Azura Partners taps Credit Suisse banker for Abu Dhabi growth + Bin Sulayem takes control of Malaysia’s MMC Ports after DP World exit

Azura Partners brings in a former Credit Suisse banker to lead Abu Dhabi growth. Yousef Hajjar (LinkedIn) has been appointed CEO of Azura Partners’ Abu Dhabi operations, as the Lunate-backed wealth advisory firm looks to deepen its footprint in the UAE capital, Bloomberg reports. Hajjar relocated from Monaco, where he had been a partner at Azura since 2020, after spending roughly 10 years at Credit Suisse. He will lead the firm’s Abu Dhabi growth plans and work on expanding its offering for ultra-high-net-worth clients.

Background: Azura Partners advise around USD 5 bn in assets and has expanded across major wealth hubs, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Zurich, and Singapore. The firm moved its headquarters to Abu Dhabi after Lunate acquired a stake in it last year.

Bin Sulayem now at helm of Malaysian port: Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem (LinkedIn), who stepped down as chairman and CEO of DP World in February following scrutiny over his connection to Jeffrey Epstein, has taken charge of Malaysia’s MMC port, the largest port operator in Malaysia, Reuters reports, citing an internal memo it has seen. Bin Sulayem, who remains executive chairman of MMC Ports, will oversee the group’s operations after CEO Azman Shah Mohd Yusof’s (LinkedIn) departure.

REMEMBER- Bin Sulayem was a key figure in DP World’s global expansion, serving as chairman for nearly two decades and CEO during a period of major international growth for the ports and logistics group. His latest move shifts his focus toward Southeast Asia’s port infrastructure market, where MMC Ports operates a network of major terminals.