Visa Appoints New Vice President and UAE Country Manager

Leandra Monteiro

Visa announced the appointment of Salima Gutieva as Vice President and Country Manager for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Salima succeeds Shahebaz Khan, who was appointed Senior Vice President and Head of New Payments Process for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA).

In her new role as UAE Country Manager, Salima will be based in Dubai, responsible for market strategy and supporting UAE customers and government partners in meeting the growing demand for seamless, secure digital payments. Salima Gutieva has 16 years of Visa experience and has held various business development positions, including Visa’s head of sales in Russia.

In his new role, Shahebaz will be responsible for driving Visa Commercial Solutions, Visa Government Solutions, and Visa Direct in CEE, Middle East and Africa, supporting customers and government partners in new payment processes and global capture Huge growth opportunity money movement. Shahebaz initially joined Visa Consulting and Analytics before being promoted to UAE Country Manager, most recently leading Visa’s operations in the UAE, Bahrain and Oman.

Commenting on Shahbaz’s appointment, Andrew Torre, Regional President, CEMEA “In recent years, we have seen tremendous opportunities in the CEMEA region involving new payment processes and financial flows, including government-to-consumer, business-to-consumer and person-to-person channels. I believe that Shahebaz’s deep knowledge and The expertise will be a catalyst for the growth of our customers and partners in the region.”

“We are delighted to have a leader like Salima to manage our UAE operations,” he said Dr. Saeeda Jaffar, Visa Senior Vice President and GCC Group Country Manager. “She brings her extensive industry experience and strong expertise to the region at a time of tremendous opportunity in payments, commerce and money flows. We believe that under Salima’s leadership, we can further expand the UAE’s commitment to seamless, secure acceptance of digital payments and support the digital transformation of the local economy.”

Visa has been at the forefront of digital transformation and payments technology innovation in the Middle East and beyond. These appointments reinforce Visa’s commitment to advancing financial inclusion, supporting the cashless economy and strengthening its regional leadership.