GSB Continues To Build Out Dubai Business

Editorial Staff

17 September 2024

Financial services group has hired Paul Waterman and Craig Holding to join its GSB Wealth division based in Dubai, which has expanded with several appointments in recent months.

Waterman, who will become a partner of GSB Wealth, is joining from Skybound Wealth Management, where he was a chartered wealth manager. He also held prominent positions at Royal Bank of Scotland in its commercial, retail, and wealth management divisions.

A specialist in serving high net worth clients, family offices and trust companies, Waterman provides wealth advice, estate planning and tax structuring solutions.

Holding has joined as a partner of GSB Wealth from financial advice firm Abacus Financial Consultants in Dubai, where he was also a partner. Holding, who has more than 19 years of experience in the UAE, first arrived in 2005. His main remit is to build a tax-effective investment strategy for Australian and British expats. Holding has served as chairman of the Australian Business Council of Dubai and was on the board for over nine years.

“Their addition marks another significant step forward in enhancing our wealth and private client services for HNW and ultra-high net worth (UHNW) clients,” Nigel Gregory, managing partner and global head of GSB Wealth, said.

The hires follow the launch of the GSB Capital division, which covers M&A, growth capital, direct investment, and a range of other advisory services. Financial services group GSB consists of GSB Wealth, GSB Private and GSB Capital.

GSB is regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) in the United Arab Emirates and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK. The firm is also a Certified B Corporation™ (B Corp™). Earlier in September, GSB hired Joseph Jawad as a senior partner of GSB Private, based in the company’s Dubai office.

GSB has brought in several figures. For example, a new partner is Craig Ritchie, a chartered financial planner who looks after clients in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He works with his brother Stuart Ritchie as well as Mauro de Santis Bo and Yazmin Boden, who all recently joined the business from AES International. It also brought in Chris Somers from Standard Chartered, Ryan Dixon from Investec Private Bank and Jon Urquhart from Mantra. In May this year GSB appointed Nicholas Jones as part of its global wealth and advisory business, based in the group’s office in Dubai.

The firm also made several Dubai-based appointments, as reported here.

In January, this news service interviewed the founding partner of GSB, Ross Whatnall.