PineBridge Investments Middle East (PBIME) has announced the appointment of Arun Kumar as chief operating officer and Janick Fierens as managing director, head of client service.   

Kumar and Fierens will be based at PineBridge’s Mena headquarters in Bahrain.  

Talal Al Zain, chief executive of PineBridge Investments Middle East, said: “We are delighted to have Arun and Janick on board and expect them to have an immediate and positive impact. Their experience and expertise will be crucial in building our regional presence and enhancing our offering of products across multiple asset classes and world class investment management.”

Kumar will be responsible for all corporate functions and providing strategic support for the execution of PineBridge’s mandate in Mena, a statement from the company said. Prior to joining, he was the chief financial officer at Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, and held senior positions at the Singapore offices of 3i Investments and JPMorgan Chase Bank.

Fierens was previously managing director in Investcorp’s placement team in Bahrain, the statement said.  He also held positions with McKinsey and Citigroup in London; and the Boston Consulting Group and Generale Bank in Belgium.  

PineBridge recently received a Category 1 investment license from the Central Bank of Bahrain to establish its regional headquarters in Manama. The new firm, PineBridge Investments Middle East will cover the Mena region as well as Turkey and serve as a link between Asian and Middle Eastern investors. – TradeArabia News Service