Lombard Odier, leading global wealth and asset manager, has reinforced its dedication to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region with the prestigious ‘Overall GCC Private Bank’ award at the 2017 WealthBriefing GCC Region Awards ceremony last night.

With over 50 years of service in the region, Bank Lombard Odier & Co Ltd - Representative Office Dubai has been recognized by Wealthbriefing for four consecutive years and has received six regional awards in the past six years. The Bank has further proven its commitment to the wider GCC region in 2017 with a number of initiatives including a stronger workforce, strengthened links with local institutions, the addition of new services such as succession planning and relocation expertise, and significant growth in Islamic investments to cater to local demands.

Visiting the UAE from the Bank’s headquarters in Geneva, Arnaud Leclercq, Partner of Lombard Odier & Co Limited Partnership, who heads new markets, including the Middle East, commented, “While growth is important to us as a bank, what is more important to us is to ensure that we are serving each of our markets with the highest industry standards. We do this by ensuring our diverse and valued customers receive the services and solutions that address their specific needs from experts of the highest calibre. For Lombard Odier, the pace at which we grow is important but the depth that we reach within our regional presence across our markets surpasses this priority and we are delighted that this has been recognized with the prestigious award from WealthBriefing.” 

Also present at the awards ceremony was Christophe Lalandre, Local Managing Director of the Bank, who manages the Bank’s presence in the UAE. Reflecting on the award, Christophe Lalandre said, “The prestigious ‘Overall GCC Private Bank’ award is a testament to our growing presence and allegiance to the entire region as we look to deepen our client relationships with tailored offerings that are important to our unique customers. The award complements another successful financial year for the Bank with the GCC region continuing to be one of the bank’s fastest growing markets as regional investors seek expert guidance amid a very turbulent global investment landscape.”

The judging panel, evaluating nominee independence, integrity and genuine insight, included experts from both private banks and trusted advisors/consultants to the sector. Award categories focused around three main areas; experts (individuals and teams), products, and services for wealth managers and clients/institutions of all sizes and types.

The Lombard Odier Group’s client assets have grown across all three business lines at a global level; private clients, asset management, and technology for banking. As of end June 2017, the total client assets reached 242 billion Swiss francs (CHF) while operating profits also climbed five percent on the previous year, and consolidated net profit increased by 13 percent.

The awards were announced at a ceremony held at the Taj hotel in Dubai on Wednesday, November 8, in the presence of Arnaud Leclercq and Christophe Lalandre. Earlier this year, the Bank was awarded best bank in wealth management in Western Europe by Euromoney, the leading global financial publication, at its 2017 annual Awards for Excellence. Also in 2017, Lombard Odier was honoured with two awards at the annual WealthBriefing European Awards 2017 in London with ‘Best Marketing/PR Campaign’ and ‘Best Customer Facing Digital Capabilities’ for the UK private bank.