Citi has appointed Kamal Benkabbou as Head of Markets for Middle East, Egypt, and Pakistan (MEEP) effective immediately, the bank announced on Wednesday.

As per a statement shared by the investment company, Kamal will build on solid foundations in MEEP to drive and implement a fully integrated growth strategy for Markets in the region.

“He will develop and execute a client-centric strategy delivering Citi’s global product offering into the region while developing and leveraging Citi’s local infrastructure and capabilities.

“Kamal will be a key partner to regional leadership teams and product heads in markets with a focus on identifying and delivering synergies and efficiency gains within markets and with broader institutional client platform,” read the statement.

Citi said that Kamal will also be responsible for providing overall oversight of the risks arising from market activities across the MEEP region.

Kamal, a seasoned financial expert, joined Citi in 2011 to develop its MENA investor sales franchise.

Kamal began his career as an M&A Analyst at Lazard in Paris, then spent five years at Barclays Capital in London serving MENA Institutional clients, stated information available on Citi’s website.

Kamal has been Head of Financial Institution Sales and Solutions (FISS) for the MENA region since 2019, and has been responsible for delivering significant growth in revenues in the region across markets products.

Citi informed that Kamal will continue leading the FISS effort in the region until a replacement is appointed, and will remain based in Dubai.

Kamal holds an MSc in Finance from École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP Europe) and is an Islamic Finance Qualification (IFQ) Holder.