DAMASCUS

Maysaa Sabreen has been appointed as the interim governor of Central Bank of Syria on Monday, becoming the first woman to lead the country’s central bank.

Sabreen has been a member of the board of directors at the Damascus Securities Exchange since Dec. 2018, representing the central bank.

She has also served as deputy governor and the head of the Office Control Division at the bank.

She holds a master’s degree in accounting.

Sabreen is the second woman appointed by the new Syrian administration headed by Ahmad al-Sharaa.

Earlier, Aisha al-Dibs was appointed as the head of the Women's Affairs Office in Syria's interim administration.

Bashar Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, marking the end of the Baath Party's rule, which had been in power since 1963. The takeover came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters captured key cities in a lightning offensive that lasted less than two weeks.​​​​​​​