Who hired in the Middle East in June?

The summer exodus of expats is upon us and a lull in recruitment activity is expected in the Middle East for the next three months as key decision-makers are absent. The number of new hires in the region's financial sector last month is reflective of this.

The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange has named Ghanem Hamad Al Dhaheri as its new deputy chief executive of operations affairs.

Alizz Islamic Bank, the Omani institution, has named Mohammed Al Fahim as deputy chairman to the bank’s board of directors.

Alkhabeer Capital, the Saudi-based asset manager and investment bank, has named Tariq Hayat as its new chief corporate communications officer. He joins from Arcapita Bank.

Deloitte Corporate Finance has appointed James Dervin has managing director within its Middle East Reorganisation services. He’s been with the firm since 2005.

Emirates NBD has a new group CEO in Shayne Nelson, who has joined from Standard Chartered where he was head of its private banking arm. He takes over from Rick Pudner.

Exotix, the boutique investment bank, has hired Philip Southwell as its new chief executive officer. He had been running his own asset management firm focusing on emerging markets infrastructure debt after leaving Bank of America Merrill Lynch last year.

First Gulf Bank has named Simon Penney as its new head of wholesale banking. He was previously head of Royal Bank of Scotland’s Middle East and Africa operations.

Mumtalakat, the investment arm of Bahrain, has named Zulfe Ali as its new chief operating officer. He was previously vice president of corporate finance at the sovereign wealth fund.

The National Bank of Abu Dhabi has appointed Claude-Henri Chavanon as group chief investment officer and head of the investment group. He was previously working for the bank’s Swiss private bank, but will relocate from Geneva to Abu Dhabi for the role.

PwC has named Hani Ashkar as a senior partner in its Middle East team. He has been with the firm for 18 years, most recently as deals leader for the region.