Hinduja, the Geneva-based bank formerly known as Amas, has lured two directors from Barclays Wealth with managing directorships at its Middle East operation. At Barclays Maneesh Dungarwal and Ali Khatau were managing a team of bankers focused on building the UK bank’s private wealth business in MENA and South East Asia.

Prior to that, between 2003 and 2006, they were executive directors at Julius Baer, aiding in the establishment of the bank’s Dubai base. While working for the Swiss private bank they were responsible for business development and relationship management in all the core areas of expertise of the bank; this included private banking and institutional asset management in the Middle East and Sub-continent.

Both men have held senior positions in ABN AMRO and Merrill Lynch. In their new roles they are based in Dubai and are part of Hinduja Bank’s global management team.

“The arrival of Maneesh Dungarwal and Ali Khatau represents an important milestone in the build up of our Middle East subsidiary. They have been working together for 10 years now and have an impeccable track record for building strong relationships. I am very confident that they will become an important asset for our business in the Middle East and in the Indian subcontinent,” said Ivan Schouker, chief executive of Hinduja.

The Hinduja family changed Amas Bank’s name to Hinduja last month. The bank was founded as a finance company in 1978 and became a Swiss-regulated bank in 1994. The bank's network in Switzerland comprises offices in Zurich, Lucerne, Basle and St Margrethen, while globally it has a presence in Dubai, London, Paris, New York and Mauritius.