Funds-of-funds firm Liongate Capital Management has opened a Dubai office and hired a Mideast and North Africa (MENA) expert to head up its new location.

Liongate said in a statement that the Dubai office would focus on advising institutional clients in the Gulf region as well as looking for regional investment opportunities. The staff will be built out with hires in the research department, Liongate said.

The firm also said it appointed Fahad Al-Bader as senior executive officer of the Dubai office. Al-Bader was with Kuwait-based Ryada Capital where he was head of alternative investments. He also served as an investment analyst with Kuwait’s sovereign wealth fund, the Kuwait Investment Authority.

There has been a spate of alternative investment firms seeking a foothold in Dubai. The oil-rich Arab emirate has been fashioning itself as a financial center for the 21st century since its onset. Although the recession hit Dubai’s burgeoning construction and real estate businesses hard, it also means more opportunity for businesses that are prepared to open.

D.E. Shaw and Gottex Fund Management Holdings were two firms opening Dubai offices this fall.

London-based Liongate was founded in 2003 and has more than $2.3 billion in assets under management.