LONDON, 13th May 2008 -- Gow & Partners, London was responsible for the search for and recruitment of Michael Williams, as Trade Finance Chief Executive, Trade Bank of Iraq in London, a bank created in July 2003 to provide services within Iraq for government ministries and state owned enterprises. The Trade Bank of Iraq was established to facilitate Iraq’s international trade and the reconstruction of the country’s infrastructure. Mr. Williams is based in London and Baghdad.

Michael Williams brings to the Trade Bank of Iraq over thirty years of experience gained in international banking. Prior to joining the bank, Mr. Williams was a senior executive of one of the main banks in Qatar, where he was responsible for corporate banking, wealth management, trade finance and project finance. He was previously Managing Director of Nomura Bank International Plc, the Japanese bank’s London office. There he led a team of experienced bankers and trade financiers to form a highly specialized banking group. Prior to this, he worked as General Manager at Nomura, where he was responsible for the credit and general banking departments.

Michael Williams spent 17 years at Barclays Bank where he was responsible for service businesses, which included global custody, payments, electronic banking and cash management. He was also Head of Shipping Finance at Barclays Bank responsible for industry teams covering the Group’s major client relationships.

Mr. Williams is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers; Alternate Member of the SMFC Credit Committee and a former Chief Examiner of the Multi-National Corporate Finance examination. He has spoken at both the Egyptian Banking Seminar and the Jordanian Bankers seminar in Amman. Mr. Williams has also facilitated at the Institute of Banker’s Capital Markets seminar in Hong Kong, and as Chairman of Lloyds Shipping Economist Conferences in London.

Gow & Partners World Team founded in 2002. Gow & Partners is a premier global executive search firm specializing in the recruitment of key senior executives and non executive directors for international clients. Headquartered in New York, Gow & Partners has a global network of offices in major markets in the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia, including: Chicago, Washington DC, London, Brussels, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Istanbul, Dubai, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hong Kong and Singapore. The global firm provides its clients with in-depth local market intelligence, world class candidates and top quality service that exceeds client expectations.