Barclays has appointed Haidar Hammoud as head of wealth and investment management for Abu Dhabi, reporting to Rory Gilbert, managing director and head of wealth and investment management in the Middle East and North Africa.

Hammoud will oversee the day-to-day management of the business and will work closely with office heads in Singapore, Geneva, London and Dubai. 

He will also be responsible for providing clients with financial advice and will focus on supporting the ultra high net worth segment and large family offices.

Prior to joining Barclays, Hammoud held several leadership positions at global financial institutions, including Deutsche Bank, Citibank, Standard Chartered and BNP Paribas.

“This is a significant appointment, particularly in the context of our growth plans across the MENA region in general and the UAE in particular. Our aim is to cement Barclays' position as the destination of choice for HNW individuals within the region," said Rory Gilbert.

In other recent news, earlier this month Barclays appointed Julie Fairclough as director and deputy local platform manager for its wealth advisory division in Jersey.

In April, the wealth and investment arm of Barclays said it made an adjusted pre-tax profit of £60 million ($91.6 million) in the first three months of 2013, a 20 per cent rise from a year ago.

However, the first-quarter profit fell from £105 million in the previous three months to the end of December 2012.