Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: HSBC has strengthened its Capital Markets and Advisory franchise in Saudi Arabia with the appointment of three senior bankers across its mergers and acquisitions (M&A), equity capital markets (ECM), and leveraged and acquisition finance (LAF) businesses, reinforcing the bank’s long-term commitment to the Kingdom and the wider Middle East.
The appointments, which remain subject to regulatory approval, are aimed at enhancing HSBC’s origination and execution capabilities for corporate, sovereign, and financial institution clients as dealmaking and cross-border capital flows continue to accelerate across the Gulf region.
Pierre Fayad has joined HSBC as Director, Mergers and Acquisitions, after previously serving at Goldman Sachs and Lazard. Based in Saudi Arabia, Fayad will work closely with HSBC’s regional M&A leadership team to originate and execute strategic transactions. During his seven years at Goldman Sachs in Paris, he advised on major European M&A deals spanning the healthcare, consumer, technology, media and telecommunications (TMT), chemicals, and industrial sectors.
Chris Johannson has also been appointed Director, Equity Capital Markets, transferring from HSBC Continental Europe. Johannson brings more than a decade of ECM experience, having executed over EUR 80 billion worth of equity capital markets transactions, including initial public offerings (IPOs), rights issues, accelerated bookbuilds, and convertible bond offerings.
Meanwhile, Andrew Pedder will join HSBC in Saudi Arabia in August as Head of Leveraged and Acquisition Finance. Relocating from Singapore, Pedder has been with HSBC since 2009, holding senior debt financing roles across the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. In his new position, he will lead the origination and execution of leveraged and acquisition finance transactions for corporate, sovereign, and financial institution clients in the Kingdom.
The appointments form part of HSBC’s broader strategy to deepen its presence in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a region the bank considers a key growth market driven by increasing cross-border investment, capital raising activity, and stronger financial links between the Middle East and Asia.
Although HSBC has been restructuring parts of its global operations under Group Chief Executive Officer Georges Elhedery, the bank continues to expand its advisory and capital markets capabilities across high-growth markets in Asia and the Middle East.
Speaking shortly after the recent regional tensions involving Iran, Elhedery reaffirmed HSBC’s confidence in the Gulf’s long-term economic outlook, highlighting the region’s resilience and strategic importance to the bank’s global growth ambitions.
The latest appointments underscore HSBC’s continued investment in Saudi Arabia’s rapidly evolving capital markets ecosystem, as the Kingdom advances its economic diversification agenda and attracts increasing domestic and international investment.
