Barclays announced today the appointment of three new senior bankers in its Wealth and Investment Management division for Middle East and North Africa (Mena).

Antoine Roger Chemali and David Stephan both join Barclays Wealth and Investment Management division as directors, while Owen Dayson joins as a vice president. All three bankers will cover Mena with the specific objective of extending Barclays Wealth and Investment Management presence across the region, said a statement.

The appointments underscore Barclays’ strong growth ambitions in the Mena region and reinforce its position as a priority market for the group in 2017. Barclays is seeking to further expand its team in the Wealth and Investment Management division in the Mena region throughout the year.

Commenting on the bank’s growth strategy in the region, Cedric Lizin, head of Middle East and Africa, Barclays Wealth and Investment Management, said: “Our ambition throughout 2017 is to further strengthen Barclays’ award-winning Wealth and Investment Management division in Mena, thus offering clients world class service and advice while providing them with the opportunity to access the entire breadth of Barclays global capabilities. With these hires, Barclays continues to expand its team across the Mena region while adopting a more focused approach to providing clients with bespoke financial solutions.”

He added: “We are delighted that Antoine, David and Owen, in conjunction with our existing teams, will be able to use their experience to accelerate Barclays’ efforts towards achieving its ambitions in MENA through offering global expertise at a local level, therefore blending global investment insights with local client needs. They will also highlight our ‘Integrated Banking Model’ adopted in the region to enable our client base to access and leverage Barclays’ global capabilities and reach in corporate and investment banking.”

Chemali started his career in Paris at Deutsche Bank and CIC Private Bank Group as a portfolio manager and international private banker, before moving to BNP-Paribas and then Gatehouse Bank in London as an investment banker covering the Middle East. He joined HSBC Private Bank in 2011 to focus on the Saudi Arabian market servicing high and ultra-high net worth individuals out of London in complex wealth solutions and portfolio management.

Stephan started his banking career at American Express Bank in New York before moving to London in 2000. He joined HSBC in 2004 and progressed to Director of Private Wealth Solutions, focusing on ultra-high net worth Middle Eastern families.  

Dayson started his career in the early 2000’s as a financial advisor working in both the UK and Hong Kong. Most recently, he has specialised in managing substantial high and ultra-high net worth client portfolios in Saudi Arabia and other countries across the region. – TradeArabia News Service