Barclays Continues To Expand Wealth and Investment Management Team In The Middle East

7 June 2012

BARCLAYS CONTINUES TO EXPAND WEALTH AND INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT TEAM IN THE MIDDLE EAST 

Dubai, UAE: Barclays announced today the expansion of its Wealth and Investment Management team in the Middle East and North Africa. Chris Cocker and Nicholas Koutsoukos have both been appointed as Directors covering the Lower Gulf region with the specific objective of extending Barclays Wealth and Investment Management financial solutions to the region.

The appointments underscore the strategy of the Wealth and Investment Management division that prioritises greater and more focussed coverage of the region. Chris and Nicholas will both be responsible for extending the full range of Wealth and Investment Management solutions to Barclays’ clients across the Lower Gulf region.

Rory Gilbert, Managing Director and Head of Wealth and Investment Management, Middle East and North Africa, said: “This expansion is the direct result of an increasing demand for high-level wealth and investment management services in the region. The appointment of both directors is testament of our continued commitment to the Middle East and our drive to change the face of wealth management in the region. We aim to redefine the traditional approach to managing multi-asset portfolios by applying Barclays’ proven, proprietary behavioural finance techniques to acutely assess our clients’ financial personality and their short and long term financial goals.”

He added: “I am delighted that Chris and Nicholas, in conjunction with the existing team, will be able to use their experience to accelerate Barclays’ efforts towards achieving its ambitions in the Middle East by offering global expertise at a local level; blending global investment insights with local client needs. They will also highlight our integrated product solutions to enable our client base to access and leverage the tremendous product synergies across the group.”

Chris joins Barclays after having run his own property investment and financial consultancy businesses successfully in the Middle East and UK, prior to which he served as a Gilt Trader in UBS Warburg Investment bank in London.

Nicholas joins Barclays from Bank of Singapore as a Private Banker where he covered the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean markets. Prior to this, he held senior positions at various entities including Abraaj Capital as well as Istithmar World Capital in the UAE.