Arbuthnot Latham & Co has established a new Dubai office, appointing Paul Millar as managing director for the new branch.

Arbuthnot Latham & Co, the private banking and wealth management arm of the Arbuthnot Banking Group, has established its first international office in Dubai.

Located in the Gate Precinct of the Dubai International Financial Centre, the new office marks a “step-change” in the firm’s international offering and expansion into the Middle East, a statement said.

“Our decision to establish a presence in Dubai reflects Arbuthnot Latham’s confidence for growth in the region and the position which Dubai occupies within that growth,” said James Fleming, Arbuthnot Latham’s chief executive.

To coincide with the establishment of the Dubai office, Arbuthnot Latham has also announced the appointment of Paul Millar as managing director, international private banking, based in Dubai.

Millar, with more than 20 years’ experience in private banking, joins Arbuthnot Latham from Coutts & Co, where he held the positions of head of the Middle East business and chief operating officer for the firm’s offshore business.

The new Arbuthnot Latham Dubai office is expected to commence business shortly after all necessary regulatory approvals have been obtained, the firm said.

In other recent hires at the firm, in March Arbuthnot Latham appointed ex-Coutts & Co director Adam Patten as a senior private banker.