Bank BEMO – Samih Saadeh (Q&A)

Samih Saadeh is general manager of Lebanon’s 18th largest bank, Banque BEMO, and has been with the bank since 2003. He started working in the banking industry in 1978 and has been a senior executive at American Express Bank-Beirut, Bank of Beirut and ABN AMRO Bank. Bank BEMO has total assets of $1.05 billion, and if the bank’s Syrian affiliate is included, some $3 billion. In the first half of 2009, the bank’s total assets grew by 15.6 percent.  Executive sat down with Saadeh to talk about his bank’s success and gain insight into the role smaller banks play in Lebanon today. E As a medium sized “beta” bank, how does your strategy differ from an alpha bank? What are the top priorities on your agenda? This is a board decision, it’s the oversight of the bank. We compare our private banking to Bank Audi Saradar sometimes, yes, [but] on