Khaloud has a long track record of progressive leadership across top-tier UAE financial institutions and major corporate entities. She is currently serving as the Director of Treasury at AD Ports Group which operates in over 50 countries with total assets of around $18bn and $4.7bn in revenue. Khaloud has fundamentally revolutionised the organisation’s financial architecture to support its aggressive global expansion.
She successfully orchestrated the complex refinancing of a $2.25bn syndicated loan facility, upsizing it to a $2.5bn facility. By securing highly favourable terms, she generated millions in direct financing cost savings while extending the debt maturity profile. She was also instrumental in executing a landmark $1bn ten-year bond issuance under the EMTN Programme, dual-listed on the LSE and ADX in a strategy that optimised the Group’s capital structure, and demonstrated international market confidence the group.
Khaloud oversaw the complex LIBOR-to-SOFR transition for a £1bn syndicated loan, navigating regulatory risk without disrupting funding operations. She also demonstrated her strategic foresight during the Red Sea geopolitical disruptions in 2024. During the current conflict in the Gulf, she has demonstrated exceptional leadership ensuring all the 50 Group entities have enough liquidity and are able to manage the operations without any stress. Her liquidity management and cash flow optimisation supported the Group in capturing diverted trade, directly contributing to a 48% year-on-year increase in revenue. She has also driven comprehensive cash management solutions, including centralising cash pooling and virtual account structures across multiple subsidiaries, significantly enhancing group-wide liquidity visibility and reducing borrowing costs.
Before she joined AD Ports Group, Khaloud had a successful career at First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) and National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD). Her experience included Director of Treasury Liquidity & Cash Management for the Kuwait branch, where she directed daily liquidity and FX pricing as Compliance Officer. During that time, she was selected for a prestigious assignment under the Ladies Excellence Program, managing a cash portfolio exceeding $3bn across G10 currencies based out of London.
She has also spearheaded the digital transformation of the treasury function, integrating AI and advanced data analytics to shift the department from a reactive, back-office function to a proactive, strategic command centre. This innovation has provided the Board with unprecedented cash visibility and risk forecasting capabilities, directly enabling the Group’s rapid acquisition strategy, including the successful integration of major acquisitions like Noatum and Global Feeder Shipping. Her ability to translate complex financial challenges into practical, value-adding solutions has made her a trusted advisor at the highest levels of the organisation.
As she noted in a recent speech after winning the Gulf News Excellence in Corporate – Best in Treasury Management Award 2024. “Treasury management isn’t just about maintaining the status quo; it’s about envisioning and implementing strategies that anticipate and respond to the ever-changing financial landscape.”
Khaloud exemplifies the modern, transformative treasury leader. She drives commercial excellence while simultaneously dismantling systemic barriers for women in a traditionally male-dominated sector. She has built a leadership style rooted in cultural intelligence and strategic agility.
Khaloud is also inspirational because of her resilience, authenticity and willingness to share her journey. She is the first Emirati woman to be awarded the prestigious ACT Middle East Treasurer of the Year (2025), a historic milestone that broke through the glass ceiling for women in the region working in corporate finance.
She proves that one does not need to be “perfectly ready” to seize opportunities. Her famous quote from the MEA Treasurers podcast – “You don’t need to be ready to start, just start and you’ll become ready” has become a powerful mantra for young female professionals across the region. She consistently advises young professionals to keep learning, be ambitious, be their own champions and find the right mentors.
Khaloud is a vocal and active champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion. In a region where the private sector is actively working to increase female representation, Khaloud leads by example. She uses her platform to advocate for the unique value women bring to high-stakes financial environments. In her cover feature for Finance Abu Dhabi Magazine, her key message was clear: “We need more women in those [strategic decision-making] rooms. Not to compete but to strengthen the decisions.”
She actively sponsors emerging female talent within AD Ports Group and the wider industry, ensuring diverse voices are included in strategic decision-making. Her success shows that she isn’t just participating in the DEI conversation; she is actively rewriting the narrative for women in Middle Eastern finance, proving that emotional intelligence and empathy are critical complements to technical financial skills.
Khaloud has helped build a modern, inclusive treasury function in the Middle East whilst managing AD Ports global business and has played a key role shaping a resilient, inclusive team. She exemplifies a new style of leadership that is shaping the future of corporate treasury not only at AD Ports but across the United Arab Emirates.
