The British bank is replacing the CEO of its private bank in Switzerland with its top wealth management executive in the Middle East.
The Geneva-based Swiss wealth arm of Barclays is naming Rahim Daya as its CEO, effective immediately, it said in an emailed statement on Thursday. The 38-year-old Brit partly replaces Gerald Mathieu, who last autumn was promoted to an expanded role in the London-based bank's wider European private bank.
The Swiss market, where Barclays returned to profitability in 2019 under Mathieu, plays a substantial role in the bank's efforts in Europe, where it also operates out of Ireland and Monaco. The Swiss arm emerged as the mortgage lender to industrial magnate Sanjeev Gupta, who last year splashed out £42 million ($58 million) for a townhouse in Belgravia, according to the «Financial Times» (behind paywall).
Keeping Middle East Job
Daya, an 11-year veteran of Barclays, has spent the past two in Dubai, first as private banking in the United Arab Emirates and then for the wider Middle Eastern region. He will keep this role after moving to Geneva, Barclays said.
Before hiring on at Barclays in 2010, Daya worked for RBS for six years. He said Barclays sees countless opportunities in Switzerland, the world's largest offshore center, to further develop banking relationships with family office and super-rich clientele.
