French investment bank Natixis said on Tuesday it has appointed Barbara Riccardi as the regional head of its Middle East operations and Simon Eedle as the senior country manager for the UK branch.

The new positions are within Natixis' corporate and investment banking business, the bank said in a statement, adding that Riccardi's appointment is effective from June 15 and Eedle will take on his new role from July 1.

Riccardi, who joined Natixis in 2010 and has worked in the bank's New York operations, will continue to be based out of Dubai.

Eedle, who served as the head of corporate and investment banking for the Middle East since 2012, will succeed Serge Ekue and be based in Natixis' London branch. Eedle will continue to report to Chief Executive Officer of EMEA corporate and investment banking Stephane About.

"The appointments of Simon and Barbara, with their extensive experience and deep knowledge of Natixis' Corporate & Investment Banking offering, will allow us to continue to build our presence in the UK and the Middle East," About said in the statement.

(Reporting by Yousef Saba, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)