| Michele Bullock, governor — Reserve Bank of Australia |
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has named Michele Bullock as its next governor. She will become the first woman to lead the RBA in its 63-year history when she begins her seven-year term in September. She will succeed incumbent Philip Lowe.
Ms Bullock has spent her entire career at the RBA. She first joined as an analyst in 1985 and has been deputy governor since April 2022. In her various senior roles at the bank, she has handled responsibilities related to Australia’s financial system, business services, its currency and its payments system.
Her appointment comes at a challenging time for the RBA as it continues to grapple with high inflation and intense public scrutiny amid a run of 12 interest rate rises in 13 months.
Furthermore, she will oversee a major reorganisation of the bank following the Australian government’s first independent review of its operations in 40 years. The review made 51 recommendations, among them the establishment of a new monetary policy board to enhance the bank’s expertise in making decisions on interest rates. The recommendations also include reforms that aim to strengthen the transparency and accountability of its processes.
“I am deeply honoured to have been appointed to this important position. It is a challenging time to be coming into this role, but I will be supported by a strong executive team and board,” Ms Bullock said in a statement. “I am committed to ensuring that the Reserve Bank delivers on its policy and operational objectives for the benefit of the Australian people.”
| Mohammed Ismail Al Emadi — CEO, Lesha Bank |
Mohammed Ismail Al Emadi has been appointed as the new CEO of Qatar-based Lesha Bank. Mr Al Emadi brings more than 16 years of experience across banking sectors including corporate, retail, private, international and investment. Prior to joining Lesha Bank, he served as chief business officer at Masraf Al Rayan. He is also the current chairman of Oryx Corniche Developments.
Lesha Bank, formerly known as Qatar First Bank, was established in 2008 as an independent sharia-compliant investment bank focused on private equity and real estate. It has since expanded its services to include alternative investments, private banking, corporate and institutional banking, and treasury services.
According to an investor presentation released at the end of March, the bank possesses a fixed income portfolio of QAR13.8m ($3.8m) and manages assets totalling QAR5.7bn.
| Dan Grabos, co-head of Americas M&A and Jonathan Gerst, co-head of industrials M&A — Barclays |
Barclays has appointed Dan Grabos (pictured top) as co-head of Americas mergers and acquisitions (M&A). He will be based in New York and work alongside Larry Hamdan. He will also continue his role as co-head of industrials M&A, which he has held since joining Barclays in 2018.
With almost three decades of experience in investment banking, Mr Grabos has advised a number of management teams and boards on M&A, including L3Harris Technologies on its acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne and US Ecology on its sale to Republic Services. Prior to joining Barclays, he spent more than 20 years covering M&A at JPMorgan.
In addition, Jonathan Gerst (pictured bottom) will take on an expanded role as co-head of industrials M&A, working alongside Mr Grabos. Mr Gerst joined Barclays from Lehman Brothers in 2007 and has advised a number of key clients, including Blackstone on its majority acquisition of Emerson’s Climate Technologies business, and Spirit Airlines on the pending sale to JetBlue Airways and prior announced sale to Frontier Airlines.
| Was Chaudry — head of client lifecycle, SG Kleinwort Hambros |
SG Kleinwort Hambros, Societe Generale's UK-based private bank, has appointed former Credit Suisse private bank head of onboarding Was Chaudry to lead its newly formed client lifecycle team. The team will be tasked with optimising the bank's client onboarding process and utilising new technologies to enhance its client experience.
Mr Chaudry began his career at Citi Private Bank. He became head of its onboarding team in 2010 before moving into an anti-money laundering and financial crime investigation role with Citi’s financial intelligence unit. He joined Credit Suisse in 2015.
