Andrea Cianchetti currently serves as the Acting Chief Products Officer at Al Etihad Payments, where he oversees the product management of AEP's flagship offerings: the Aani instant payments platform and the Jaywan card scheme. He is responsible for guiding the product vision, defining key features, and leading product development and market rollout to ensure their success. 

Prior to joining AEP, Andrea was a Principal at Kearney, specializing in financial services consulting. His expertise spans digital payments strategy, post-merger integration, technology-driven operational transformations, customer experience improvements, and business process re-engineering.  

Andrea began his career as a payments strategy consultant in Italy before transitioning to the Middle East as part of a mobility program for top performers. He holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the University of Bologna, with international experience at the University of Melbourne, Australia.  

Known for his analytical mindset and strong problem-solving abilities, Andrea is a Six Sigma Green Belt certified professional with a passion for travel and an open-minded approach to business and life. 

Waqas Younus is a seasoned finance leader with over 15 years of experience driving financial performance, governance, and strategic growth across the different industries in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. A Chartered Accountant (ACA) by profession, Waqas has built his career with leading multinational organizations across financial, oil & gas and pharmaceuticals services, including Takeda, BP, KPMG, and PwC.

Currently serving as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Al Etihad Payments, where he leads the company’s financial strategy, governance, and performance management in alignment with its mission to modernize the UAE’s payment ecosystem. In this role, he partners with the executive team to drive sustainable growth, ensure robust financial controls, and deliver value to stakeholders. 

Known for delivering measurable business impact, Waqas has led high-value financial transformations, strengthened internal controls, and managed complex regional operations across 10+ countries and multiple legal entities. His expertise spans financial planning & analysis, statutory and group reporting, joint venture accounting, tax compliance, M&A integration, and treasury management. 

Waqas is passionate about building high performing, engaged finance teams, and is recognized for his ability to balance strategic vision with hands-on execution.

Hanadi is a Human Capital leader with 20 years of experience in Financial and Federal Sectors, brings extensive experience in delivering strategic initiatives, enhance employee engagement, foster a culture of innovation and excellence. With her deep understanding of the financial sector, she has developed and implemented HR initiatives that drive talent acquisition, retention, and development.

Hanadi, currently heading Human Capital at Al Etihad Payments, has played a critical role in driving the AEP’s success by attracting, retaining, and developing top talents, her expertise has been instrumental in shaping AEP’s workforce planning, talent management, Emiratization, and employee development program. Before Al Etihad Payments, Hanadi has led various section including, talent acquisition, business partnering, performance management, Emiratization in various banks.

She is driven by integrating quality management principles into HR frameworks to elevate organizational excellence, holds a master’s degree in quality management from University of Wollongong. 

Etienne has over 12 years of experience in the payments industry working for Financial Market Infrastructures (FMIs), where he has a proven track record of developing innovative risk strategies, enhancing governance frameworks and ensuring compliance. 

Currently serving as the Senior Risk and Compliance Manager at Al Etihad Payments (AEP), Etienne's focus is on ensuring compliance with UAE Law and Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) regulations, maintaining resilient and robust continuation of services and mitigating risk in line with AEP's Board-approved and embedded Risk Appetite and Tolerance thresholds. 

Prior to his current tenure at AEP, he served at BankservAfrica, Africa’s largest clearing house and operator, where he specialized in finding the right balance of Enterprise Risk Management, Business Continuity Planning, and the facilitation of compliance against the Principles of Financial Market Infrastructure (PFMI). During this time, he also played a critical role as the COVID-19 Compliance Manager, overseeing the implementation of regulations and ensuring workplace safety during the pandemic, which was vital for the organization’s operations. His notable contributions included the development of comprehensive risk management processes, driving Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) initiatives, and overseeing the company’s insurance portfolio. 

Etienne obtained a B-Com Honours Degree in Strategic Marketing and a B-Com Degree in Economics and International Trade through North-West University (NWU), South Africa. He further holds certifications including Business Risk Management and Master DR & BCM Lead Implementer, which he obtained through the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the Professional Evaluation and Certification Board (PECB). 

Hani unveils over twenty years of relentless expertise in Cybersecurity and Digital Transformation, Security & Technology leadership and Operation, he is heading the cybersecurity team to spearhead innovation within the UAE’s financial systems ensuring confidentiality, integrity and availability of Al Etihad Payments systems and data assets.

Prior to joining Al Etihad Payments, Hani was the Regional Director for AttackIQ, the leading Security controls Validation Vendor, and before that he was the Head of Cybersecurity Operations for Dubai's ENOC Group, the Oil and Gas sector national critical infrastructure.

Hani not only holds a Master’s degree of Business Administration in Strategic Management and a Bachelor of Computer Engineering, also, he is a member of Cybersecurity leaders’ communities in the UAE, regional, and global levels to advocate and fuel the collaboration and build best security standards within the industry and cybersecurity community.

Such an exposed experience dedicated to innovation and excellence in delivery, Hani's innovative and visionary leadership drive continues to be crucial for securing AEP systems and data assets to position the UAE as a global leader in digital secure payments, digital financial systems and economies. 

Majdi is a seasoned expert in internal audit and risk management, with over 20 years of professional experience in the banking and financial services sector. He holds recognized qualifications and has a proven track record of supporting Board Audit Committees and Executive Management by delivering assurance and advisory services that enhance the effectiveness of enterprise risk management and governance. 

As a trusted advisor and strategic partner to senior leadership, Majdi specializes in internal controls, banking operations, risk management, and compliance.

Currently, he leads the Internal Audit Department at AEP, where he has implemented an independent, world-class, and agile internal audit framework that aligns with International Auditing Standards, meets stakeholder expectations, and fosters collaboration across the three lines of defense.