The latest moves and appointments for wealth management roles in the UK, other parts of Europe, the Middle East and select international locations.

DWS

DWS has appointed Alexandre Daoud (main picture) as senior coverage specialist for alternatives, Middle East and Africa.

He will be joining DWS’s newly-established branch in ADGM, Abu Dhabi’s international finance centre, to deepen relationships with institutional clients and strategic partners across the Middle East and Africa. Daoud will also work closely with DWS’s global alternatives specialist team to help scale the firm’s alternatives capabilities in the region.

Daoud brings 15 years of professional experience, including over 13 years based in the United Arab Emirates. Prior to joining DWS, he served as head of capital markets for the Middle East at Panattoni. Before that, he spent 10 years at JLL, where he held several senior positions, most recently as head of international capital coverage, MENA. Alexandre holds an MBA from ESSEC Business School in France.

“Alexandre brings deep experience working with investors across the Middle East and a strong understanding of global capital allocation trends and alternative investment strategies,” Joe Kiwan, senior executive officer, DWS ADGM branch and head of coverage for the Middle East and Africa, said. “Alexandre will play a key role in strengthening relationships with clients and strategic partners in the region, at a time when local presence, experience and long-term commitment are key differentiators for clients.”

Alexandre’s appointment follows the opening of DWS’ Abu Dhabi office in October 2025, receiving a local licence, as reported here.

Moonfare

Moonfare, a global private markets investment platform and manager, has appointed Joanna Christie (pictured below) as its chief marketing officer.

Joanna Christie

Christie has more than 20 years of international marketing experience across high-growth technology platforms and global luxury brands. Most recently, she served as chief marketing officer at Treatwell, a large European online marketplace and SaaS platform. She has served in senior leadership roles at companies including Lyst, where she was a member of the founding team, and Richemont, where she led global teams and partnerships for the luxury goods group.

In her new role, Christie will drive Moonfare’s global marketing strategy and market position. She will work with teams across the business. As part of Moonfare’s executive leadership team, Christie will report directly to founder and co-CEO Steffen Pauls.

Headquartered in Berlin, Moonfare operates in 24 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific and America; it has offices in New York, London, Zürich, Singapore, Paris, and Luxembourg. Moonfare has more than 5,500 investors and €3.8 billion ($4.39 billion) in assets under management.

Finserve Global Security Fund

Finserve Global Security Fund, which says it is the first actively managed global defence fund to be launched in the UK and European markets, has appointed space and defence expert Stefan Gustafsson (pictured below) to the fund’s advisory board.
 

Stefan Gustafsson

With a background spanning the Swedish Armed Forces, the defence industry, and the international space sector, Gustafsson brings significant strategic expertise to the fund’s continued development within defence, space, and cybersecurity, the firm said in a statement.

Gustafsson served as chief strategist at Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) between 2013 and 2024, leading the development of and global positioning of the company’s advanced space services. He has an extensive background in the Swedish armed forces, where his numerous senior roles have included head of strategic analysis and naval operations. Gustafsson has worked closely with both US and European defence structures throughout his career, as well as with security and industrial policy issues. He is a graduate of the US Naval Command College, which runs "prestigious" international education programmes for senior military officers.

He holds several board and advisory positions in technology, defence, and space companies, including ECAPS, Ovzon, Frontgrade Gaisler, and Frost Unmanned. Gustafsson is also active in several academies related to defence and technology. He serves as vice chairman of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences (KÖMS), is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences, and is also elected to the Académie de l’air et de l’espace in France, a prominent academy for aerospace sciences.

“Stefan brings a unique combination of military experience, industrial expertise, and strategic insight into maritime security and the rapidly expanding global space sector,” Karl Engelbrektson, head of the Finserve Global Security Fund’s advisory board and former Chief of the Swedish Army, said. “His global perspective further strengthens our ability to analyse companies, assess defence investments, and evaluate technological trends within our investment sectors.”

“Space is becoming an increasingly important defence domain, where both Europe and major countries in the Pacific region are expected to make substantial investments in domestic capabilities,” added Joakim Agerback, lead portfolio manager on the fund. “Stefan’s experience from both the space industry and the defence sector strengthens our understanding of the way in which technological shifts and geopolitical developments affect companies in the sector, helping us further refine the Fund’s exposure within our core areas.”

This news service has been covering developments in space technology as it relates to wealth management – see examples here and here.