Sorouh Real Estate, Abu Dhabi's second-largest property developer, said on Sunday it had appointed a new chief operating officer.

The developer said in a statement that Samer Abu-Hijleh had joined the firm from US engineering firm Bechtel Corp.

Abu-Hijleh replaces Robert Lichtenberg, who will now act as a consultant to Sorouh, a company spokeswoman told Reuters.

Last week, Sorouh said it was reducing its foreign shareholding by 5 percent after the global financial turmoil hit its share price, which has fallen nearly 70 percent since the beginning of the year. Its stock was up 4.51 per cent on Sunday. - Reuters