Bank of Singapore’s Dubai International Financial Centre ( DIFC ) branch has announced six new appointments to enhance its advisory and product solutions business in the region.

Zeena Abou Elnaja joins the bank’s investment advisory team from Julius Baer. A CFA by qualification, Elnaja has also worked with Standard Chartered Bank in the Middle East and will further strengthen the advisory capabilities for Bank of Singapore’s clients across the Gulf Cooperation Council markets. 

Additionally, Mehvish Ayub joins as a senior specialist covering managed solutions and alternatives in the region. Ayub joined Bank of Singapore from State Street Global Advisors where she was the head of investment strategies across the Middle East and North Africa region. Ayub is also CFA-qualified and previously worked with Morgan Stanley and Barings Asset Management. She will lead the bank’s strategic deliverables on funds advisory and mandate solutions.

Earlier in the month, the bank welcomed Brandon Chee as a product specialist covering equity and structured products advisory. The bank recognizes the importance of structured products advisory within a well-balanced portfolio, providing the appropriate asymmetry in portfolios as well as yield enhancement. Chee is a specialist in this space with over 15 years of experience in Asia with banks like OCBC and CIMB.

The bank also welcomed Anish Mehta as a product specialist on the foreign exchange ( FX ) advisory desk. Mehta, who relocated from the London to the UAE, has over 15 years of experience in the FX, commodities and derivatives markets. He joins the bank from Rabobank in London, where he was director on the FX and commodities desk.

Also joining the bank soon will be Yasmine Omari, as the head of wealth planning for the bank’s Dubai hub, and Fatima Al Zadjali, as the director of marketing and communications. Omari was most recently with Ernst & Young where she was a senior manager providing advice to ultra-high net worth families across the region on family governance, succession planning and mediations. She has also worked with PWC and Deloitte across the Middle East region.

Al Zadjali joins the bank from the private banking division of Habib Bank AG Zurich where she helped them build their communications and profile across the Swiss and Middle East markets. She has previously worked with Standard Chartered and Mashreq Bank.

“These hires are key for us strategically as we continue to build our Dubai hub’s presence across the region,” says Ranjit Khanna, the bank’s head of private banking, Europe and Middle East, and CEO of the DIFC branch. “These new joiners bring with them fresh perspectives and diverse expertise that will further enhance our objective to be a trusted adviser to our clients for all their investments and wealth management needs, providing them with the best advice and a world-class, global platform that opens doors to services and products they may not have accessed before.”