Nadeem Ahmed is an Advisor at Ghobash Trading & Investment Co. Ltd., based in the UAE. He began his career in the banking sector before moving into advisory roles, where he led assignments spanning equity flotations, private placements of equity and debt products, project finance, and mergers and acquisitions.

In 1999, he relocated to Abu Dhabi to join ADIC (now Invest AD), where he evaluated a range of private investment opportunities, several of which were ultimately executed.

In 2003, Ahmed joined HSBC’s private equity business in Dubai, where he led multiple transactions. He also served on the Investment Committee and acted as a board member of both the fund’s management company and several portfolio companies. By the time he exited HSBC, the firm’s first GCC fund was fully invested with several successful exits, while its second fund was partially deployed. The first fund achieved an internal rate of return (IRR) of approximately 25 percent.

In 2008, Ahmed joined BNP Paribas in Bahrain as a founding partner of its GCC private equity business. He successfully closed the fund at approximately $75 million in November 2009 and led investments across several transactions. As a board and executive member of portfolio companies, he managed the fund through to its final exit in 2016. Despite market constraints, the fund delivered a net IRR of approximately 10 percent.

In 2012, Ahmed joined the Ghobash Group, a Dubai-based conglomerate, as Group Investment Director. Serving on the Investment Committee, he oversaw the group’s global investment activities. During his 12-year tenure as Chief Investment Officer, the portfolio evolved into a diversified, multi-asset global platform with significant growth in assets under management. The group now invests across nearly a dozen asset classes, spanning both listed and private investments, guided by a structured framework of investment policies and governance. During this period, Ahmed also led several M&A transactions.

In addition, he served on the Human Resources, Audit, and Strategy & Business Development committees and acted as a director on the boards of several joint ventures, including United Fidelity Insurance (UFIC), an ADX-listed company.

After leading the investment business for 12 years, Ahmed retired from his executive role at Ghobash in March 2025 and transitioned into an advisory position. He continues to serve on the group’s Strategy & Business Development Committee and remains on the board of UFIC, where he is a member of the Investment Committee and chairs the Audit Committee.