AML
●  OPEN TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES  ●_

RANA
OWAIDA

Senior AML & Compliance Specialist  ·  Executive Operations

10 years of financial crime compliance leadership across 10 countries. ACAMS-certified — managing AML investigations, risk governance, and executive operations at Lulu Financial Holdings, Abu Dhabi.

10+
YEARS EXPERIENCE
10
COUNTRIES MANAGED
100+
STAFF TRAINED
5
AML SYSTEMS
↓  Download CV 📞  WhatsApp ✉  Email
// 01 — PROFILE
Who I Am

I am a Senior Compliance and AML professional with over 10 years of experience at Lulu Financial Holdings — one of the region's leading financial services groups. My work sits at the intersection of financial crime prevention, risk governance, and executive operations.

On the compliance side, I manage AML/CFT operations across 10 countries, handle complex investigation cases monthly, configure and maintain five AML detection systems, and deliver training programmes that have reached 100+ staff across the GCC and Asia-Pacific. I am ACAMS-certified and operate within FATF and UAE Central Bank frameworks daily.

Alongside this, I serve as Executive PA to the CCO and Director of Compliance — managing their calendars, communications, board presentations, and stakeholder relationships with full discretion and consistent delivery under pressure.

CURRENT ROLE
Assistant Manager — Compliance Systems & Training
ORGANISATION
Lulu Financial Holdings · Abu Dhabi, UAE
CERTIFICATION
ACAMS — Certified AML Specialist
COVERAGE
10 Countries — GCC + Asia-Pacific
LOCATION
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
// COUNTRIES UNDER COMPLIANCE OVERSIGHT
United Arab Emirates
Oman
Bahrain
Kuwait
Qatar
Philippines
Hong Kong
Malaysia
Singapore
Seychelles
// 02 — EXPERIENCE
Work History
Assistant Manager — Compliance & Executive PA to CCO
OCT 2016 — PRESENT
Lulu Financial Holdings · Abu Dhabi, UAE
AML / CFT Compliance & Risk Governance
  • Manage AML/CFT compliance operations across 10 countries — UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Seychelles — ensuring full regulatory adherence with FATF and CBUAE directives.
  • Handle approximately 5 complex AML investigation and transaction monitoring cases per month, covering suspicious activity screening, escalation, and formal STR submission.
  • Conduct risk-based analysis and gap assessments to strengthen internal control frameworks and align procedures with FATF guidelines and UAE Central Bank requirements.
  • Configure and manage five AML detection systems — iMATCH, FISERV, Themis, FOCAL, and IDETECT — to optimise case detection accuracy and operational throughput.
  • Supervise multi-country compliance team activities; act in full managerial capacity during senior management absence to maintain uninterrupted operations.
  • Collaborate with Legal, Finance, and Operations to enhance control effectiveness and remediate audit findings on schedule.
  • Design and deliver compliance training programmes — trained 100+ staff across the GCC and Asia-Pacific, building a consistent AML awareness and regulatory culture organisation-wide.
  • Prepare executive dashboards and compliance performance reports using Tableau for C-suite and Board-level presentations.
Executive PA — CCO & Director of Compliance
  • Manage the full calendars, meeting schedules, and confidential communications of two C-suite leaders simultaneously.
  • Coordinate international travel, board meetings, regulatory events, and senior stakeholder engagements end to end.
  • Prepare board presentations, executive reports, and regulatory submissions — tracking all follow-up actions across stakeholder groups.
  • Act as the primary interface between senior leadership, internal departments, external regulators, and Board members — managing sensitive communications with full discretion.
System Administrator
SEP 2015 — MAR 2016
Stirling Group · UAE
  • Managed company communications, legal document workflows, and system access controls.
  • Supported sales coordination, proposal development, invoice tracking, and client follow-ups.
Admin & System Administrator
JAN 2014 — APR 2015
New Year Petroleum Services · UAE
  • Handled procurement documentation, supplier coordination, invoice processing, and payment oversight.
  • Managed day-to-day office operations and administrative systems.
Admin — Accounts Receivable
2012 — 2013
Commercial Bank International · UAE
  • Managed receivables tracking, overdue account follow-up, and contract documentation workflows.
Administration Officer
2012
Abu Dhabi Boxing Federation · Abu Dhabi, UAE
  • Coordinated events, managed financial documentation, permits, and official correspondence.
// 03 — SKILLS & TOOLS
Technical Expertise
AML Detection Systems
iMATCHFISERV ThemisFOCAL IDETECT
Compliance Operations
Transaction MonitoringCase Management STR ReportingKYC / CDD Risk Scoring
Regulatory Frameworks
FATFCBUAE AML/CFT DirectivesInternal Audit
Reporting & Data
TableauExcel (Advanced) MS Office SuiteCompliance Dashboards
Executive Operations
C-suite PA SupportBoard Presentations Stakeholder ManagementExecutive Reporting
Languages
Arabic — Native English — Fluent French — Basic
// 04 — CERTIFICATIONS & EDUCATION
Credentials & Training
CERTIFICATIONS
AC
ACAMS Certificate / Training
Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists
ML
AML/CFT Advanced Certification — MLROs / D-MLROs
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance
BP
AML/CFT Basic Principles
Financial Crime Compliance
RM
Risk Management Certificate
Financial Risk Governance
IC
ICDL — International Computer Driving License
Digital Competency Certification
IE
IELTS Academic — Band 5.5
British Council
EDUCATION
IB
Islamic Banking
Al Khawarizmi College — UAE
DIRECT CONTACT
✉
r.owaida55@hotmail.com
Email
WA
+971 50 294 4774
WhatsApp / Mobile — Abu Dhabi, UAE
// 05 — LET'S CONNECT
Ready to Talk?

Open to opportunities in AML compliance, risk governance, and executive operations. The fastest way to reach me is WhatsApp — I respond promptly.

📞  +971 50 294 4774 ✉  r.owaida55@hotmail.com ↓  Download CV