Yusuf Alireza

Alireza received a joint master's and bachelor's degree from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He completed his bachelor's studies in international economics, pursuing a master's degree in international relations and affairs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.poandpo.com/who-is-promoted/noble-group-chief-executive-yusuf-alireza-resigns-30-5-2016/|title=Noble Group chief executive Yusuf Alireza resigns|date=30 May 2016|website=poandpo.com|access-date=2019-05-01}}

Alireza spent 20 years at Goldman Sachs, ultimately becoming co-president of Asia operations, excluding Japan, and a member of the firm's global management committee. He began working at Goldman Sachs New York in 1992, in the Fixed Income Industry Research Group, before transferring to the firm's London office in 1997 and becoming the head of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) sales and structuring efforts.

He was made a partner in 2004, and relocated to Hong Kong in 2008, where he managed the Asia Pacific securities division of Goldman Sachs.{{Cite news|url=https://financialpost.com/investing/goldman-sachs-continues-principal-investing-analyst|title=Goldman Sachs continues principal investing: analyst {{!}} Financial Post|last=Investing|newspaper=Financial Post |date=2011-03-21|language=en-CA|access-date=2019-07-04}}

Alireza was made co-head of the Asia-Pacific region in January 2011, ex Japan. He spent 11 months in the position before resigning in November 2011.

Alireza became CEO of Noble Group in April 2012,{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204190504577035774238632512|title=Commodity Firm Eyes a CEO|last1=Gopalan|first1=Nisha|date=2011-11-14|work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=2019-05-01|last2=Tudor|first2=Alison|language=en-US|issn=0099-9660}} succeeding Ricardo Leiman as the head of the Hong Kong-based global supply chain manager of energy and agricultural products. Alireza transitioned the company to an asset-light model and sold the firm's Noble Agri business to the Chinese company Cofco Corp in 2014.{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-30/noble-group-says-ceo-alireza-resigns-plans-sale-of-u-s-assets|title=Noble Group Says CEO Alireza Resigns; Plans U.S. Asset Sale|newspaper=bloomberg.com|date=30 May 2016 |access-date=3 March 2017}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/noble-group-to-sell-remaining-stake-in-noble-agri-to-cofco-for-750m-1450807275|title=Noble Group to Sell Remaining Stake in Noble Agri to Cofco for $750 Million|last=Kent|first=Sarah|date=2015-12-23|work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=2019-05-01|language=en-US|issn=0099-9660}} Alireza resigned in May 2016 after Noble's share price fell by 76%.

In 2015, an anonymous research blog, Iceberg Research, started to question the accounting practices of Noble Group.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/asia/article/spectacular-fall-of-the-house-of-noble-dgsmxqtdb|title=Spectacular fall of the House of Noble|last=Millard|first=Rachel|date=2018-11-11|work=The Sunday Times|access-date=2019-05-01|language=en|issn=0956-1382}} Though the author was initially not confirmed, Alireza published an open letter identifying Arnaud Vagner, a former Noble credit analyst{{Cite web|url=http://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/noble-group-denies-repos-use-slams-iceberg-not-credible|title=Noble Group denies repos use, slams Iceberg as not credible|date=2015-06-17|website=The Edge Markets|access-date=2019-05-01}} who had been fired in 2013, allegedly for poor performance.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/ba260310-1498-11e5-9bc5-00144feabdc0|title=Noble Group chief hits back at critics|author=Hughes|first1=Jennifer|last2=Hume|first2=Neil|date=17 June 2015|website=Financial Times|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-05-01|last3=Sheppard|first3=David}} In 2018 Vagner confirmed that he was the blog’s author.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-15/man-who-triggered-10-billion-commodity-collapse-finally-speaks|title=The Man Who Triggered a $10 Billion Commodity Collapse Finally Speaks|last1=Blas|first1=Javier|last2=Hoffman|first2=Andy|date=15 August 2018|website=bloomberg.com|access-date=2019-05-01}} The blog claimed that the company booked profits on long term contracts.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-20/how-a-last-minute-raid-derailed-noble-group-s-story-of-rebirth|title=How a Last-Minute Raid Derailed Noble Group's Story of Rebirth|last1=Farchy|first1=Jack|last2=Chia|first2=Krystal|date=20 Dec 2018|website=bloomberg.com|access-date=2019-05-01}} Noble hired PricewaterhouseCoopers, who announced that the accounting methods complied with international accounting rules, though they also advised that the trader needed to improve their governance and methodology. A probe was launched into Noble Group's accounting in Singapore three years later in November 2018, two years after Alireza's departure, and Noble is suing Vagner.{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/93f4a4aa-eca1-11e8-8180-9cf212677a57|title=Singapore authorities launch probe into Noble Group|author=Palma|first1=Stefania|last2=Hume|first2=Neil|date=20 November 2018|website=Financial Times|access-date=1 February 2019|last3=Sheppard|first3=David}} Noble defaulted on its debt in October 2018{{Cite web |title=Noble Group's 2020 noteholders notified of default |url=https://www.ig.com/uk/news-and-trade-ideas/shares-news/noble-group_s-2020-noteholders-notified-of-default-181029 |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=IG |language=en-gb}} and had to restructure its debt.{{Cite web |title=I-was-cheated-tales-from-the-collapse-of-a-commodity-giant |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-26/-i-was-cheated-tales-from-the-collapse-of-a-commodity-giant |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=www.bloomberg.com|date=26 August 2018 }}

Alireza is on various boards, including Bahrain's Economic Development Board,{{Cite web|url=https://bahrainedb.com/about-us/board-of-directors/|title=Board of directors|website=Invest in Bahrain|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-04}} the National Bank of Bahrain,{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbbonline.com/en/about-nbb/managements/management/board-of-directors|title=Board of directors - National Bank of Bahrain|website=www.nbbonline.com|access-date=2019-07-04}} the Bahrain Ship Repairing and Engineering Company,{{Cite web|url=https://basrec.com/about-basrec/basrec-directors/|title=Directors|website=BASREC|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-04}} Room to Read,{{Cite web|url=https://www.roomtoread.org/leadership-board/|title=Leadership & Board|website=www.roomtoread.org|access-date=2019-07-04}} and the Georgetown Center for Contemporary Arab Studies.{{Cite web|url=https://ccas.georgetown.edu/people_category/board-of-advisors/|title=Board of Advisors Archives|website=SFS CCAS|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-04}}

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Category:1970 births

Category:Living people

Category:Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni

Category:Bahraini businesspeople

Category:Goldman Sachs people