EXCLUSIVE: Credit Suisse Names Head Of Middle East Team

Wendy Spires

7 November 2012

Iyad Quttaineh, the former head of UK private banking at Emirates NBD has resurfaced at Credit Suisse Private Bank, taking over leadership of its Middle East team in London, WealthBriefing can exclusively reveal.

Quttaineh’s resignation from Emirates NBD after just over a year emerged in October 2011; at the time his future plans were unknown. Before joining Emirates NBD in June 2010 he was a senior investment manager at BNP Paribas Private Investment Management for five years.

In other recent news at the Swiss bank, earlier this week Credit Suisse and Qatar Holding, the global investment house founded by the Qatar Investment Authority in 2006, announced that they are to form an asset management joint venture, confirming media reports which emerged at the end of October.

The Doha-based business, called Aventicum Capital Management, will focus on investment strategies in the Middle East, Turkey and other frontier markets, as well having an international business based outside of the region.

Hashem Montasser, previously head of asset management at EFG-Hermes, has been recruited as chief executive and chief investment officer of Aventicum. Aladdin Hangari, the CEO of Credit Suisse Qatar, will take on additional responsibility for the joint venture and Martin Keller, head of asset management for EMEA at Credit Suisse, will chair Aventicum’s board of directors.

The business will be operational in Doha early next year, while the international business will launch in 2014.

The two parties called the new venture “another milestone” in their strategic partnership, which goes back to 2008 when Qatar Holding became the Swiss banking giant’s second largest shareholder, taking a 6 per cent stake. The sovereign wealth fund has also bought Credit Suisse’s Canary Wharf headquarters building in London.