Ziad Melhem Takes Over as CFI Financial’s New CEO; Co-Founders Stepped Down as MDs

CFI Financial Group, a forex and contracts for differences (CFDs) broker with the Middle East as its stronghold, has shuffled its top management: it appointed Ziad Melhem as the new Group Chief Executive Officer, while the two co-founders, Hisham Mansour and Eduardo Fakhoury, stepped down as Managing Directors to become Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively.

Another prominent change was the promotion of Stelios Thrasyvoulou to Chief Product and Technology Officer from his previous position as Chief Technology and Information Officer. He will continue to lead the company’s product and technology offerings.

New CEO Takes Over to Accelerate Growth

Melhem’s appointment to the top role also came with an internal promotion. He joined the broker late last year as its Group Chief Marketing Officer and continued in that role until the recent promotion. He has been associated with CFI since 2022 as a Board Advisor, according to his LinkedIn profile.

CFI detailed that Melhem, as CEO, will lead the company’s day-to-day operations. His focus will be on accelerating growth, expanding client value, and pushing the broker’s global footprint.

“We are entering a dynamic new chapter for CFI, and I look forward to working with our talented teams to drive innovation, growth, and excellence across all markets we serve,” said Melhem.

Indeed, he took over as CEO about three months after the broker launched its prime brokerage services. It also continues to expand its presence in the region and opened an office in Baku earlier this year.

The broker's growing dominance is also reflected in the 92 per cent jump in the number of active traders on its platform in the first quarter of 2025. The quarterly trading volume on the platform reached $1.28 trillion, a 3.5 per cent increase from the previous quarter and a 129 per cent increase year-over-year.

A Regional Expert

Before joining CFI, Melhem had extensive experience working with other top regional brokers. He started his career at Lebanon-based AM Financials and moved to Amana Capital at the end of 2013 as the CMO and later as the Chief Business Development Officer. He spent eight years of his career at Amana.

Following his tenure at Amana, he and Ahmad Khatib launched Dubai-based Mafhoom Technologies, a company that provides personal finance management tools for Arabic-speaking users. Khatib also joined CFI last year, alongside Melhem, as the Chief Business Development Officer.

Although there was a change in the roles of the two CFI co-founders, they will continue to guide the broker’s strategic direction, support its long-term vision, and strengthen its corporate governance.

“Eduardo and I remain fully engaged in shaping the Group’s strategic direction from our roles on the Board, and in supporting Ziad as he takes the helm as Group CEO,” said Mansour. “We have full confidence in his leadership and in the broader management team to lead CFI into its next chapter of success and deliver exceptional value to our clients worldwide.”