Gul Khan has been appointed Managing Director of Alternative Bank Limited, the non-interest banking subsidiary of Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc, effective November 5, 2026. The appointment received the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Khan brings to the Nigerian financial institution extensive experience in conventional and non-interest banking, having spent more than 13 years at HSBC, where he rose through several management positions before taking charge of its global Islamic retail banking and wealth management business.
His career has also included senior executive positions at I&M Bank in Kenya, Airtel Money Africa, Doha Bank in Qatar and Gulf Bank in Kuwait, alongside experience in fintech investment and advisory services.
HSBC career and Islamic banking experience
Khan spent 13 years and four months at HSBC, where he held several senior positions across retail banking, wealth management, strategic planning and Islamic finance.
One of his most significant assignments was as Global Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management at HSBC Amanah, the bank’s Islamic finance business, a position he held from March 2009 to November 2011.
In that capacity, he was responsible for HSBC’s global Islamic retail banking and wealth management operations, covering markets including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh and the United Kingdom.
The position gave him considerable exposure to the operational and commercial requirements of Islamic banking across different regulatory and financial environments.
Before becoming global head of HSBC Amanah’s retail banking and wealth management business, Khan served as Regional Head of Wealth Management in Dubai from April 2006 to March 2009.
He was responsible for three business areas across the Middle East and North Africa region: HSBC Premier, mortgages and insurance.
Between June 2005 and March 2006, he worked as Senior Manager, Global Retail Banking, at HSBC’s London headquarters, where he participated in strategic initiatives covering the group’s global retail banking and wealth management operations.
Earlier, from June 2003 to May 2005, he was Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management at HSBC Jordan, overseeing the bank’s retail banking, wealth management and marketing operations in the country.
He also served as Strategic Planning Manager at HSBC in London from June 2002 to May 2003, coordinating several group-wide strategic initiatives.
His HSBC career provided the foundation for his subsequent leadership positions across the Middle East and Africa, particularly in retail banking, product development and financial services strategy.
Leadership across Middle Eastern banks
After leaving HSBC, Khan continued his banking career in the Middle East, taking up senior positions at financial institutions in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar.
He served as Head of Consumer Banking at Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB), extending his experience in Sharia-compliant financial services.
He subsequently joined Gulf Bank in Kuwait in November 2014 as Deputy General Manager, Consumer Banking, a position he held until September 2016.
His responsibilities included leading marketing, product development and customer segmentation functions.
In September 2016, he moved to Doha Bank in Qatar as Chief Retail Banking Officer.
He was responsible for the bank’s retail banking business across Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and India, overseeing operations across four markets.
His experience in these institutions further expanded his exposure to consumer banking, regional business development and the management of financial products across different markets.
Fintech entrepreneurship and Airtel Money Africa
In January 2018, Khan founded Fintech Explicatus, a fintech investment and advisory business based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
He led the business until April 2019, when he moved to Airtel Money Africa as Group Head of Products.
At Airtel Money, a position he held from May 2019 to January 2023, he was responsible for product development across 14 African countries.
His work focused on expanding digital financial services and driving financial inclusion through mobile money and technology-enabled financial products.
The role gave him experience beyond conventional banking, particularly in the development of digital financial ecosystems serving customers across multiple African markets.
CEO of I&M Bank Kenya
In January 2023, Khan became Chief Executive Officer of I&M Bank Limited in Kenya, a position he held until January 2026.
His appointment followed his experience across international banking, Islamic finance and digital financial services.
As CEO, he led the Kenyan lender’s operations, bringing more than two decades of experience in financial services to the position.
His tenure placed him at the head of a major East African banking institution, providing further experience in managing banking operations, business growth and customer-focused financial services.
Following his departure from I&M Bank in January 2026, Khan joined Sterling Financial Holdings Company in May 2026 as an adviser, a position he held before his appointment as Managing Director of Alternative Bank.
Education
Khan holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Anthropology from University College of Swansea, Wales.
He also obtained a Special Diploma in Social Studies from Keble College, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
New role at Alternative Bank
Khan’s appointment as Managing Director places him at the helm of a Nigerian financial institution operating in the growing non-interest banking segment.
Alternative Bank, a subsidiary of Sterling Financial Holdings Company, operates as a standalone non-interest financial institution, offering banking services structured around non-interest finance principles.
His appointment is particularly notable given his previous leadership of HSBC Amanah’s global retail banking and wealth management business, as well as his experience at Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank.
These roles provided him with direct exposure to Islamic banking operations, product development and the management of non-interest financial services across several international markets.
His subsequent experience at Airtel Money Africa and I&M Bank also brings digital financial services, consumer banking and executive leadership experience to the position.
At Alternative Bank, Khan is expected to draw on his international banking background, particularly his experience in Islamic finance, retail banking and fintech, as the institution pursues its growth ambitions within Nigeria’s financial services industry.
