Barclays has appointed Karan Bhagat as managing director and country head for Barclays Corporate in India.

Bhagat was most recently the co-head of the risk solutions group for EMEA within Barclays Capital's investment banking unit in London. He joined the company in 1990 and has occupied a variety of roles within the investment and corporate banking departments.

In his new role, he will be responsible for spearheading the growth of Barclays Corporate's business in the south Asian country and building stronger links with Barclays Capital and Barclays Wealth. In India, the division focuses on the commercial banking needs of larger local corporates in close conjunction with the two other units.

Barclays' retail strategy in India, according to the release, targets the needs of the fast-growing affluent consumer banking customer segment in the country.