UBP Appoints Senior Trio in the Middle East
Geneva-based Union Bancaire Privée has bolstered its Middle East business with three new appointments, including an investment services head in Dubai.
UBP has appointed Fahd Iqbal as head of investment services, Dubai, according to a statement, reporting to Arfat Qayyum, senior executive officer at the bank’s local office. In the role, he will be tasked with leading the embedding of UBP's Global Investment Committee’s investment approach in the UAE hub.
Iqbal joins from UBS, where he was its chief investment officer for the Middle East. Previously, he also held similar roles at Credit Suisse, EFG Hermes and Deutsche Bank.
Two New Market Heads
In addition, UBP has also named Joy Chammas and Mohammed Zaheer as market heads for the Middle East.
Chammas has extensive GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) private banking experience and will focus on deepening client relationships and supporting growth across the region. Zaheer joined UBP in 2015 and oversees a diversified client portfolio. His work has included supporting complex client arrangements across jurisdictions and leading client transitions following UBP’s buyout of Coutts International.
«This investment in talent reflects our ongoing development of our Middle East platform and our focus on providing dedicated, on-the-ground coverage to clients across the region,» commented co-head of Middle East and Africa Mohamed Abdellatif.
UBP has been active in the Middle East for over 20 years, initially covering the region from Switzerland before establishing its UAE office in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) in 2011 and, more recently, opening a Riyadh office in 2025. Currently, it has approximately 100 professionals globally and over 40 professionals on the ground who manage more than 24 billion Swiss francs ($31 billion) in assets for clients in the Middle East.
