Moody's Investors Service has appointed David Staples, currently managing director for corporates at its London office, to its Dubai regional office at the DIFC.

Staples will focus on growing Moody's Corporate Finance franchise in the Middle East as well as managing and providing support for corporates in other emerging markets, such as Africa, Russia and the CIS and Turkey.

The appointment is effective April 2.

Staples is a key speaker at Moody's 6th Annual GCC Credit Risk Conference, which is taking place in Dubai today.

'David Staples's longstanding experience and seniority within Moody's corporate team make him ideally suited to act as Moody's senior representative in this important market,' said Myriam Durand, head of Moody's Corporate Finance Group in Europe, Middle East and Africa (Emea).

Staples will represent Moody's from a credit perspective as well as for outreach to investors and other market participants.

Staples will join a well-established and growing team of Moody's Dubai-based analysts covering banks, corporates, sovereigns and structured finance.

Staples joined Moody's in 2002 as senior vice president in the utilities team within Moody's Corporate Finance Group. In 2004, he was promoted to managing director, covering over time a number of corporate industry sectors including Telecoms, Media, Chemicals, Metals and Mining and Oil & Gas, as well as managing regional corporate coverage for South Africa, Turkey and the Middle East.

David holds a Masters degree from The Johns Hopkins University, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Washington DC and a Bachelors degree from the University of Cincinnati.

Moody's Dubai-based regional office had moved to permanent and larger premises within the Gate District of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) in September last year.-TradeArabia News Service