Barclays Capital Appoints Asia Pacific Head of Equities Liquid Markets Distribution

Hong Kong, 21 February 2011 – Barclays Capital, the investment banking unit of Barclays Bank PLC, announces the appointment Adrian Valenzuela as Managing Director, Head of Equities Liquid Markets Distribution, Asia Pacific.

Mr Valenzuela will have responsibility for the distribution teams covering all modes of equity execution in the region, across cash, programs, and electronic, as well as convertibles and equity flow derivatives. He will be based in Hong Kong and will report to Richard Cunningham, Head of Equities Distribution; Philippe El-Asmar, Head of Distribution, Asia Pacific and Siggi Thorkelsson, Head of Equities, EMEA & Asia Pacific.

Mr Valenzuela joins Barclays Capital from JP Morgan in London, where he was Global Co-Head of Equities Distribution. During the course of his 19 year career he has held senior sales and product development positions at Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers and Morgan Stanley.

Commenting on the appointment, Siggi Thorkelsson, said, “Adrian’s breadth of experience and expertise is well aligned with Barclays Capital's goal of developing a leading global Equities franchise. His appointment further accelerates the strong momentum in our Equities business globally and represents our commitment to having the best people engage with our clients across their full range of strategic needs.”

Philippe El-Asmar, commented, “We are delighted to bring Adrian onboard. His arrival is a notable milestone in the continued strategic expansion of the firm’s Asia Pacific equities franchise. His proven expertise building top ranked businesses and strong client relationships make him the ideal candidate to drive forward this important part of our regional client offering.”

For further information please contact:

Timothy Cuffe
Barclays Capital Communications
Tel: +852 2903 4021
Angie Tang
Barclays Capital Communications
Tel: +852 2903 2305

About Barclays Capital

Barclays Capital is the investment banking division of Barclays Bank PLC. With a distinctive business model, Barclays Capital provides large corporate, government and institutional clients with a full spectrum of solutions to their strategic advisory, financing and risk management needs. Barclays Capital has offices around the world, employs 25,000 people and has the global reach, advisory services and distribution power to meet the needs of issuers and investors worldwide.

For further information about Barclays Capital, please visit our website www.barclayscapital.com.