The newly-appointed figure comes to the job with three decades' banking experience, having covered markets in New York, Switzerland, Luxembourg and France.

Lombard Odier has appointed former UBS senior figure Ali Janoudi as head of the “new markets” region as of 1 April 2024. Separately, Lombard Odier Investment Managers added to its team as it prepares to launch a new absolute return strategy in the third quarter of this year.

Janoudi, who is based in Geneva, will become a limited partner, reporting to Frédéric Rochat, managing partner and co-head of the private clients activity. He will also join the private clients executive committee.

Janoudi's new role will involve a particular focus on the Middle East, the bank said in a statement. He is taking over from Arnaud Leclercq, partner holding privé, who will take on a new role focusing on key strategic clients.

With 30 years of banking experience – working in New York, Luxemburg, Paris and Switzerland – Janoudi previously worked at UBS, where he led international strategic units over the last 13 years. He was also a member of the global wealth management executive committee. Janoudi has served in several leadership roles, including head of Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa, group head Middle East and Africa, and more recently executive vice chairman.

“His [Janoudi’s] international experience, people-oriented management skills and in-depth knowledge of many regions within the new markets space and especially the Middle East, are valuable assets that will further enhance Lombard Odier’s position in these strategically relevant markets,” Rochat said. “We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to Arnaud Leclercq for his strong contribution to establishing the group’s presence in the region over the past 17 years. We are pleased that he will retain an important role focusing on key strategic client relationships.”

Alternatives team moves
Separately, last week Lombard Odier Investment Managers announced that it has appointed Valentin Petrescou and Didier Anthamatten to launch a global macro absolute return strategy – structured as a UCITS fund – for institutional and private clients. It is due to go live in the third quarter of 2024.

The duo are joined by their former team members, Jeremy Gatto, Philipp Mueller and Max Witschel, all coming to LOIM from Credit Suisse. 

The team formerly managed the Hedging the Cycle and Multi Asset Premia investment strategies at Credit Suisse Wealth Management. Those strategies peaked at $1.8 billion in assets under management. 

Prior to joining Credit Suisse in 2019, Petrescou spent nine years at UBS, where he managed the Short-Term Rates Trading business globally. Before this, he held senior proprietary trading positions in major investment banks.

Anthamatten spent four years at Credit Suisse, and previously worked at Unigestion, where he managed more than $2 billion in assets through various multi-asset fund and mandate vehicles. Prior to that, he was equity derivatives head at Pictet.

The portfolio managers are based in Geneva and Zurich and report to Christophe Khaw, chief investment officer of 1798 Alternatives. They started at LOIM on 2 April.