In December 2023, Santander Private Banking revealed, through an internal memo, the opening of an office in Dubai led by Masroor Batin, the former Head of Middle East and Africa at BNP Paribas Wealth Management, in line with their interest in expanding their business in the United Arab Emirates. In this context, the entity has strengthened the Dubai team with the hiring of four new professionals over the past month: Jacques-Antoine Lecointre, Kamran Butt, Mustafa Asif Mahmood, and Fady E. Eid.
The most recent addition is Jacques-Antoine Lecointre, who joins the team as Operations Director at the Dubai International Financial Centre branch. Lecointre, with over 20 years of industry experience, comes to Santander from Swyt Solutions, a firm he co-founded. He has also held positions at BNP Paribas Wealth Management as Chief Operating Officer – Middle East, Bank of Singapore, and Barclays Wealth Management.
Other new hires include Kamran Butt as the new Head of Products and CIO for the Middle East, joining from HSBC Private Banking, and Mustafa Asif Mahmood as the new Executive Banker for Global NRI and International Clients. Like Lecointre, these two professionals join the branch at the Dubai International Financial Centre as part of the Santander Private Banking International team.
Lastly, a month ago, Fady E. Eid joined Santander Private Banking as the Head of Market for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. “Delighted to join Banco Santander International SA (DIFC Branch) as Market Head GCC, based in Dubai. I look forward to working with Alfonso Castillo, Antonio Costa Ortuño, and Masroor Batin, and thank you for the warm welcome,” he stated on social media following his joining the entity. Eid, who began his professional career in 1990 at Merrill Lynch as First Vice President Investments, comes to Santander from Opto Investments, where he was CEO Middle East.
The Spanish entity’s interest in this region goes beyond Dubai. In March of this year, it announced its entry into the Qatari market with a representative office in Doha, led by Ziad El-Saigh, who joined the bank from Credit Suisse. “In Private Banking, we already have a leading global platform in investment flows between Latin America, Europe, and the United States. Looking ahead, we are developing key growth opportunities to expand our presence, such as in the U.S. domestic market and the Middle East,” the entity stated in its first-quarter 2024 earnings report.
For Funds Society