Meet our Board of Directors

Fahed Boodai is the co-founder and Chairman of Gatehouse Financial Group, Chairman of Gatehouse Bank plc and the founder and Chairman of Gatehouse Capital. He is also the Vice Chairman and CEO of Securities House, one of the largest shareholders of Gatehouse Financial Group. With more than 25 years’ investment banking experience specifically within the global real-estate market, he has presided over diverse real estate acquisitions and exits totalling more than US$3 billion. He holds an MBA with a concentration in Finance from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California and a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business from the University of San Diego. He also occupies a number of external board and director positions. Mr Boodai’s family maintains overall control of the Boodai Corporation, a Kuwait-based holding company with diverse interests including construction, engineering and global real estate.

Lesley Beecher joined the Board of Gatehouse Bank in April 2023. With over 30 years' experience in Financial Services, she is a technology specialist and was previously a retail banking Chief Information Officer at HSBC and First Direct. She has also held board-level roles at HSBC, First Direct, Harpenden Building Society and Cornerstone Mutual Services.

Lesley has extensive executive experience in delivering large change programmes and leading teams of up to 1,000 technology professionals, making her highly skilled in digital, technology, delivery and people leadership. She currently also remains on the board at Harpenden Building Society.