Julius Baer Splits Middle East & Africa Leadership Between Two Co-Heads
Jean Pierre Dib in Dubai and Philipp Kleinschnittger in Zurich take joint charge of the region as Régis Burger becomes COO for emerging markets.
Nadia Mansour Nadia Mansour covers fintech across the UAE and MENA for Anecdoted -- digital banking, payments licences and the startups building around them. nadia@anecdoted.com
Julius Baer has divided the leadership of its Middle East & Africa business, appointing Jean Pierre Dib and Philipp Kleinschnittger as Co-Heads for the region. Both started in the roles on 12 October 2026.
Dib works from Dubai, Kleinschnittger from Zurich. The two report to Rahul Malhotra, Head of Region Emerging Markets.
They take over from Régis Burger, who has moved into a newly created position as COO, Region Emerging Markets. Burger remains CEO and Senior Executive Officer of Julius Baer (Middle East) Ltd, and keeps regulatory oversight of the Dubai entity. That leaves the Dubai operation's top executive in place while separating commercial leadership of the region from its operational and regulatory duties.
As Co-Heads, Dib and Kleinschnittger are responsible for the bank's client offer and strategy across the Middle East and Africa. Their remit connects offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Manama and Johannesburg with teams in Zurich, Geneva and London.
The arrangement places one principal in the Gulf and the other in Switzerland, where the teams serving the same clients sit. Instead of a single regional chief working across time zones and booking centres, the bank now has a pair with a base at each end of the corridor, and a shared reporting line into Malhotra.
The bank's regional presence spans four cities across the Gulf and Africa, alongside the Swiss and London desks that support them. Client relationships built in those markets are run through more than one hub, and the co-head structure is built around that reality rather than a single centre of gravity.
Two decades each
Dib has more than 20 years of experience in senior private banking. He was most recently Senior Client Partner in Dubai, and has spent over a decade helping the bank win and manage clients across the Gulf and beyond. His work has centred on ultra-wealthy clients, entrepreneurs and family offices.
Kleinschnittger also brings more than 20 years in banking, with a global rather than purely regional record. He joined Julius Baer in 2016 and later became Head Middle East & Africa for Switzerland, the UK and South Africa. He has also chaired Julius Baer South Africa.
Both appointments come from inside the bank, which keeps existing client relationships and internal reporting lines intact as the regional leadership changes shape.
Malhotra said significant wealth creation, especially across the GCC, makes the Middle East a highly strategic growth market for Julius Baer.
