Angus Blair
Angus Blair is Head of Research at Beltone Financial in 2006 and has led the team to expand its research reach across the MENA region and help to market the group to its increasing client base regionally and globally.
Mr Blair has over 25 years experience in investment banking and the financial services sector. Prior to joining Beltone Financial, Mr Blair was a consultant to a number of companies within the Middle East and internationally, advising on restructuring and extending operations across the Arab world. He was previously head of asset management / product development at Al Rajhi Bank in Saudi Arabia (one of the largest Islamic financial institutions) developing products for the largest retail banking network in Saudi Arabia. Prior to that, he was managing director of Safron Advisors, one of the first private equity firms specialising in investments in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey.
Previously, Mr Blair was head of equities, and later also of sales and trading, for a number of emerging markets at ING Barings and ABN AMRO, based in London. He headed the team which started the first coverage of the Arab stock markets by a global investment bank. In these positions he oversaw, and led, a number of key equity capital market transactions in the Arab markets. These included writing the first research on the Arab stock markets, leading the first company in Egypt (CIB) to list as a Global Depositary Receipt (GDR) on the London Stock Exchange, as well as the first funds to allow foreign investors to invest in the Saudi Arabian and Omani stock markets, amongst other issues. He won a number of awards for his coverage of the MENA region, including the first position in the annual Institutional Investor survey (for the MENA region) and Global Finance magazine's emerging markets superstar.
Prior to covering emerging markets, Mr Blair covered the UK stock market, latterly as a UK market strategist at Barings, and previously he was part of a double Extel award winning team covering the conglomerates and leisure sectors in the UK market. Prior to this he was head of research and on the investment committee for one of the UK's largest private client stockbrokers.