Sharjah-based United Arab Bank (UAB) was established in 1975 as a joint venture between UAE investors and France’s Société Générale. As CEO, Paul Trowbridge has been the driving force behind the bank’s profitability and its strategy of focusing on trade finance. The lender doubled the number of its branches to 20 over the past four years and plans to open ten more branches this year. UAB’s net profit in the first quarter rose 61 percent to AED120m, the bank’s highest to date.