Peter Chamlian appointed Chief Executive of Credit Agricole Suisse (Lebanon)

He succeeds Mario Jamhouri, who will head the Rio de Janeiro office of the Crédit Agricole Group's Private Banking division in Brazil. His experience will enable him to build on the work done by his predecessor and local teams, and to continue developing the bank's commercial activities in the region.

Peter Chamlian has more than 13 years' experience in banking and finance, dividing his time between Beirut and Geneva. As a Crédit Agricole (Suisse) SA employee since 2006, Mr Chamlian has worked to develop the commercial side of the Group's Banking activities in the Middle East.

From 2002 to 2006 he headed the Fixed Income, Funds and Structured Products division of Libano-Française Finance SAL in Beirut and was responsible for building dedicated local teams.

Mr Chamlian holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the American University of Beirut.

Vibrant growth in its principal economic sectors, including banking, tourism and consumer goods, make Lebanon a flourishing market that has held up well in the face of the recent global crisis. Despite its small size and its debt, Lebanon remains a privileged place for trade between Europe and the Middle East, and an open market. Thus, Crédit Agricole Suisse intends to pursue its activities there and to continue improving its level of service while working more closely with local and regional clients, both Lebanese and foreign. Mr Chamlian will play an active role in ensuring our institution's future success by drawing on our historical presence in the region as a sizeable local private bank with international scope.

Youssef Dib, Head of Private Banking at Crédit Agricole (Suisse) SA, commented, "Peter Chamlian's arrival at the head of our Crédit Agricole Suisse (Lebanon) subsidiary will clearly help anchor and expand our presence in the region and build on the work done so far."