Simon Penney, Head - Middle East, Gemcorp Capital
Simon Penney was appointed Gemcorp Capital’s Head of Middle East in July 2023 having spent the majority of his career in banking across emerging markets.
Prior to this, Simon represented the UK Government as His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and His Majesty’s Consul General to Dubai. During his tenure, Simon successfully led several multi-billion dollar investment programmes between the UK and various GCC states, initiated talks for the UK-GCC Free Trade Agreement, and saw bilateral trade grow to all-time highs.
Simon has spent more than two decades in the banking sector with extensive experience leading corporate and investment banking groups across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
His previous roles in the Middle East include:
Head of Corporate and Investment Banking at First Gulf Bank (UAE)
Chief Executive Officer, Middle East and Africa with the Royal Bank of Scotland
Simon was also CEO for ABN AMRO Bank in South Africa. Before this, he worked in consulting at PwC and in project finance within the construction industry.
Simon holds a MBA with distinction from Nottingham University and a First Class degree from Reading University.