Head of Investor Services

Laz Partners

Head of Investor Services MENA

Our client is a Global Asset Manager (~140bn AUM), expanding their Dubai team with a strategic hire designed to reinforce our client`s investment identity in the Middle East and Africa. It sits within the Investment Services division - bridging Wealth Management and Asset Management - and is pivotal to representing and localizing the client`s house views and investment philosophy across the MENA client base.

Role Summary

Title: Head of Investor Services

Location: Dubai

Reporting To: Regional CEO

Type: Full-time, leadership-level hire (possibly MD track)

Purpose of the Role

This individual will act as a local ambassador of the client`s investment identity, ensuring consistent representation of the bank s house views and strategies to internal stakeholders (RMs, Investment Advisors) and external clients. They will serve as the bridge between the Switzerland-based investment engine and the client-facing teams in Dubai, providing authoritative guidance, credibility, and cohesion in all investment communications.

They are not expected to be a salesperson - rather, a credible investment voice and strategic thinker, who can operate with autonomy and influence across the region.

Key Responsibilities

1. Promote and Localize the client`s Investment Identity

• Translate the global house views into regional communication and implementation
• Act as the identity carrier fully aligned with HQ teams and capable of articulating investment positioning precisely

2. Internal Stakeholder Alignment

• Act as a proxy for Investment Services in Dubai
• Work closely with:
• Investment Advisors (5 people)
• Relationship Managers (15 people)
• Market Heads (2), COO, and Head of Compliance
• Sit on the Regional Investment Committee (MENA & Africa), helping to ensure alignment between investment views and regional implementation

3. Investment Representation & Leadership

• Build buy-in and credibility internally and externally through thought leadership, not commercial push
• Maintain permanent interaction with Switzerland-based investment teams
• Help guide RMs and advisors to deliver client solutions consistent with the house view
• Bring leadership gravitas

Candidate Profile

Must-Have Attributes

• Investment background (not sales) - credible, thoughtful, strategic
• Experience as:
• Ex-PM
• Ex-CIO
• High-level Investment Specialist with real market views
• Cross-asset knowledge preferred (not product-specific)
• Comfortable interfacing with bankers, investment teams, and clients
• Proven ability to lead via influence (no direct reports, but must command respect)

Ideal Background:

• Investment professional with strong understanding of macro, multi-asset or fixed income
• Experience at institutions such as:
• Regional asset managers or investment companies (quasi-sovereign or sovereign)
• Investment arms of conglomerates
• Has worked in environments where bridging institutional investment insight and private client delivery was key

Seniority & Stage of Career

• An aspiring leader ready to step into a leadership/MD-level position
• Middle management experience, hungry for more scope and influence
• Comfortable in flat structures with high levels of autonomy