Forbes Middle East, in strategic partnership with global software titan Salesforce, has officially named Romany Hafez, the highly accomplished Marketing Director at the Commercial International Bank (CIB), to its prestigious annual directory of “The Most Influential CMOs in the Middle East 2026.”
This premium international recognition highlights Hafez’s calculated success in steering the communication ecosystem of Egypt’s largest private-sector bank, transforming its corporate identity into a regional benchmark for digital banking migration.
Under his astute leadership, CIB’s marketing apparatus has seamlessly integrated advanced artificial intelligence tools and big data analytics to formulate highly tailored, sustainable campaigns that accurately capture evolving consumer expectations.
By abandoning predictable, traditional advertising models, Hafez has successfully deployed innovative data-driven solutions that heavily solidify CIB’s market dominance and financial sovereignty.
Furthermore, Hafez’s inclusion underscores the formidable pipeline of Egyptian executive talent, which commanded the regional list with a staggering 21 executives.
This milestone serves as a definitive testament that Egyptian marketing proficiency has evolved into a vital, vanguard pillar reshaping the digital financial architecture across the entire Middle Eastern landscape.
Forbes reported that Hafez leads a team of 50 people at Commercial International Bank (CIB). CIB operates across Egypt, and Kenya, and representative offices in the UAE, serving more than 2.5 million customers through over 200 branches, as of 2025.
Under Hafez’s leadership, CIB has implemented a Marketing and Communications governance and operational framework designed to strengthen data-driven decision-making, strategic alignment, and institutional effectiveness across the function, supporting future digital and analytical capabilities.
He also oversees communication strategies supporting sustainability, financial inclusion, digital transformation, sports, arts, culture, heritage, and national development initiatives.
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