World Gold Council appoints David Tait as CEO

The World Gold Council, the market development organisation for the gold industry, has appointed David Tait as its CEO.

Tait joins the World Gold Council following a successful career in the financial services industry. He was most recently global head of fixed income macro products at Credit Suisse.  Prior to that he held senior trading roles at both Credit Suisse and UBS Investment Bank.

Tait began his career trading at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse and then built considerable asset management experience at Bluecrest Capital, Peloton Partners and Citadel Europe. He is currently an independent member of the Bank of England’s FICC Market Standards Board.

He is also a major supporter of the NSPCC and has raised over £1m by climbing Mount  Everest on five occasions. He was awarded an MBE by the Queen for his services to the charity.

Tait will join the organisation on 7 January 2019 as CEO designate for a transitionary period before becoming CEO on 25 February. He will succeed Aram Shishmanian, who has served as CEO over the past 10 years.

The chair of the World Gold Council, David Harquail, said: “I would like to thank Aram Shishmanian for the leadership role he has played over the past decade.  As CEO, he has transformed the World Gold Council into a truly influential organisation that has helped to stimulate and sustain the demand for gold globally. I am looking forward to working with David Tait to continue this important work.”

Tait added: “This is a pivotal role for the gold industry and one that I am truly excited to take on. Global markets have undergone immense change over recent years and the case for investing in gold is as relevant today as it was for investors a century ago. I look forward to working closely with the members of the World Gold Council as we develop what is next for gold in these increasingly uncertain times.”