Societe Generale Group opens wealth management office in Bahrain

Notes and media contacts

About John Abraham:

John Abraham, 52, has a business degree from the Kamaraj University in India and began his career in 1982 at Merrill Lynch International in Bahrain. A financial consultant, he moved to Shearson Lehman in 1989 before joining BNP Paribas in 1991, first as a portfolio manager and then as Head of Marketing for private banking in Bahrain. In 2000, John Abraham became Senior Vice President at BNP Private Bank in Bahrain, with responsibility for Gulf clients, and, in 2004, Director of the Middle East Desk at BNP Paribas Private Bank in Geneva. John Abraham joined Societe Generale Asset Management in Bahrain in 2007 and was appointed Managing Director of Societe Generale Wealth Management in August 2009.

About Societe Generale :

Societe Generale is one of the largest financial services groups in the euro-zone. The Group employs 163,000 people worldwide in three key businesses:

- Retail Banking & Financial Services: Societe Generale serves more than 30 million individual customers worldwide.
- Global Investment Management & Services: Societe Generale is one of the largest banks in the euro-zone in terms of assets under custody (EUR3073bn, September 2009) and under management (EUR348bn, September 2009).
- Corporate & Investment Banking: Societe Generale tailors solutions for its clients across sectors by capitalising on its worldwide expertise in investment banking, global finance, and global markets.

Societe Generale is included in the socially-responsible investment indexes: FTSE4Good and ASPI.

For further information, kindly visit www.societegenerale.com.

About SG Private Banking:

SG Private Banking, the wealth management arm of Societe Generale, is one of the leading private banks worldwide, with EUR74,5bn of assets under management at the end of September 2009.

With 2,800 staff in 22 countries across the globe, SG Private Banking offers wealth management solutions to entrepreneurs and High Net Worth Individuals with financial assets in excess of one million euros. In addition, SG Private Banking provides dedicated solutions to Ultra High Net Worth Individuals and Family Offices around the world, notably through its global alliance with Rockefeller & Company.

SG Private Banking's offering includes international wealth planning and fiduciary services (trust and tax planning), a global expertise in structured products, hedge funds, mutual and private equity funds, real estate investment solutions and access to capital markets.

In 2009, SG Private Banking was rewarded by Euromoney with the titles of 'Best private bank worldwide and in Western Europe for its offer in structured products' and 'Best Private Bank in Japan and Luxembourg'. Among the top 3 private banks in Europe, it was also named 'Outstanding Wealth Manager for Family office services' with Rockefeller & Company by Private Banker International.

For further information, kindly visit www.sgprivatebanking.com.

Media contacts:

Vladka Mervova
Societe Generale Private Banking (Middle East)
Tel: +971 44257641

Caroline Clabburn
Consultant
FD Bahrain
Bahrain Tourism Bldg, 4th Floor
Manama, Bahrain
Tel: +973 17537072
Fax: +973 17534620