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Morgan Stanley has appointed Pradyut Pratap and Usman Akram as the new Co-Heads of MENA Investment Banking for the Middle East and North Africa region.
The two Morgan Stanley alums previously held the post of managing directors with the bank.
Pratap, who has been working with the bank for 17 years, joined Morgan Stanley in 2007, working in MENA for the duration.
Akram, who has also been with Morgan Stanley for 17 years, joined the same year as Pratap, with time spent in the London office before moving to Dubai in 2018 to lead the M&A practice in the MENA region.
The two new appointees will report to Massimiliano Ruggieri, Morgan Stanley’s head of investment banking in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Morgan Stanley has been expanding its presence in the Middle East with the opening of its office in Abu Dhabi last year and establishing its regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia.
The investment bank remains bullish on the growth prospects of MENA. Regional co-heads, Patrick Delivanis and Abdulaziz Alajaji, told Zawya earlier this week that 2025 will witness a significant “structural upswing” in transaction volume and value, bolstered by policy shifts and regulatory reforms in the region.
(Writing by Bindu Rai, editing by Seban Scaria)