Finance graduate on a mission to demystify financial communications & investor relations
July 26th, 2024, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE): Canadian University Dubai (CUD) graduate, Issam Kassabieh, has always challenged the norms of the traditional career path. Initially enrolled in a bachelor’s program in civil engineering at Waterloo University, Kassabieh made a decisive move, transferring from Canada to Dubai to pursue his passion for finance, ultimately earning a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance at CUD.
Less than a decade since his graduation, Kassabieh has leveraged his unique skillset, blending his passion for communication with his technical financial expertise, to continuously reinvent himself within the region’s dynamic investment ecosystem. From large public organizations to innovative start-ups across a diverse subset of industries, Kassabieh’s work has led to his current role as Account Director Investor Relations at the global financial communications boutique, Edelman Smithfield. There, he is on a mission to demystify investment narratives across the region.
Explaining the journey that took him from an engineering student in Canada to a financial communications and investor relations strategist in Dubai, Kassabieh said, “Having grown up in the UAE, I had witnessed firsthand the Emirates’ capacity for nurturing talent, its tireless mission to instil an entrepreneurial spirit within its workforce and the ample opportunities present for professional growth. Once I realized that engineering wasn’t my calling, and my interest in business and finance grew, Dubai, and CUD in particular, was an intuitive move, a move representing the first of many opportunities to reinvent myself.”
While studying at CUD, Kassabieh took every opportunity to get involved in extracurricular activities and community service initiatives and began his first professional position within financial services firm, Menacorp. As he rose through the ranks in technical roles, Kassabieh’s flair for communication took him in front of the camera, as an expert commentator on finance topics for CNBC Arabia and Al Arabiya News Channel. Repeatedly reinventing himself in the following years, Kassabieh went on to serve as Chief Financial Officer for a tech start-up, Head of Investor Relations for a $1 billion publicly listed real estate holding company, and he even returned to Canada for a time to establish his own consulting firm.
Now back in Dubai, Kassabieh is on a mission to use his academic knowledge and communication skills to revolutionize the field of investor relations. He explained, “The investment world can be a complex puzzle where communications are often dominated by jargon that does not resonate with the broader investor base or fully consider the needs of all stakeholders. This builds the perception that financial empowerment, or investing, are limited to experienced industry experts capable of navigating the field, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Through advising publicly traded corporations, and broadly any entity with the simplest of reporting requirements, we are able to bridge gaps with the right narratives so that investors are equipped with the knowledge they need to make sound and responsible decisions.”
Having mentored students and interns throughout his career, Kassabieh is also dedicated to developing the next generation of professionals by championing accessible communications as a fundamental principle of investor relations. He concluded, “We have the opportunity to enable and empower the future workforce to step outside their technical knowledge and understand the pain points of each stakeholder. With the right education and guidance, we can transform the communications aspect of the industry for the benefit of both businesses and investors.”
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