Gulf One's Rowan: Op risk value lies in strategy

Dean Rowan, chief risk officer at Gulf One Investment Bank in Bahrain, believes the op risk function can provide more long-term strategic value if it thinks beyond small-scale processes and looks at the bigger picture.

Standards of operational risk and Basel II compliance in financial institutions across the Middle East region are patchy. While the very best banks in the area are at developed-country levels, many still have a long way to go and are taking their time getting there. This is a concern for Dean Rowan, one of the Middle East's most experienced operational risk managers and chief risk officer at Bahrain's Gulf One Investment Bank. He says, "It is a journey and there is still a long way to go."

Rowan