Bhubaneswar: Barclays has named Avinash Thakur as the new head of investment banking for Asia-Pacific, replacing Vanessa Koo, who is retiring after 15 years with the bank.
Thakur, a seasoned banker with nearly three decades of experience, will be based in Hong Kong and will start his new role immediately. Prior to this role, he served as the Head of Capital Markets for the APAC region.
Koo joined Barclays in 2010 and became head of APAC investment banking in January 2019. She has decided to retire from the bank to spend more time with family and take a career break, according to the memo.
It is pertinent to note that the Asia-Pacific region is a key part of Barclays’ global operations, generating strong returns for the bank. And Avinash Thakur’s appointment as head of investment banking for Asia-Pacific highlights Barclays’ commitment to the region’s growth and client needs.
Other senior Barclays hires this year include Paul Johnson as head of equities in APAC, Yoichi Takemura as head of Japan macro trading in Tokyo, and Vijay Shankar as head of global transaction banking for APAC and Middle East.
Notably, Thakur is the younger brother of Amitabh Thakur, a senior IPS officer from the Odisha cadre currently serving as Additional Director General of Police (ADGP).
