Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), the cash-rich emirate's sovereign wealth fund, has hired Christophe Florin to head its emerging markets private equity team, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

Florin joins ADIA from French insurer AXA's private equity arm, where he was most recently the chief operating officer, the sovereign fund said.

ADIA, among the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, is ramping up its private equity investments, sources familiar with the fund's plans told Reuters in September.

Staffing within ADIA's private equity department will likely more than double from its current complement of around two dozen, the sources had said.