Leadership

Shukri Salem Mussabih Almheiri is the Chief Executive Officer of Al Wathba Insurance. He brings over three decades of leadership across insurance, investments, and industrial sectors. A Board member since 1998, he was appointed CEO in September 2025 and is focused on driving disciplined growth, strengthening governance, and enhancing underwriting performance. He is also leading the company’s next phase of transformation through digital enablement, product innovation, and strategic partnerships, reinforcing Al Wathba Insurance’s position as a forward-looking insurer.

Prior to his current role, Shukri Almheiri held senior leadership positions across both public and private sectors, including General Manager at Dubai Investments Industries, where he oversaw a diversified portfolio of industrial and healthcare businesses, and Senior Manager at Abu Dhabi Investment Company, leading a variety of investments.

He also served with the UAE Ministry of Health and ADNOC in strategic and organizational development roles. He holds a Master of Development Administration from Western Michigan University and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Indiana University.

Muralikrishnan R is the Chief Financial Officer of Al Wathba Insurance. He is currently leading finance, strategy, and governance. With over two decades of experience, he is responsible for driving financial performance, strengthening governance frameworks, and enabling sustainable growth across the organization. Under his leadership, the company has progressed from a regional insurer to a globally connected business, delivering its five-year Board-approved strategy ahead of schedule.

He has played a key role in establishing Al Wathba Insurance’s strategic presence at Lloyd’s of London and in building a future-ready digital infrastructure. Murali holds multiple professional qualifications including ACA, CGMA, CFE, AINS, and ARe, reflecting his strong expertise in finance, risk, and insurance. He is recognized as a trusted leader by both the Board and his team, combining financial discipline with a forward-looking strategic approach.

Awni Manna serves as Chief Investment Officer at Al Wathba Insurance. He leads the company’s investment strategy, portfolio management, and capital allocation. In this role, he is responsible for optimizing returns, managing risk exposure, and supporting the company’s long-term financial strength through disciplined and forward-looking investment decisions.

With extensive experience as Finance Administration Manager, and later in investment management and financial markets, Awni brings a strong track record in managing diversified portfolios and navigating complex economic environments. He holds a bachelors degree in computer and administrative science from Yarmouk University, Jordan. His expertise spans asset allocation, risk management, and strategic investments, underpinned by a deep understanding of market dynamics and value creation.

Edgar Dowson serves as Head of Distribution at Al Wathba Insurance. He leads the company’s distribution strategy across key channels and partnerships. In this role, he is focused on expanding market reach, strengthening broker and partner relationships, and driving sustainable growth through a high-performing distribution network.

Before joining Al Wathba Insurance, Edgar held senior roles at Qatar Insurance Company, Zurich Insurance Company Ltd., RSA, and Talisma, building deep expertise in insurance sales, retail distribution, and relationship management. He holds an MBA from AIS St. Helens, a BBA from GRD College, and completed his pre-degree studies at Mar Ivanios.

Sirish Kumar serves as Head of Technical at Al Wathba Insurance. He leads underwriting strategy, product development, and technical risk management. He plays a key role in strengthening underwriting discipline, enhancing product competitiveness, and ensuring the company’s portfolio is aligned with evolving market dynamics and robust risk frameworks.

With over 3.5 decades of experience, Sirish has held senior roles at Al Ain Ahlia Insurance, Abu Dhabi National Takaful, and ADNIC, where he served as Vice President and Senior Underwriting Manager. He began his career in the GCC with RSA across KSA and Bahrain after spending 12 years with New India Assurance Co. Ltd., Bangalore. Sirish holds a Master’s degree in Business/Commerce from Bangalore University, reflecting his strong academic foundation in finance and insurance.

Vikrant Mertia serves as Head of Motor (Underwriting & Claims) at Al Wathba Insurance. He leads the motor portfolio across underwriting strategy, and risk control. He plays a key role in strengthening portfolio performance, enhancing claims efficiency, and ensuring a balanced approach between growth, profitability, and customer experience.

With over two decades of experience, Vikrant has held leadership roles across GCC. His expertise spans motor underwriting, portfolio management, and claims optimization.

Syed Amir Ali serves as Head of Health at Al Wathba Insurance. He leads the company’s health insurance portfolio across underwriting, operations, and claims management. He is responsible for strengthening strategic partnerships with Reinsurers, Brokers, TPAs and other vendors, enhancing customer experience, and driving sustainable growth through efficient, customer-centric health solutions.

With over two decades of experience, Syed has held senior roles at Orient Takaful, AXA GCIC, Dubai Islamic Insurance (AMAN), and Allianz EFU Health Insurance Pakistan (LTD). His expertise spans underwriting, operations and claims for Employee Benefit portfolio management. He holds a Master’s degree in Commerce from Karachi University, reflecting a strong academic foundation in Finance and Insurance

Vibhu Joshi serves as Deputy Chief Financial Officer at Al Wathba Insurance. She supports financial strategy, governance, and risk oversight. She plays a key role in strengthening internal controls, ensuring regulatory compliance, and supporting the organization’s financial resilience through effective audit, risk, and compliance frameworks.

With extensive experience across audit and risk management, Vibhu has held roles at AMA – Alberta Motor Association, Hily Holding, and Foodco National Foodstuff. She has also served in leadership roles within Al Wathba Insurance across internal audit and controls. A Chartered Accountant, she brings deep expertise in financial governance, compliance, and enterprise risk management.

Vijayanand Giriraj serves as Head of Strategic Partnerships and Alliances at Al Wathba Insurance. He leads the development and expansion of broker relationships and key partnerships. He plays a critical role in driving business growth, strengthening distribution channels, and building long-term alliances that support the company’s strategic objectives and market presence.

With over 2 decades of experience, Vijayanand has held senior roles at Qatar Insurance Group, Dubai National Insurance & Reinsurance and RSA. His expertise spans broker management, business development, and commercial lines. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from Wigan and Leigh College and a Bachelor’s degree from Bangalore University.

Delma D'Silva serves as Head of Human Resources at Al Wathba National Insurance Company, where she leads the organization's people strategy, talent agenda, and HR transformation initiatives. She is responsible for building organizational capability, strengthening leadership, fostering a high-performance culture, and aligning human capital strategies with the company's long-term business objectives and sustainable growth.
With over 20 years of regional HR leadership experience, Delma has held senior positions with Cigna and MetLife, leading Human Resources across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Her expertise spans HR transformation, organizational design, mergers and acquisitions, workforce planning, talent management, employee engagement, and regulatory compliance.
Delma holds a certificate in People Analytics from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, equipping her with advanced expertise in leveraging data-driven insights to enhance workforce performance and strategic decision-making. She is recognized as a transformational HR leader who combines commercial acumen with people-centric leadership to deliver sustainable business growth and organizational excellence across multinational organizations.

Abdulrahman Dodeen serves as Head of Reinsurance at Al Wathba Insurance. He leads the company’s reinsurance strategy, treaty structuring, and risk transfer programs. He plays a critical role in strengthening capital protection, optimizing underwriting capacity, and ensuring financial stability through effective reinsurance partnerships and frameworks.  

With extensive regional experience, Abdulrahman has held roles at a collection of regional insurance companies in Kuwait, Oman and UAE. His expertise spans reinsurance program design, treaty negotiations, and risk analytics. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Amman Private University, Cert CII (Chartered Insurance Institute), CRIS (IRMI) and a Diploma in Risk & Insurance (The Institutes) reflecting his strong technical foundation in insurance and reinsurance.

Kishore Sivaprakasam serves as Head of Information Technology at Al Wathba Insurance, where he leads the organization’s IT strategy and technology operations. He plays a key role in driving digital innovation, enhancing enterprise systems, and enabling business growth through scalable, secure, and efficient technology solutions aligned with the company’s strategic vision.

With over two decades of experience in the technology and insurance domains, Kishore has held senior leadership roles at Al Wathba Insurance and 3i Infotech, leading large-scale system implementations and business-critical transformation initiatives.

Kishore holds a Master of Computer Applications (MCA) from Bharathidasan University, reflecting a strong academic foundation in computer science and technology  

Aon Muhammad Raza serves as Head of Transformation at Al Wathba Insurance. He leads enterprise-wide transformation initiatives across business and technology. He is responsible for driving governance, prioritization, and execution of strategic programs, enabling digital innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth aligned with the company’s long-term vision.

With a diverse background in digital transformation and consulting, Aon has held roles at Daman, Noor Takaful, and Ensaan Technologies. His expertise spans UX, digital platforms, and process automation, delivering measurable impact across customer journeys. He holds a Master of Science in Information Technology from GlobalNxt University, reflecting a strong foundation in technology and innovation.

Pamela Bou Zeid serves as Head of Shared Services & Customer Experience (CX) at Al Wathba Insurance, where she leads the organization’s CX transformation, service excellence agenda, and operational efficiency initiatives. She is instrumental in embedding a customer-first culture, enhancing service delivery across all touchpoints, and driving strategic programs that elevate service quality, customer satisfaction, loyalty, and long-term value creation.

With a diverse career spanning customer experience, insurance operations, and service quality governance, Pamela brings a proven track record in leading customer-centric transformation initiatives. She is a high-distinction graduate and valedictorian of Paris School of Business, and has been recognized among the Top 25 CX Leaders in the MENA region.

Zeeshan Haider serves as Head of Marketing & Communications at Al Wathba Insurance. He leads brand, digital commerce, and customer experience initiatives. He is responsible for driving growth across B2B, B2C, and B2B2C channels, building a performance-led marketing engine, and positioning the company as a forward-looking, customer-centric insurer.

With a diverse career spanning insurance, advertising and academia, Zeeshan has held roles at Now Health International, Noor Takaful, Colour Tree Productions & COMSATS University leading regional and global marketing initiatives. He has also been involved in entrepreneurial ventures in media and content. He is a graduate of Disruptive Strategy Programme from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and is pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration, reflecting his commitment to continuous growth and innovation.

Tijo Scaria serves as the Head of Finance and Accounts at Al Wathba Insurance, bringing over 15 years of progressive experience in financial reporting, management accounting, and financial governance, with deep expertise in the insurance and reinsurance sector. Professionally, he is a Chartered Accountant and holds an Associate qualification in Insurance and Reinsurance (ARe).

He plays a pivotal role in supporting strategic decision-making through insightful financial analysis, robust reporting, and effective risk management practices. He leads AWNIC’s implementation and ongoing application of IFRS 17, with oversight of measurement model selection, governance of key assumptions, and the preparation of financial statements.

He is also actively involved in solvency analysis, risk-based assessments, and engagements with credit rating agencies and reinsurance structures through Lloyd's of London, supporting the company’s financial strength and long-term stability.

Marc Merheb is the Head of Claims at Al Wathba Insurance, where he leads end-to-end claims operations, driving operational excellence, customer service delivery, and continuous process improvement. He oversees a high-performing team and plays a key role in enhancing the overall claims experience through efficient, fair, and timely resolution, aligned with the company’s customer-first approach.

With over a decade of experience in the insurance industry, Marc has a strong track record in optimizing claims processes, strengthening control frameworks through automation, and supporting fraud risk mitigation. Prior to his current role, he held progressive positions at Allianz Insurance and Securite Assurance, building deep expertise across claims management, audit, and operational governance.

Marc holds a Master’s degree in Marketing from IPAG Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Notre Dame University – Louaize (NDU).

Sahal Acharath Dariya serves as Head of Technical Claims at Al Wathba Insurance. He leads the Commercial and Technical Claims function, ensuring efficient, compliant, and high-quality claims management. He is responsible for overseeing end-to-end claims operations, driving timely resolutions, optimizing cost control, and strengthening coordination across underwriting, legal, and reinsurance to deliver fair and accurate settlements.

With over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, Sahal has built deep expertise in handling complex, high-value claims and leading claims operations across multiple roles within Al Wathba Insurance. His experience spans claims investigation, reserving, negotiation, and regulatory compliance. He holds an MBA from Madurai Kamaraj University and a Bachelor of Science from Calicut University, reflecting a strong foundation in business and technical insurance practices.

Mohamed Mostafa serves as Head of Direct Sales at Al Wathba Insurance, where he leads the company’s direct sales strategy, customer acquisition, and revenue growth. He plays a key role in driving performance, enhancing customer engagement, and building a high-impact sales function that supports the company’s expansion and digital sales ambitions.

With over 15 years at Al Wathba Insurance, Mohamed has progressed across multiple roles from Motor Underwriter to leadership positions within customer care and sales. His expertise spans underwriting, customer service, and sales operations. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Cairo University, reflecting a strong academic foundation supporting his practical experience.