Lama Biran: Strengthening Risk Management and Corporate Governance Through Strategic Leadership

Lama Biran is a dedicated risk management and governance professional whose career spans banking, financial services, corporate governance, compliance, and strategic risk management. With expertise in risk frameworks, regulatory compliance, portfolio management, investigations, and internal controls, she has built a career focused on strengthening organizational resilience and supporting informed decision-making.

Leading Enterprise Risk at Dar Al Tamleek

As Senior Risk Manager at Dar Al Tamleek, Lama Biran leads enterprise-wide risk management across operational, credit, liquidity, and market risks within the mortgage-financing sector. Her responsibilities include developing risk strategies and frameworks, strengthening regulatory compliance, overseeing Risk and Control Self-Assessments (RCSA), Key Risk Indicators (KRIs), incident management, and credit portfolio risk.

She also provides risk insights to senior leadership and Board committees while supporting the implementation of risk systems and automation. Her work contributes to stronger accountability, governance, and risk-informed decision-making across the organization.

Previously, as Risk Manager at Dar Al Tamleek, she developed and implemented enterprise risk frameworks covering credit, market, operational, and compliance risks. She monitored portfolio exposure, enhanced risk measurement through analytics, prepared reports for SAMA, Boards, and executive committees, and provided risk advisory support for product development.

Advancing Corporate Governance

Lama also served as Acting Head of Corporate Governance & Board Secretary at Dar Al Tamleek, where she led Board and committee operations while ensuring alignment with regulatory frameworks and governance best practices.

Her responsibilities included managing agendas, reports, resolutions, and documentation, while supporting executive decision-making and strengthening transparency and oversight.

Before joining Dar Al Tamleek, Lama served as Corporate Governance Manager at Panda Retail Company – Savola Group. There, she led governance initiatives, developed policies, conducted audits, managed stakeholder relationships, and advised on compliance matters while supporting Board-resolution integration and governance processes.

Building a Strong Foundation in Banking Risk

Lama spent more than eight years with The Saudi National Bank (SNB), progressing through increasingly responsible positions in risk management and compliance.

As AVP-Senior Risk Officer, she established and oversaw a compliant Risk Management Framework aligned with SAMA guidelines. Her work included portfolio analysis, risk testing, control-deficiency remediation, contract risk reviews, delinquency-reduction strategies, and the development of risk culture. She also maintained automated SAS reporting to support credit-risk management.

Earlier at SNB, Lama worked in Sanctions, Anti-Money Laundering and Compliance, where she contributed to sanctions-compliance frameworks, investigated breaches and irregularities, recommended corrective actions, and supported improvements to AML risk processes.

As an AML Investigator, she conducted investigations into suspicious activity, prepared Suspicious Activity Reports for law enforcement, and worked with internal and external stakeholders on sensitive compliance matters.

From Finance to Risk Leadership

Lama’s professional foundation began in finance. As Financial Supervisor at West Group Logistics Ports Services, she prepared and reviewed financial records, supported financial-policy development, assisted with budgeting and cash-flow management, and handled account reconciliations and financial analysis in accordance with GAAP and IFRS standards.

Her early exposure to banking came through an internship with The National Commercial Bank – AlahliNCB, where she rotated through treasury, risk management, and cash management functions and gained exposure to banking policies and workflows for corporate and retail customers.

This combination of financial knowledge, banking experience, compliance expertise, and risk management has shaped her multidisciplinary approach to governance and organizational resilience.

Expertise Built Around Risk and Compliance

Lama’s professional capabilities span risk management, corporate governance, compliance management, investigation, AML, internal controls, policy and procedure development, portfolio management, negotiation, process improvement, stakeholder management, and analytical reporting.

Her ability to translate complex risk considerations into analytical insights supports organizations in identifying exposures, strengthening controls, meeting regulatory expectations, and making informed strategic decisions.

Education and Professional Development

Lama holds a Bachelor’s degree in Banking and Finance from Dar Al-Hekma University, providing the academic foundation for her career across financial services, risk, compliance, and governance.

She is also a PECB-Certified ISO 31000 Senior Lead Risk Manager, further reinforcing her professional specialization in structured risk management and internationally recognized risk principles.

Fluent in Arabic and professionally proficient in English, she brings a strong combination of technical knowledge, analytical capability, and stakeholder engagement to her leadership roles.

Saudi Icons Recognition

Lama Biran is recognized for building a progressive career across risk management, corporate governance, compliance, AML, investigation, and financial services. From her early foundation in banking and finance to senior risk and governance responsibilities, her journey reflects a consistent focus on strengthening controls, supporting regulatory compliance, and enabling sound organizational decision-making.

Her leadership at Dar Al Tamleek, governance experience at Panda Retail, and extensive risk and compliance background at Saudi National Bank position her as a notable professional contributing to the advancement of risk-aware and well-governed organizations in Saudi Arabia.