Islam Al Bayaa Takes Charge as CEO of KPMG Middle East

Dubai/Riyadh: Islam Ahmad Al Bayaa became CEO of KPMG Middle East on 1 October 2026. The region he now leads covers six countries.

His appointment was announced on 15 May following an independent search process, aided by external consultants and voted on by partners. He replaced Dr Abdullah Al Fozan, whose term ended on 30 September.

With a background in advisory, transactions and investment banking, Al Bayaa now leads the Middle East region with a greater focus on cross-border clients and capabilities.

More Than Three Decades of Experience

Al Bayaa joined KPMG in the UK before working in investment banking in London for over 10 years. He then rejoined KPMG in Saudi Arabia in January 2009.

He was Head of Advisory for KPMG Middle East before his appointment as CEO. At the time of the announcement he led over 2,400 professionals and 100 partners.

He has experience in enterprise transformation, transactions and cross-border growth, working with governments, sovereign entities and institutions. He had been part of the executive committee for 13 years when his appointment was announced.

So Al Bayaa knows what it takes to serve clients and to run a large organisation.

A Regional Mandate Across Six Markets

As CEO, he leads KPMG Middle East in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, with over 5,000 professionals across 10 offices.

Coverage of his move into the role has set out his priorities. He wants to see more collaboration between the firm’s businesses in each country, help clients who operate in multiple markets, and build up capabilities in technology, AI, governance and cross-border growth.

He has also put weight on investing in people and on teams working more closely together. All of this will shape the transition at KPMG Middle East.

Saudi Leadership Appointment Supports the Structure

Alongside the regional change, KPMG has named Khalil Al Sedais as Country Leader for Saudi Arabia, responsible for clients, people, growth and further developing the firm’s capabilities in the Kingdom.

Al Sedais has more than 22 years of experience in audit and advisory. He has been Regional Managing Partner for Riyadh since 2013, sits on the board of KPMG Middle East and chairs its Advisory Quality and Nationalization Committees.

The two appointments set out different levels of leadership: Al Bayaa at a regional level and Al Sedais at the country level in Saudi Arabia.

How well this structure works will depend on clear decision-making and on the ability to bring local knowledge together with specialist expertise from across the firm.

Why Regional Coordination Matters

When a company operates in many countries, its decisions rarely stay within one discipline. An acquisition, for example, can raise questions about governance, financial reporting, tax, IT integration and workforce planning, to name a few.

How well an advisory firm brings these disciplines together shapes how useful its advice is. Clients often need teams that understand local rules while keeping the wider business goal in view.

That helps explain Al Bayaa’s focus on collaboration. A bigger regional footprint means more expertise to draw on, but the benefit depends on how easily teams share that expertise, allocate resources and keep service quality high.

Bringing people together can be difficult, and the challenge is as much about management as it is commercial. Strong individual practices do not automatically work as one regional organisation.

Technology and Talent Will Shape Execution

Technology and AI are among the capabilities the new leadership has said it wants to develop.

For a professional services firm, that takes more than new software. Staff need the skills to analyse the output, spot its shortcomings and apply it to each client’s business needs.

Good governance matters just as much. Gathering and analysing information faster is of little value if the data is unreliable or if it is unclear who is responsible for decisions.

These are practical considerations rather than details of specific programmes, which have not been announced. They show why investment in technology and investment in people need to go hand in hand.

What Will Define the New CEO’s Impact

Al Bayaa’s success will ultimately show in how well the firm serves clients, develops talent and keeps quality high while it grows.

Staff will feel the change through opportunities to build new skills and perhaps work across different disciplines or countries. Clients will judge it by whether closer regional coordination gives them more consistent and useful service.

KPMG Middle East now has a leader who knows the firm and its people inside out, with a substantial advisory background. The impact will depend on turning that experience into a regional way of working that combines local expertise, specialist capabilities and clear accountability.