Barclays Wealth appoints new Head of Middle East and North Africa

Barclays Wealth, a leading global wealth manager, announced the appointment of Rory Gilbert as Managing Director, Head of Middle East and North Africa for International Private Banking. Rory has assumed the responsibilities of Soha Nashaat who has moved to a senior client relationship and strategic advisory role for Barclays Wealth in the MENA region. 

Commenting on the appointment, Emmanuel Fievet, Head of Barclays Wealth International Private Banking, EMEA, said: “This is a significant appointment for Barclays Wealth, in particular because of our commitment to private banking across the MENA region. Rory will be responsible for developing the Barclays wealth business while ensuring that our priority remains focused on offering best-in-class advice and service to our clients across the MENA region.” 

John Vitalo, Chief Executive Officer of Barclays Middle East and North Africa, added: “The MENA region continues to be an extremely important market for the Barclays Group, and we are delighted to welcome Rory. Our clients across the region will benefit from Rory’s private banking experience that helped propel the Barclays Private Bank in the UK and Ireland into a market-leading wealth management franchise.” 

Rory will report to Emmanuel Fievet and to John Vitalo, Chief Executive of MENA for Barclays PLC. For the remainder of 2011 Rory will work closely with Soha to ensure a smooth transition. 

Rory has previously worked as Head of the UK & Ireland Private Bank high net worth business and was a member of the Barclays UK & Ireland Management Committee since 2007. Prior to joining Barclays Wealth, Rory served as a private banker at UBS Wealth Management and as an investment manager at Goldman Sachs. Rory holds an MBA from London Business School and an undergraduate degree from the University of Bristol.