Barclays appoints new senior transaction banking hires

Barclays has announced the appointment of two new senior hires, Gulru Atak as transaction banking head of Europe and Elise Fairbairn as global head of liquidity.

Elise joins from Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA). She has established a career in institutional banking spanning 30 years, most recently as head of transaction banking solutions within CBA’s institutional banking & markets division. In that role, she was responsible for transaction banking specialist sales, client consulting, client solution and integration teams, and the distribution arm of the data & analytics business, spanning the domestic and international markets.

Karen Braithwaite, global head of transaction banking at Barclays, said: “Our transaction banking business is a significant driver of future client value and growth. Liquidity management is vital to the success of our clients’ businesses and is an integral part of our transaction banking offering. I am therefore very excited that we have been able to attract a leader of Elise’s calibre to join our team; it really demonstrates the strength of our business and the value we bring to clients.”

Gulru will join Barclays in mid-July following a 20-year career at Citi. She has a wealth of experience in business leadership, driving innovation, developing strategy, and building lasting partnerships in the institutional banking sector. In her most recent role, she led the growth and innovation agenda of institutional banking, focusing on new business models and partnerships. She has also served as the head of innovation for Citi’s transaction banking business.

Helen Kelly, head of corporate banking, Barclays Europe, said: “It is testament to the strength of our growing business proposition in Europe that we have been able to attract a leader of Gulru’s seniority and calibre to help lead and drive our business forward.”