Neuberger Berman, a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager, has appointed Kaveh Samie as Executive Chairman and Head of Middle East and North Africa, effective immediately. Based in Dubai, Samie will oversee client coverage across the region. Prior to joining Neuberger Berman, Samie spent almost nine years at KKR, most recently as CEO and Head of Middle East, North Africa and New Markets. Previously he held senior roles at firms including HSBC and Citigroup, and has more than 30 years’ experience in financial services in the region. He takes over from Jahangir Aka who, after 12.5 years in the region, is moving back to London into a role focused on Official Institutions more broadly, and will work closely with Samie and the team in Dubai to ensure a smooth transition.
Dik van Lomwel, Head of EMEA and Latin America at Neuberger Berman, says: “As our client footprint continues to grow in the Middle East, local leadership and deep knowledge of the regional investment landscape continues to be important to our clients. Kaveh brings with him 34 years’ experience working with some of the largest and most sophisticated institutions in region and we are delighted to welcome him to the firm.”
George Walker, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Neuberger Berman, says: “Since we opened our Dubai office in 2012, we have seen tremendous change in the Middle East regarding the way we partner with local clients, as well as opportunities for our investment franchise. With Kaveh’s extensive experience and network, we hope to continue to broaden and deepen our client and investment dialogue.”
Samie says: “I am thrilled to be joining a firm which is fully commitment to such an important region and, by providing hard to source solutions across asset classes in both public and private markets, Neuberger Berman has already established a strong business in the Middle East. I look forward to working with our global investment teams to further develop our service proposition to its fullest potential and broaden our presence in this ever changing and sophisticated market.”
