HSBC Bank Egypt has named Andrew Long as chief executive officer.

Long has made the high profile move after holding the position of global head of global transaction banking at HSBC for the last four years. In fact Long has been with the firm for over 30 years, holding a number of high-ranking positions including chief operating officer of HSBC Asia Pacific, and head of operations and processing for the same region.

The appointment of the veteran banker displays the firm’s commitment to investment in Egypt, Abdel Salam El Anwar, chairman of HSBC Egypt, said. Long himself has highlighted the importance of the Egyptian market for the bank’s emerging market strategy.

The appointment comes at what has been a fraught time for Egypt’s financial sector, as the country has been embroiled in political turmoil following the demise earlier this year of the Mubarrak regime.

In other regions of the world, HSBC has latterly announced intentions to recruit over 1,000 new employees in Singapore over the next five years after identifying Singapore, India and Malaysia/Indonesia as priority  markets for development in the near future.

Nonetheless this appointment of a new chief executive officer at HSBC Egypt, which comes at the same time as the appointment of Antoine Cahuzac as CEO of private banking for HSBC France, shows the London and Hong Kong listed bank has not lost sight of important markets and potential opportunities outside of Asia.

HSBC Group has singled out Egypt as a focal point for investment and growth in the MENA region after HSBC Egypt reported a profit before tax of $195 million in 2010.