Pantheon Establishes Middle East Hub in Abu Dhabi Global Market

The $84 billion private markets firm opens its first ADGM office and appoints regional leadership, strengthening its presence across the Gulf.

Pantheon, a distinguished global private markets institution managing approximately $84 billion in assets, has announced a significant expansion into the Middle East with the inauguration of its inaugural Abu Dhabi Global Market office. The milestone reflects the firm’s strategic confidence in the region’s capital markets and investor sophistication.

The establishment of the ADGM presence marks Pantheon’s extension to thirteen locations across four continents worldwide. Accompanying this expansion, Firas Mallah has been appointed Managing Director and Head of Middle East, bringing dedicated regional leadership to the initiative.

Pantheon’s offering encompasses one of the industry’s most substantial private credit and infrastructure secondaries platforms. The firm has identified considerable demand amongst Gulf institutional investors seeking exposure to private equity, infrastructure and private credit investment strategies.

Florence Dard, Chief Client Officer of Pantheon, remarked upon the decision, highlighting the momentum behind the firm’s growth trajectory. She emphasised that capital formation across the Pantheon platform continues to strengthen, with an increasingly significant proportion emanating from Gulf Cooperation Council nations. This expansion represents a reaffirmation of Pantheon’s commitment to the region, underpinned by nearly two decades of relationship development across all Gulf countries.

Firas Mallah commented on the regional investment landscape, noting that the Middle East has emerged as one of the fastest-growing sources of capital in private markets. He observed that investors throughout the region are demonstrating heightened sophistication in their approach to private markets exposure and portfolio construction.

Arvind Ramamurthy, Chief Market Development Officer at ADGM, welcomed Pantheon’s decision to establish its Middle East operations within Abu Dhabi’s financial centre. He highlighted the firm’s choice as testament to ADGM’s position as a preferred destination for leading global private markets institutions seeking to strengthen engagement with the region’s institutional investment community.

Source: WAM