International Market Lead, Middle East

Job description

As International Market Lead, Middle East, you will serve as the representative for the Coutts market in the Middle East and be responsible for its growth, performance, and strategic presence. You will have the opportunity to build a sustainable franchise by leading people, relationships, and strategy to achieve outstanding results for internationally connected clients.

Tasks

As the International Market Lead for the Coutts market in the Middle East, you will be responsible for implementing the regional market strategy and ensuring overall performance. This includes:

• Make strategic decisions, develop robust growth plans, and ensure business results
• Serve as a senior commercial ambassador for Coutts in the region and build and expand relationships with ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) and high-net-worth (HNW) clients
• Build a strong network of intermediaries and influencers and ensure a strong presence in the region through extensive travel and senior-level engagement
• Build market presence and credibility through travel, networking with seniors, and active participation in regional business communities, forums, and events
• Lead the Middle East team to deliver high-quality client results and achieve financial, client-related, risk, and human resources goals
• Drive financial performance through revenue growth, margin discipline, customer acquisition, and cross-management, and make strong commercial decisions to create long-term franchise value
• Shape and further develop the Middle East client proposition to provide culturally tailored, competitive, and relevant solutions for complex, globally connected UHNW and HNW clients
• Build and lead a high-performing team, develop colleagues, support succession planning, and implement regular performance, development, and feedback cycles
• Ensure strong risk management practices across cross-border activities, complex client structures, and financial crime risks, and collaborate with risk and control functions to manage and mitigate market risks
• Collaborate across internal markets, functions, and international teams to drive market growth and ensure that the Middle East market is fully integrated into the broader international and banking strategy

Requirements

We are looking for someone with extensive senior leadership experience in international private banking or wealth management, with a proven ability to build and scale a market or franchise from the ground up. You should also:

• Have a proven track record of leading market entries or early growth phases, including strategy execution, team building, and establishing sustainable commercial and operational models
• Have extensive, practical experience managing relationships with UHNW and HNW clients from the Middle East, with strong business development skills and a consistent track record of success in acquiring new clients
• Have a strong understanding of GCC business culture, family and ownership structures, succession dynamics, sources of wealth, and regional investment behaviors, and apply this knowledge effectively to client retention and decision-making
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