Background
Ala was born on 8 July in 1951 in Damascus, Syria.
Ala was born on 8 July in 1951 in Damascus, Syria.
Ala was educated at the International College of Beirut and a graduate of Economics from the American University of Beirut.
Ala qualified as a Chartered Accountant (ICAEW) in London in 1980 and worked with EY in the Middle East up to 1982. Thereafter worked with DMI Group as Banker in Geneva, Switzerland from 1982 to 1986, when he moved to Montreal Canada and re-joined EY for 3 years until 1989. Returned back to Switzerland in 1989. Re-joined DMI Group as Group CFO until 2001, when he joined Majid Al Futtaim Group as CFO. Returned back to Switzerland in 2002 and worked with Arab Bank Group as Deputy Group CFO for 3 years. In 2005 he returned to the Middle East as Group CFO of Al Jaber Group in Abu Dhabi, followed by CFO of Al-Dar Real Estate Company and then CFO of Abu Dhabi Ports (both in Abu Dhabi). In 2015, re-joined Al Jaber Group as Group CFO until November 2017
Fellow Institute Chartered Accountants England and Wales.
Ala married to Loma Yahia on 12 September in 1953. They have three children: Mohamed, Karim, Sami.