Strengthening its commitment to the MEA region and the GCC, Janus Henderson has revealed the appointment of a new Executive Director and the opening of a new office at ADGM in Abu Dhabi. This expansion reflects the firm’s ongoing efforts to improve service and support for its regional partners as a leading global active asset manager.
Today’s announcement underscores Janus Henderson’s focus on continued regional expansion as the firm already serves some of the most sophisticated sovereign wealth funds in the region and last year acquired NBK Capital Partners, the private investments team from NBK Wealth.
Saudi national Baraa Amir has been appointed Executive Director at Janus Henderson for the MEA region and will be based in the Dubai International Financial Centre. Amir brings more than a decade of experience gained working at Sanabil Investments, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund and subsidiary of the PIF based out of Riyadh, and Methak Investment Holding, a prominent Saudi family office based out of Jeddah. Amir’s experience is cultivated around portfolio construction, strategic asset allocation, and investment due diligence and he has been appointed to focus on expanding the firm’s presence in the region, particularly in the GCC. This includes building strategic partnerships with sophisticated sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, and prominent family offices while spearheading the development of tailored investment solutions in the region.
Amir is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and holds a Master of Science in Finance from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, US. His past roles include Head of the International Portfolio at Methak Investment Holding, and before that, he was a senior investment analyst at Sanabil Investments contributing to the management of multi-asset portfolios and overseeing global investment opportunities.
Meshal AlFaras, Head of Middle East, Africa & Central Asia at Janus Henderson, said of the appointment: “At Janus Henderson we see numerous opportunities for growth in the region, building on our global network, 90-year history, and the outstanding local insight of our experts, and this new appointment will add significantly to the strength of our team. Baraa’s deep knowledge of the regional investment landscape combined with Janus Henderson’s robust capabilities will prove invaluable to our partners”.
Baraa Amir commented: “Janus Henderson already has a trusted reputation among regional investors, and I look forward to expanding on existing, well-established partnerships and pursuing new ones, while also utilising my knowledge to refine and expand our services”.
This is the second significant executive appointment made by Janus Henderson in recent years. In December 2023, the company strengthened its Middle East operations with the appointment of Marwan AlSaleh as Senior Advisor.