Standard Chartered Global Private Bank has announced a further expansion of its frontline private banking team in the United Arab Emirates as part of the bank’s broader strategy to invest US$1.5 billion in its affluent business over the next five years.

Yahya Ismail joins the team as managing director, market head for Europe, the Middle East and Africa ( EMEA ). He has over 25 years of banking experience across corporate and private banking, having spent the last 20 years in private wealth management at Julius Baer and ABN AMRO.

Laura Haddad has been appointed senior client partner and lead of the ultra-high-net-worth segment in the Gulf Cooperation Council markets. She brings over 20 years of experience in wealth management for UHNW clients and families, working with banks including Julius Baer, Crédit Agricole, Citibank, Emirates NBD, and the Royal Bank of Canada.

Samia Shahnawaz has been named executive director, relationship manager, private banking. She has over 20 years of banking experience across private and institutional banking, working with banks including Julius Baer, Bank of Singapore, Barclays, and Citibank.

Ramla Mansukhani and Lakshmi Menon are rejoining the bank as relationship manager and client service manager, private banking, respectively. They have close to 20 years of diverse banking experience across international banks.

“The Middle East is growing at an extraordinary pace, with the UAE in particular experiencing rapid growth in wealth creation among HNW and UHNW individuals who increasingly seek bespoke, cross-border financial solutions for wealth preservation, inter-generational transfers, and sustainable growth,” says Vinay Gandhi, global head of global south India clients and regional head of EMEA, Standard Chartered Global Private Bank.

“As one of the bank’s wealth hubs, the UAE plays a pivotal role in Standard Chartered’s global strategy. We continue to actively invest in our talent pool, provide tailor-made client solutions, and diversify our product offerings to meet the needs of our HNW and UHNW clients.”