Lazard Ltd (NYSE: LAZ) today announced the
appointment of Wassim Al-Khatib as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the firm’s
Financial Advisory business in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and CEO
of Lazard Saudi Arabia, subject to regulatory approval. Wassim Al-Khatib will
be based in the Riyadh office, which will serve as Lazard’s regional MENA
Investment Banking hub.
"We are
pleased to have Wassim join us as CEO of our MENA Investment Banking
business," said Peter Orszag, Chief Executive Officer of Financial
Advisory at Lazard. "With his extensive experience and proven track
record, Wassim will work alongside MENA Chair Sarah Al-Suhaimi in leading our
Riyadh office to continued success and in expanding Lazard’s engagement with
clients in the region.”
“Wassim has
played decisive roles advising on many important transactions in MENA. He is a
talented and well-regarded professional and his appointment means that we now
have ample capacity to service our clients in the region,” said Sarah
Al-Suhaimi, Chair of Lazard’s Financial Advisory business in MENA.
“I am happy to
join Lazard and to lead the Investment Banking and Financial Advisory business
in the Middle East and North Africa. Building on the firm’s exceptional depth
of expertise across industry sectors and geographies globally, as well as its
strong commitment to the MENA region, we are ideally positioned to provide the
best possible support to our local clients and to international companies
looking to expand in the Middle East and North Africa,” said Wassim
Al-Khatib.
Wassim
Al-Khatib was previously Chief Executive Officer and a board member of
Citigroup Saudi Arabia. He earlier served as Managing Director and Head of
Investment Banking at NCB Capital where he participated in and led major market
transactions in the Saudi and international markets. Wassim Al-Khatib has also
been the Vice Chairman of the Arranging and Advising Committee of Saudi
Arabia’s Capital Markets Authority since 2021.
