LONDON and DUBAI, UAE, October 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Responding to growing demand from companies in Central Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) seeking specialized services in business incubation, advisory and investments, we are delighted to announce that William Keliehor is joining as a Managing Director to lead Anthemis Group's business in the region. He will be based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"Since Anthemis' engagement as exclusive industrial and strategic advisor to Abraaj Capital on the AED 2bn acquisition of a 49% stake in Network International, we have seen a growing demand for our services in CEMEA. Having a senior executive based in the region is crucial to our support plan for our clients and in line with our strategy of growth in the emerging markets. With his extensive market experience and formidable local network, William is a welcome addition and adds tremendous strength to our capability and reach in the region," said Nadeem Shaikh, Founder and Managing Director of Anthemis Group.

"We find that companies in the region have the right vision, but to realise their ambitions, need the right resources. That's where we come in: with our deep operational knowledge and innovative solutions, we help our clients compete, grow and re-invent themselves in the information economy. Having a presence on the ground vastly improves our capability to understand our clients' needs and the operating environment, and enables us to be more nimble in our response and solutions. We will be working with both emergent companies and traditional firms who are looking to overhaul their business models," added William Keliehor.

William has more than 24 years of multi-national experience as a global leader in the financial services and payments industry, especially in the consumer-banking arena. He has turned around and built five successful businesses, mobilized diverse cultural and multi-disciplined teams, and accelerated the growth of companies and divisions he has led, even during some of the most turbulent financial environments in recent memory. 

Most recently William served as executive advisor to USAID and the Central Bank of Iraq and CEO of American Express, MENA. Prior to that, he spent 11 years in various senior positions at Citi, leaving as Managing Director, Cards Division Head. William has also held a variety of other senior global roles at MasterCard International and Pulse/Discover payment networks.

About Anthemis Group

Anthemis Group is a young, dynamic growth company focused on re-inventing financial services for the 21st century. We are distributed, networked and emergent; an approach we believe is optimally aligned with the economic, cultural and competitive environment of the Information Age. We work with a diverse group of customers and partners - from start-ups and venture capital firms to corporates, financial institutions and private equity firms - catalyzing and accelerating positive and disruptive change across the financial industry.

To get in touch with William Keliehor, email him at william.keliehor@anthemisedge.com

For more information on Anthemis Group, contact Simrat Ghuman at simrat@anthemis.com or +44(0)207-479-7771

SOURCE Anthemis Group SA