• Daniel Asmar Appointed Managing Director, MENA
  • As Part of Continued Investment in the Region as a Strategic Priority for the 278-Year-Old Art Business

DUBAI: – Sotheby's announces the appointment of Daniel Asmar as Managing Director, MENA, based in Dubai. Daniel brings with him a strong combination of experience in private wealth management and financial services in key markets in MENA, together with the entrepreneurial spirit and creative mindset that will be key to his new role. Together with the leadership team already in place, Daniel will expand on the market opportunities and build out Sotheby’s strategic offering across the entire MENA region.

Most recently, Daniel was the Director, Cluster Head of Saudi Arabia for Credit Suisse AG in the DIFC, covering the Saudi Market and offering tailored advisory solutions to cater for the financial needs of high-net-worth individuals and institutional investors. Prior to joining Credit Suisse, Daniel was CEO of Audi Capital in KSA. Having worked in Lebanon, KSA and the UAE, Daniel is well placed to have strategic oversight across the different pockets of opportunity in this important region.
Daniel will join Katia Nounou Boueiz, Senior Director and Head of Sotheby’s UAE, who, with her strong client network and deep understanding of the region, has spearheaded the evolution of Sotheby’s offering in the UAE since 2015. Katia has played an instrumental role in pioneering a continuous calendar of bespoke selling and non-selling exhibitions and events catering to the region, charitable collaborations with the key institutions on the ground, as well as putting the UAE on the map for the most important gems and masterpieces that pass through Sotheby’s international auction rooms. As a result, Sotheby’s Dubai office has become an integral part of the rapidly broadening cultural ecosystem in the UAE.

With Katia’s continued leadership of the UAE, and with Daniel’s appointment as Managing Director of MENA, Sotheby’s is positioned play an ever more active and central role in the cultural life of Dubai and the entire region.

Also now based in the Dubai office, Mai Eldib, who joined Sotheby’s in 2008, has recently taken on an expanded role as Head of Sales, Middle East. Mai will also continue to advise clients and collectors across the region, with a particular foothold in Saudi Arabia, where she travels frequently to meet with galleries and participate in educational events, most recently at the Diriyah Biennale in collaboration with the Visual Arts Commission of the Ministry of Culture. Together with her counterpart in London, Alexandra Roy, she oversees auctions of modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art. Alexandra, who joined Sotheby’s in 2011, was recently appointed Head of Sale for Sotheby’s biannual “20th Century Art / Middle East” auction, and will travel across the region in this role. 

Sotheby’s is also committed to luxury in the region, with leading experts Sophie Stevens and Frederic Watrelot also based in the Dubai office. Jewellery specialist Sophie and Watch specialist Frederic joined Sotheby’s in 2019 and have been travelling throughout the region to meet collectors, advising them on selling and buying and developing business opportunities.

Edward Gibbs will continue in his capacity as Chairman for the Middle East and India, with almost twenty years at Sotheby’s advising private, corporate and institutional collectors across the globe.

“I am very pleased to welcome Daniel to our MENA team, a move that cements our long-term commitment to the region. We have made major strides since the official opening of our office five years ago, growing alongside the cultural landscape of the region, and we look forward to scaling this up even further.” Sebastian Fahey, Managing Director, Sotheby’s EMEA

“I am very excited to be joining what is already such a strong team at Sotheby’s. There is so much opportunity to continue to tap into across the region, particularly in the realms of luxury and e-commerce. Having always had a natural interest in art, it is exciting for me to be able to explore the synergies between all that I have learnt in financial services and apply this within the context of Sotheby’s multi-faceted art business.” Daniel Asmar, Managing Director, Sotheby’s MENA

SOTHEBY’S ACTIVITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Sotheby’s Dubai was officially opened in March 2017. The gallery is located in the heart of the Dubai International Financial Centre, at Gate Village Building 3. The company hosts a programme of year-round events, including selling and non-selling exhibitions, events and talks reflecting the spectrum of Sotheby's international sales and extensive client services.

In March 2021, Sotheby’s Dubai held its first private selling exhibition in the Gulf. Watches, jewels, Fabergé, and Contemporary art were available for immediate purchase. In October, Sotheby’s Dubai presented two concurrent exhibitions showcasing the spectrum of Sotheby's international auctions whilst championing the local art and design scene to a new and established audience. Sotheby’s has also continued its commitment to bring the best of the best to the region, which in the past few months has included a masterpiece by titan of art history Sandro Botticelli and the largest faceted diamond ever to appear at auction.

Sotheby’s new and established clients from the Middle East are active across the main global categories of the business, primarily Islamic Art, Watches, Contemporary Art, Impressionist & Modern Art, Jewellery and Modern & Contemporary Middle Eastern Art. Over the past five years, the number of bidders and buyers from the Middle East has increased by 50%, and last year, over 40% of bidders from the MENA region were transacting with Sotheby’s for the first time.

-Ends-

PRESS OFFICE CONTACT
Melica Khansari | Head of Communications for the Middle East
Melica.Khansari@Sothebys.com

About Sotheby’s

Established in 1744, Sotheby’s is the world’s premier destination for art and luxury. Sotheby’s promotes access, connoisseurship and preservation of fine art and rare objects through auctions and buy-now channels including private sales, e-commerce and retail. Our trusted global marketplace is supported by an industry-leading technology platform and a network of specialists spanning 40 countries and 50 categories, which include Contemporary Art, Modern and Impressionist Art, Old Masters, Chinese Works of Art, Jewelry, Watches, Wine and Spirits, and Interiors, among many others.

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* Estimates do not include buyer's premium or overhead premium. Prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer's premium and overhead premium and are net of any fees paid to the purchaser where the purchaser provided an irrevocable bid.