a strategic partner of IBEM in his capacity as Founder of TBH (Think Big, Honestly) a Dubai-based People & Business Advisory firm that empowers talent, business leaders, and HR professionals.

TBH was the first firm in the GCC to focus fully on Emiratisation and talent development.

Talib’s work focuses on attracting, engaging, and developing local talent while helping businesses navigate regional cultural and market access challenges.

JEAN LUC MONTAGUE

Strategic Advisor

A veteran of the GCC with true global experience, Jean Luc Montague is an Executive Advisor at IBEM bringing over 35 years of leadership across retail, real estate, and asset management.

Throughout his career, Jean Luc has directed significant business transformations, commercial growth, and international expansions across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and Eurasia. He is an expert in crafting market entry strategies for multi-format assets in new developments while leveraging his deep relationships and extensive network.

Previously holding prominent leadership roles at Majid Al Futtaim, Carrefour, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club he drove leasing, business development, and international growth across retail, leisure, and lifestyle sectors.

As a dedicated culture champion and commercial leader, he excels building and shaping agile, high performing teams that deliver sustainable growth and long-term value.

HICHAM JOHN ELANMATI

Chief Revenue Officer

Hicham John Elanmati is an entrepreneur, media founder and business growth strategist with over 30 years of experience driving revenue growth, market expansion, and commercial strategy healthcare, media, and emerging tech companies. A former Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, for major Global and US organisations, including WellCare, EmblemHealth, HealthPlus (Amerigroup), and VNSNY CHOICE. He pairs enterprise sales leadership with an entrepreneurial approach to strategic partnerships, pipeline performance, and building high-converting sales teams, expanding market share, and driving predictable top-line revenue.

Hicham is the Founder and President of THE EMBC Network, a global media platform dedicated to educating, inspiring, and empowering audiences across business, healthcare, wellness, and culture. As a host and producer, he gives leading experts and entrepreneurs a platform to share practical knowledge. Grounded in trust, purposeful communication, and execution, Hicham connects vision with action across all his endeavors.

STEPHEN PAUL

Chief Transformation Officer

Steven Paul is a Chartered Director and executive transformation leader with over 25 years of global experience partnering with CEOs, boards, and executive teams across 30+ countries to deliver enterprise transformation, strategy execution, operating model change, and A.I governance.

In addition, Steven has built several businesses, held P&L responsibility and undertaken significant global roles with HSBC, BMO, Accenture.

As Chief Transformation Officer at IBEM Group, Steven combines large-scale transformation expertise with board-level oversight to ensure AI and business transformation programmes are practical, governed, and value-driven.

HISHAM ALVI

Transformation Principal

Hisham Alvi is a senior technology advisor and digital transformation leader with 15+ years of experience delivering complex, high-value programs across Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC.

An Imperial College MBA graduate, he has led multi-million-dollar programmes and advised C-suite and board-level stakeholders at clients including Saudi Telecom, National Housing Company, and STC.

With deep expertise across enterprise architecture, AI strategy, and digital transformation across government, telecom, banking, and real estate sectors, Hisham combines strategic leadership with hands-on delivery to translate emerging technology into measurable business capabilities and sustaining governance frameworks.

MARK F. HERBERT

Transformation Principal

Mark F. Herbert has over 30 years of combined corporate management and consulting experience in industries ranging from high technology and financial services to healthcare and ecotourism.

Mark is a Strategic Partner of IBEM and Principal for New Paradigms LLC a management consultancy specialising in helping organisations effectively and successfully embrace change and engage workforces. He possesses a BS in Management from Arizona State University and attended graduate school at the University of Oregon’s Institute for Industrial Relations.

He is a sought-after speaker and presenter at US conferences focussed on leadership, culture change, and organisational effectiveness.

RHONE E. LEE

Transformation Principal

Rhone E. Lee brings over 35 years of experience in Human Resources as a HR leader across start-up and enterprise organisations in the technology and retail sectors.

Formerly Vice President, Human Resources, Americas at Datalogic, and Talent Development at Intel, he is now a Strategic Partner at IBEM and Principal of New Paradigms LLC, specialising in organisational change and workforce engagement.

A pioneer in HR innovation, Rhone has led transformative initiatives across performance, talent management, succession planning, compensation design, organisational restructuring.

Notable achievements include establishing business-academia-communities benefiting wider society.

DOUGLAS LINES

Chief Executive Officer – IBEM Group Financing

Douglas Lines is a senior business leader and executive with 25+ years of global experience across the USA, UK, and South Africa.

A Chartered Accountant (ICAEW, SAICA) and co-author on innovation, he has led major businesses, launched new products, and executed complex M&A for clients including Shell, Total, Anglo American, and Coronation Asset Managers.

With experience spanning mining, oil & gas, financial services, education, and infrastructure, Douglas drives growth and value innovation, combining strategic insight with operational excellence to build collaborative cultures that deliver measurable results across organisations and geographies.

CHRIS STOBART

Venture Partner

Chris Stobart is a finance and capital advisory professional, Joint Venture Partner of IBEM, and Co-founder/Principal of CSBD-UK.

Following a background in corporate finance with American Express and service as a Royal Air Force officer, he specialises in structured finance, debt, working capital, and capital raising.

Chris works closely with institutional partners, family offices, private equity, and high-net-worth individuals to secure strategic funding for growth and expansion across property, infrastructure, technology, and AI sectors.

SCOTT HUNTER

Strategic Partner

Scott Hunter has spent more than 14 years working as a leadership facilitator, coach and consultant across the Middle East.

His work helps businesses strengthen trust- both inside the organisation – and with the clients they serve. He has spent much of his career exploring how trust is built, lost and strengthened.

His early leadership experience was in the UK Prison Service, including work connected to hostage negotiation, shaping how he sees trust today.

Through coaching, training, facilitation and The Trust Leader platform, he supports leaders and teams make trust visible, measurable and practical, then turn it into clearer expectations, stronger follow-through, better conversations, and repeatable habits that fit into everyday work.

Scott is a Strategic Partner and Principal for The Trust Leader

WHO WE WORK WITH

IBEM partners with boards, investors, and enterprise leaders to ensure complex strategies actually execute.