UK-based British Arab Commercial Bank (BACB) has officially appointed Damian Austin as its new CEO. He had already been serving as acting CEO since May.
Before becoming CEO, Austin was BACB’s Chief Banking Officer (CBO). He took over as acting CEO after Paul Jennings left the bank.
Paul Jennings left BACB to return to Bank ABC as Group CEO. He had previously spent more than 20 years at the Bahrain-based bank, from 1999 to 2020.
Austin first joined BACB in 1995 as a trade finance manager. He left the bank in 1998 and later gained senior banking experience at Bank ABC, Barclays, and HSBC.
Austin returned to BACB in 2022 as managing director and head of trade finance. In 2023, he was promoted to Chief Banking Officer, before taking on the acting CEO role and now becoming the bank’s permanent CEO.
Founded in 1972, British Arab Commercial Bank (BACB) provides financial services such as trade finance, treasury, and real estate solutions.
The bank mainly serves businesses across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. As of 2025, BACB had a presence in more than 42 markets, including Pakistan and Angola.
