Fares D. Noujaim will be joining Merrill Lynch as president of the firm’s business in the Middle East & North Africa.
He will also be the global head of Sovereign Wealth Funds. Noujaim will be based in the Middle East and New York, and he will report to Gregory J. Fleming, president and COO, Merrill Lynch.
“I am very pleased that Fares is joining Merrill Lynch and will lead our efforts in this tremendously important area. The Middle East is one of the world’s most vibrant growth markets and sovereign wealth funds are rapidly gaining significance globally,” says John A. Thain, chairman and CEO, Merrill Lynch.
“Fares is one of the most respected and knowledgeable leaders in the financial services industry with over 24 years of experience. He will bring significant expertise to Merrill Lynch’s management team. His many years of relationship management experience will help ensure the delivery of the firm’s fully integrated capabilities to clients in the Middle East and to sovereign wealth funds around the world,” adds Fleming.
Noujaim will be joining Merrill Lynch from Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc., where he was vice chairman of the board of directors and a member of the firm’s president’s advisory Committee, having previously served as the committee’s chairman.
As one of Bear Stearns’ senior-most investment banking officers, Noujaim was instrumental in leading successful transactions for a number of Fortune 25 companies, particularly in the automotive and telecommunications sectors; he advised on M&A transactions valued at over $300 billion, most recently advising Thomson on the $17 billion acquisition of Reuters. Additionally, he facilitated financings totaling in excess of $1 trillion.
After joining Bear Stearns in 1987, Noujaim was named global head of the firm’s Capital Markets Group in 1992. Prior to joining Bear Stearns, he was an analyst with Goldman Sachs from 1985 to 1987