Saxo Bank appoints ex-Swissquote Damian Hitchen as CEO of MENA operation

Saxo Bank has appointed Damian Hitchen as the Chief Executive Officer for the MENA region, reporting directly to Chief Sales Officer Stig Christensen.

Damian Hitchen will lead the local operation of the online trading and investment specialist and its efforts to further accelerate growth in both new clients and assets within the core segments of traders, investors, and wholesale partners.

The industry veteran joins Saxo Bank from Swissquote, where he established the broker’s APAC business out of Singapore for two years, serving as CEO for Swissquote Singapore. Prior to that, he spent six and half years as the CEO for Swissquote in Dubai.

“Following >5 years running our DIFC booking centre, I have relocated to Singapore to drive development of our B2b focused booking centre, regulated by the MAS Singapore, that will act as our pan Asia-Pacific regional hub.

“Responsible for the end-to-end commerical, operations and regulatory aspects of the business, with a specific focus on Institutional – Expert and Accredited (Professional) client segments across the region”, Mr. Hitchen explained on LinkedIn.

Other roles in his 21-year career within the trading industry include Director/Team Leader at Falcon Private Bank in the UAE for nearly three years, where he was responsible for the development and acquisition of private UHNWIs and institutional clients. He also led the design, development, and execution of the institutional product offering in the MENA region.

He was also Director of Gulf Lenders Network and Emirates Conveyancing for four years each and Regional Manager at HSBC Bank.

Kim Fournais, CEO and Founder, commented: “The MENA region is of great strategic importance for the Group, and we are proud to attract a profile and capacity like Damian to spearhead our growing business in the region. We have welcomed many new clients over the past years, and I am very confident that Damian will further accelerate our growth journey as more and more clients trust us with their assets. He brings extensive regional knowledge and a strong track record within trading, investing, and asset management.”

Damian Hitchen, CEO Saxo Bank MENA region, commented: “I am very excited to join Saxo Bank and further grow our regional presence. I have followed Saxo Bank for many years and know them as a firm that from the outset has focused on leveraging technology to disrupt the industry and bring better platforms, products, and services to investors.”