Who hired in the Middle East in April?
The investment banking recruitment market, silent for some months now, finally showed a few signs of life in April. Even more improbably, international firms have made some hires.
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank has taken on Hashim Al Zarooni as regional head of its private banking division in the Northern Emirates as it looks to expand its services in the region.
Abu Dhabi Investment Company has hired Alex Carré de Malberg from Rothschild to head up its investment banking advisory business in a bid to capitalize on anticipated levels of cross-border M&A activity this year.
BDO Jawad Habib, the accountancy firm, has recruited Prakash Kurup as a partner within its audit and business assurance division.
Bloomberg has plans to open new global offices, including operations in Abu Dhabi, Doha and Riyadh.
Credit Suisse has hired Jamal Al-Naif as head of asset management distribution for the Middle East and North Africa region to target institutional clients. The bank is also thought to be preparing for fresh expansion into the Gulf with new services allowing its clients direct market access (DMA) to exchanges in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Qatar Financial Centre has appointed Aida Mohamed Al Shahri as director of human resources. Stuart Pearce, CEO and director at the QFC Authority says her experience will be valued as they expand two new businesses - Qatar Insurance Services and the Qatar Finance and Business Academy.
Deutsche Bank has made a couple of key hires for its Middle East business. Mounir Husseini has been promoted to chief country officer for the UAE, while Joe Barchini moves to the post of chief operating officer for Qatar and the UAE. This is the latest in a series of senior relocations to the region by Deutsche Bank, as it looks to expand into equities, custody services and fiduciary solutions.
Emirates NBD has been bolstering its wealth management capabilities. Robbert Jan Voogt joins as general manager of private banking to lead the new office in Dubai. Gary Dugan was also recruited from Merrill Lynch to take the role of chief investment officer.
First Energy Bank, the Bahrain-based Islamic investment bank focused on the commodities sector, has appointed Vahan Zanoyan as CEO. The bank, which owned by Gulf Finance House, hired two deputy CEOs in October last year.
Holman Fenwick Wilan, the law firm, has transferred London-based lawyer Ian Chung to Dubai in an attempt to bolster its Middle East banking and finance arm.
HSBC has created a new customer service team for corporate clients in Qatar.
Insparo Asset Management, the Middle East and Africa focused asset manager, has hired Jon Laidlow as chief operating officer.
Lockton, the insurance broker, has opened an office in the Dubai International Financial Centre, a move it says is the first step of an expansion in the region.
QInvest, the Doha-based investment bank established in April 2007, says it has now completed recruiting its new senior management team, having hired Shahzad Shabaz from Bank of America as CEO in December last year. Philippe Jouard joins as head of origination, Rommie Bhutano and Anuj Khanna are co-heads of principal investments, and Asar Mashkoor will lead the newly-created financing and advisory business.
Saffar Capital, the Dubai-based private equity and venture capital firm, has appointed Dr Adman Ali Sultan to its investment committee. He was previously chief investment officer for direct investments at the Kuwait Investment Authority.
