About Us

RareEye Associates is a boutique Executive Search firm dedicated to senior and specialist hiring within the Banking & Financial Services industry across the Middle East and the UK. We operate with the precision, discretion, and depth expected of a specialist search partner — combining decades of in-house talent acquisition leadership with a refined, insight-driven approach to identifying exceptional talent.

Our deep understanding of Banking & Financial Services roles — shaped by decades of hands-on experience hiring for Risk, Compliance, Audit, Corporate Banking, Technology, Private Banking, Data Management, Treasury, Investments, and Project Finance — enables us to interpret the real-world demands behind each mandate with uncommon clarity. This insight allows us to identify leaders who not only fit the brief, but bring the judgement, maturity, and impact expected from day one.

Beyond leadership hiring, RareEye Associates also specializes in capability-driven and technical roles that form the backbone of modern financial institutions. This includes core banking operations, digital transformation, regulatory reporting, financial crime, credit underwriting, portfolio analytics, and specialist roles across Islamic banking — covering product development, Sharia governance, credit and risk for Islamic portfolios, retail and corporate Islamic products, and Sukuk-related functions. Our ability to understand these roles at a granular level — how they function, what they require, and the environments in which they thrive — allows us to deliver talent who elevate both performance and institutional capability.

Built on long-standing relationships with banks, Islamic financial institutions, investment firms, and regulatory bodies across Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, Iraq, and the UK, RareEye Associates offers a nuanced understanding of regional market dynamics, regulatory expectations, and the leadership and specialist capabilities required to navigate them. Our boutique model ensures every search is handled with senior-level attention, thoughtful market mapping, and a commitment to delivering candidates who strengthen the institution they join.

Founder Profile — Girish Menon

RareEye Associates is built on the experience and perspective of its founder, who brings more than three decades of leadership across in-house talent acquisition and executive search within Banking & Financial Services. Before entering the banking sector, he spent several years in executive search focused exclusively on Banking & Finance mandates across the GCC — experience that provided early insight into the region's financial institutions, their leadership needs, and the cultural nuances that shape successful hiring. This foundation established a deep understanding of senior talent and organisational dynamics long before he moved into in-house leadership roles.

His banking career includes over twenty years with Ahli United Bank and subsequently Kuwait Finance House following the group's acquisition — a journey that placed him at the centre of one of the region's most significant financial transformations.

During this time, he led Group Talent Acquisition across Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, Iraq, and the UK, giving him a uniquely panoramic view of how financial institutions evolve, compete, and build capability across diverse markets.

This regional breadth, combined with extensive cross-border hiring exposure, has shaped an instinctive understanding of cultural nuance, regulatory environments, and the leadership qualities required to succeed in different financial ecosystems. His career has also cultivated long-standing relationships with senior leaders, regulators, and institutions across the Middle East — relationships built over decades of trust, discretion, and shared organisational outcomes.

Today, this experience informs the boutique ethos of RareEye Associates: a search partner defined by sector depth, regional insight, and a commitment to delivering talent who strengthen institutions from day one.

Our Expertise

RareEye Associates brings a cultivated understanding of senior roles across Banking & Financial Services. Our work in leadership search is defined by discretion, depth, and an ability to interpret the true demands behind each mandate. We focus on roles where judgement, maturity, and institutional impact are essential:

• Credit & Risk Management

  Leadership talent capable of navigating evolving regulatory frameworks and risk environments, with expertise spanning Risk Governance, Credit Risk & Underwriting, Portfolio Management, Model Validation, ECL Calculation & IFRS 9 Methodology, Risk Modelling & Stress Testing, Regulatory/Board Reporting, and Basel III/IV Capital Adequacy.

• Compliance

  Professionals who understand regional regulatory expectations and global standards, including AML/CFT & Financial Crime Compliance, Regulatory Affairs & Licensing, Sanctions Screening, KYC/CDD Frameworks, Compliance Monitoring & Testing, and Central Bank Liaison.

• Audit

  Internal audit leaders who ensure governance, transparency, and operational integrity, with skills in Risk-Based Internal Audit, Sharia Audit, IT & Cybersecurity Audit, Fraud Investigation, Audit Committee Reporting, and Internal Controls.

• Corporate Banking

  Relationship-driven talent with strong regional market knowledge, covering Relationship Management, Trade Finance & Structured Trade, Syndicated & Bilateral Lending, Cash Management Solutions, Sector Coverage (Real Estate, Contracting, Government), and Cross-Sell & Portfolio Growth.

• Technology

  Specialists in digital transformation, core banking systems, and emerging fintech capabilities, including Core Banking Implementation, API Banking & Open Banking, Cloud Migration & Architecture, Cybersecurity & Information Security, DevOps & Agile Delivery.

• Private Banking

  Client-focused leaders with deep wealth management expertise, spanning Portfolio Advisory & Discretionary Management, Family Office Structuring, Investment Product Structuring, HNWI/UHNWI Relationship Management, Estate & Succession Planning, and Cross-Border Wealth Solutions.

• Data Management

  Talent skilled in analytics, governance, and data-driven decision-making, including Data Governance & Quality Frameworks, Business Intelligence & Reporting, Data Architecture & Warehousing, Advanced Analytics & Predictive Modelling, Master Data Management, and Regulatory Data Reporting.

• Treasury & Investments

  Professionals who understand liquidity, markets, and portfolio strategy, covering Asset-Liability Management (ALM), FX & Money Market Trading, Fixed Income & Derivatives, Liquidity Risk Management, Investment Portfolio Strategy, and Islamic Treasury Products.

• Project Financing

  Experts in structuring and evaluating large-scale financing initiatives, including Infrastructure & PPP Financing, Financial Modelling & Feasibility Analysis, Debt Structuring & Syndication, Islamic Project Finance (Ijara, Istisna), Due Diligence & Risk Assessment, and GRE Financing.

Our Reach

While our core focus is the Middle East & UK, we source talent globally — connecting the right leaders with the institutions that need them, wherever they are. With long-standing relationships across Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, Iraq, and the UK, RareEye Associates offers a nuanced understanding of:

This regional intelligence allows us to deliver candidates who strengthen both performance and long-term institutional resilience.

Why RareEye Associates

• Specialist by design

  Banking & Financial Services is not one of many sectors we cover; it is the only one we serve.

• A dual vantage point

  Decades of experience on both sides of the hiring equation give us an insider's understanding of how institutions assess, select, and appoint leadership talent.

• A cultivated network

  Relationships built over more than 20 years of senior-level hiring within a major regional financial institution, enabling discreet access to high-impact professionals rarely visible in the open market.