Job market news for finance professionals in Middle East | Recruitment news for financial professionals in the Gulf

Despite the holy month of Ramadan, a number of key hires were announced throughout August. However, given the time of year, recruitment activity was slightly subdued. Abraaj Capital, the Middle East private equity firm, has opened a new Palestine operation targeted at the SME sector and has hired Fayez Husseini to lead it. ACE European Group, the insurance firm, has named Steve Dixon as managing director of its MENA operation. BDO,... Read more

Exotix, a UK-based boutique investment bank with a focus on emerging markets, has kick-started its Dubai operations and says it has ambitious plans to expand in the region going forward. The bank has been given the thumbs up by the DIFC and has opened its new office with an initial workforce of just three, but says it is currently hiring and has plans to expand its regional operation in the near... Read more

Following on from our recent article on adapting your CV for jobs in Continental Europe, here’s some guidance should you want to apply for positions a little further afield. Middle Eastern CVs How long? Never more than two pages. Be ruthless and only include absolutely relevant information, even if your experience is vast. Include a deal list as an appendix as well as any addition information if necessary. Layout? As a general rule –... Read more

Suffice to say, considering the relatively low pass rate, getting through the rigours of all three exams to become a CFA charterholder is not an easy task. But there are many ways you can shoot yourself in the foot. Aside from not putting in the study time – recommended at around 300 hours per level – there are surprisingly common mistakes or assumptions people sitting the exam make, which often... Read more

A poor second quarter for large Saudi investment banks and muted M&A activity during the first half of 2010 suggests that the kingdom may in fact not be the best place for regional bankers to base themselves. Arab National Bank, Samba Financial Group, Saudi Investment Bank, Riyad Bank and HSBC's Saudi subsidiary SABB have all posted reduced earnings for the second quarter of this year. This is largely down to increased... Read more

Localisation efforts in the UAE financial sector are still heavily focused on the retail banking sector, with few Emiratis viewing investment banking as a viable career path. The thorny issue of attracting locals towards the private sector is a debate that has been raging for some time now, with Emiratis making up just 1% of the workforce, according to experts' estimates. Despite this, banks regularly wax lyrical about their graduate schemes designed... Read more

The role of the suitcase banker in the Middle East was never a glamorous one – pack a spare shirt, business cards and passport, then catch the redeye from London to one of the regional financial centres while hoping to avoid catching a cold from the aircon. Once there, you sit down with Mr Big Local, get straight down to business, leave within 90 minutes and then rinse and repeat... Read more

Here's the final instalment of the real life interview questions you sent through. Previous instalments can be viewed here, and here. Click on the questions below to view the answers and to find out something about the situation they were asked in. All organisations have rules, all markets have rules, and sometimes these are felt to be a burden. In which circumstances would you break a rule? Can you describe the best... Read more

Another eFinancialCareers reader has bravely put forward their CV for some (constructive) criticism in a bid to enhance their job-hunting potential. Below is their profile (with all personal details removed) and little about their search for new employment so far. Can you offer some tips about where they may have been going wrong and what, exactly, can be improved about their CV? I am looking to move to the Middle East... Read more

While the flow of Western bankers has largely been out of the Middle East over the last year, a combination of hiked up income tax in the UK and potentially prohibitive bonus clampdowns in Europe are tempting many to return. The Gulf is no longer the mecca for Western investment bankers that it was considered to be in 2008, with widespread redundancies in the sector leading many to scuttle home with... Read more

The summer lull has begun to hit home, with little recruitment activity outside the very senior ranks announced in July. However, brokerage and asset management were among the more active sectors. Ajman Bank has named Abdul Ehtesham Abdul Muhaimen as its new chief operating officer. Arab Bank has named Randa Sadik as its new deputy chief executive. She joins from the National Bank of Abu Dhabi. Barclays Wealth has named Stefanie Drews as... Read more

UBS, you might remember, has been making some key changes to its top brass in the Middle East, whilst waxing lyrical about the region's growth potential. Despite this, the bank has yet to kick-start the long-awaited expansion. The Swiss bank currently employs 127 people in the Middle East and Africa, according to its Q2 2010 report released today, which is actually an 11% drop on this time last year when it... Read more

As an international financial services jobs site, with international financial services jobseekers, we feel we ought to be giving you a bit of a steer when it comes to tailoring your CV for jobs outside your home country. There are distinct similarities in what’s expected in different jurisdictions (brevity is almost always good), but there are also distinct variations (Germans like photographs, UK recruiters don’t). For your information, therefore, here’s how you... Read more

Regular readers of eFinancialCareers will know that as well as news articles, we also feature regular comments from industry practitioners on recruitment issues within the region's financial services sector. We're currently looking to increase this coverage and are hoping that either financial services or recruitment professionals will put themselves forward to write openly about the issues affecting hiring and pay within the Middle East financial sector. Of course, we understand that... Read more

Understanding cultural differences – such as the potential pitfalls of public displays of affection – is something every expat should furnish themselves with before moving to the Middle East. But the disparities of doing business are not always so obvious. Based on conversations with industry practitioners and financial sector recruiters, we've compiled six adjustments every Western banker should prepare themselves for when working in the GCC. 1. Learn to love Arabian coffee... Read more