OUR PEOPLE

  • Mitchell Hickman
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  • Kris Heath
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  • Robert Knowles
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  • Helen Chapman
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  • Deepak Java
  • Yogananth Arumugampillai
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  • Thanush Ganesh
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  • Chloe Rossi
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  • Martine Bester

Mitchell Hickman

Head of Credit

Mitchell brings more than 20 years of UK commercial banking experience to his role as Chief Credit Officer at Gulf Finance. He has a strong credit background and plays a key role in developing Gulf Finance's asset quality as we open to new sectors and markets.

Mitchell joins us from his role as a Senior Commercial Relationship Manager at Lloyds Banking Group, where he was responsible for business origination and growing the existing customer portfolio. During a long tenure with the group, he held senior roles in a variety of areas, including manager of a portfolio of high-net-worth clients, business development manager, and team leader for a group of relationship managers.

A member of the British Business Group UAE, Mitchell has earned an H.N.C. (Higher National Certificate) in Business and Finance, a UK Banking Certificate from the Chartered Institute of Bankers and a City and Guilds Banking Customer Service qualification.

Kris Heath

Senior Credit Associate

Kris is a seasoned Commercial Finance professional, and brings his experience to bear by ensuring that Gulf Finance provides a flawless level of service to its SME customers. His particular specialism is Invoice Finance, which helps SMEs manage their working capital requirements.

Prior to joining Gulf Finance, Kris worked at several leading UK financial institutions including HSBC, Barclays & Lloyds TSB.

During his spare time, Kris keeps pushing himself to excel through a variety of team sports and spends time relaxing by playing the guitar.

Robert Knowles

Senior Associate Commercial Finance

Robert is a Senior Associate at Gulf Finance. In this role, he has the opportunity to provide financial advisory to clients, as well as participate in the Commercial Finance division's business development, finance origination and transaction execution.

During his career, Robert has been an Associate Commercial Banking, for Clydesdale Bank in the UK and, most recently, a Commercial Relationship Manager with Lloyds TSB in Dubai before coming to Gulf Finance.

Adnan Amjad

Senior Associate Commercial Finance

With thirteen years of commercial finance experience, Adnan is well placed to offer practical financial support to the UAE's SME sector. Passionate about the SME market, Adnan is particularly focused towards catering to the needs of Oil & Gas, Manufacturing and Wholesale industries.

Before joining Gulf Finance, Adnan worked at a number of financial institutions including Citibank, Societe Generale, Dubai Islamic Bank and HSBC.

Adnan holds a BSC in Civil Engineering from UET Lahore, Pakistan. In his time out of the office Adnan is a keen weightlifter and spends time in the gym. He also enjoys running and a variety of team sports.

Helen Chapman

Senior Associate Commercial Finance

Helen is passionate about providing financial solutions to local SMEs looking to move ahead of the competition. Focusing on the healthcare sector, Helen has earned an admirable reputation as a specialist provider within the industry. Her local knowledge coupled with her natural approach and passion, results in an excellent client experience time after time.

Helen has held various management positions throughout her eleven year finance career. In 2006 she moved to Dubai with HSBC. A well known figure in the local business community, Helen is a former committee member of the British Business Group.

Outside of the office, Helen enjoys running and has taken part in two half marathons in the UAE. She is also a keen traveller and enjoys spending time with friends and family.

Deepak Java

Senior Associate Commercial Finance

Deepak is a Senior Associate Commercial Finance for Gulf Finance. With more than 15 years experience in the field of transportation sales and finance, Deepak is responsible for building client relationships and originating new business, particularly regarding Asset Finance and Invoice Finance products.

He has risen progressively through the ranks here at Gulf Finance, having started as a Business Development Officer in Asset Finance in 1998. Since then he has been a Team Leader and then a Sales Manager, both in Asset Finance, before taking on his current role.

His education includes a B.A. in Business Administration from the Bhartidasan University in Trichi, India and a Diploma in Automobile Engineering from the Shri Datta Meghe Polytechnic in Nagpur, India.

Yogananth Arumugampillai

Senior Associate Commercial Finance

Yoga is dedicated to strengthening and developing Gulf Finance's presence within Abu Dhabi's SME market. Having worked in the Abu Dhabi Commercial market for several years, Yoga's strives to deliver unparalleled service and guidance to his clients.

Yoga joined Gulf Finance from his previous role as a Sales Manager at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank. He graduated from Halifax University with a degree in Marketing and is currently studying for an MBA in Finance and MAT from the Institute of Commercial Management, UK.

In his spare time, Yoga enjoys writing sales and management articles for his own blog and listening to a variety of music from across the globe.

Thanush Ganesh

Senior Associate Commercial Finance

With over seven years experience Senior Associate Thanush is a trusted member of the Abu Dhabi SME community. Thanush is focused on strengthening the relationship Gulf Finance has with Abu Dhabi's SMEs and takes pride in offering tailored finance options to developing businesses.

Thanush's previous employment was in the Commercial Finance division at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank. He gained an MBA in India and a PG Diploma in Business Administration at Halifax College in the UK.

When not in the office, Thanush enjoys playing basketball and he is also a member of the Japan Karate Association where he holds an orange belt.

Chloe Rossi

Marine Finance Manager

Chloe is our Marine Finance expert and Consumer Finance Manager at Gulf Finance, responsible for sales structuring and client servicing that is straightforward, simple and efficient.

She knows what good client service means, having more than eight years of sales experience in banking, media and training, most recently as a Key Account Manager for an international training and conference company. Before that, she was a Senior Account Executive for the Guardian Media Group, a major UK multimedia business conglomerate.

Martine Ryder

Senior Consumer Finance Officer

Martine is our Senior Consumer Finance Officer and is responsible for ensuring that our clients experience flawless service when using Gulf Finance. Martine has a number of years experience within the consumer finance sector, which when coupled with her enthusiasm and attention to detail results in an exceptional client experience.

Before joining Gulf Finance, Martine has worked at Mashreq Bank and Bateel International here in the UAE.

Between studying for further qualifications, Martine's spare time is spent experimenting with different cuisines, playing squash and designing jewellery.