By David French
(Reuters) – Barclays PLC has appointed Gautam Chawla and Amrit David as investment banking co-heads of its financial institutions group (FIG) in the Americas, according to a memo seen by Reuters on Thursday.
The duo succeed Gary Antenberg, who Barclays named as a global chairman of investment banking. Antenberg will also sit within the global chairman’s group, a collection of Barclays’ most senior dealmakers focused on cultivating relationships with board members and chief executives at its most important clients, according to a second memo reviewed by Reuters.
The contents of both memos were confirmed by a Barclays spokesperson.
The appointments represent the latest shake-up in Barclays’ investment banking business after Chief Executive C.S. Venkatakrishnan installed Cathal Deasy and Taylor Wright as the division’s co-heads in January.
Their elevation bypassed some tenured Barclays bankers and led to an exodus of more than two dozen senior dealmakers, mostly in the United States.
Chawla and David will be tasked with broadening Barclays’ business among financial companies, in cooperation with the two bankers leading FIG mergers and acquisitions in the Americas – Tim Devine and Tom Vandever.
Chawla was previously vice chairman of FIG investment banking, having arrived from Citigroup Inc in 2020, while David joined Barclays as an associate before rising through the ranks. Both have worked extensively covering the insurance sector, the first memo said.
Antenberg has three decades of experience, much of it at Barclays, and was also recently global head of insurance investment banking, per his LinkedIn profile.
In his new role, he will work alongside Tim Main, the head of investment banking in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, to implement its growth plan for investment banking in that region. He will also cultivate clients globally, the second memo added.
(Reporting by David French in New York; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
