Yehia Abul Fotouh is one of Egypt's most prominent banking leaders. Over more than 35 years in banking, he has built a career full of achievements at some of the largest local and international banking institutions, making him one of the leading names in risk and credit management in the banking sector.

Abul Fotouh began his career after graduating, joining Banque Misr in 1983, where he held a number of positions that honed his banking expertise. He then moved to Bank of America and later to Arab Bank, where he rose through the ranks to vice president, achieving many successes during that period that strengthened his professional standing.

In 2008, he joined the National Bank of Egypt (NBE) as general manager of the credit risk division. He played a key role in implementing the bank's comprehensive restructuring plan and helped develop and update the policies, procedures and models used in the credit process in line with international banking best practices.

Building on that success, in 2011 he became a member of the executive committee and general supervisor of the corporate credit risk division and the division for the treatment and restructuring of non-performing debt. During this period he achieved notable results in managing the non-performing loan portfolio, cutting it from about EGP 30 billion in 2008 to about EGP 6 billion by June 2013, while its share of the total credit portfolio fell from 30% to 5.3%. This was achieved through effective restructuring, collection and workout programs.

Abul Fotouh also played an influential role in supporting NBE's growth, as the bank's assets rose from about EGP 180 billion in 2008 to nearly EGP 500 billion in 2014. His responsibilities included overseeing a number of vital divisions, among them large corporate credit risk, portfolio and Basel II implementation, credit policies and procedures, credit inquiries, and debt treatment and restructuring.

In 2014 he was appointed a member of the executive board and head of risk at NBE, before becoming the bank's deputy chief executive officer in 2016. He was reappointed to the board in its 2020 formation, in recognition of his extensive experience and his significant contributions to supporting the bank's strategy and reinforcing its position as Egypt's largest banking institution.

On June 15, 2026, Yehia Abul Fotouh was appointed chief executive officer and managing director of the Housing & Development Bank (HDB), a move that reflects the great confidence he enjoys within the Egyptian banking sector, thanks to banking and management experience spanning more than three decades.