He was previously head of multi-asset class investing in the wealth management division of Morgan Stanley where he looked after portfolios for clients in Europe, Middle East and Asia. Prior to that he was a fixed income and foreign exchange portfolio manager at Morgan Stanley, which he joined in 2002 from the fixed income division of Citigroup’s investment bank in New York, London and Madrid.
Choukeir, who will take up his position in October, replaces Kleinwort Benson’s current chief investment officer, Jeremy Beckwith. He will be responsible for all aspects of Kleinwort Benson’s investment proposition, leading a team of analysts and portfolio and investment managers.
Specifically Choukeir will manage Kleinwort Benson’s range of investment products, which include the Elite funds, which are offshore multi-asset funds, Endeavour funds – multi-asset onshore funds, the Kleinwort Benson Elite Universal Alpha hedge fund and the Gresham range of structured product funds.
“Mouhammed brings a strong track record in absolute return investing and risk management. His experience and approach will strengthen Kleinwort Benson’s asset allocation framework and disciplined approach to risk management,” said Sally Tennant, chief executive of Kleinwort Benson.
The appointment is part of Kleinwort Benson’s development and expansion programme. Tennant said: “We recently moved into new offices in St. George Street W1 and have made a number of senior appointments . . . At the same time, we have been expanding through strategic acquisitions. We recently bought Close Offshore Group for £26 million, which added £1.6bn assets under management and an increased presence in the Isle of Man and in South Africa."
