LONDON, July 19 (Reuters) - Former PIMCO CEO Mohamed A.

El-Erian will step down from the board of Barclays ( JJCTF ), the

British bank said on Friday, following his appointment as chair

of sportswear brand Under Armour Inc .

A frequent media commentator on markets, finance and

interest rates, El-Erian gained fame in the investing community

for a successful stint at investment management firm PIMCO in

the early 2000s managing emerging market bond investments.

El-Erian helped the fund to steer clear of the Argentina

sovereign debt default in 2001.

After a stint at Harvard he returned to PIMCO in 2007 as CEO

and co-chief investment officer alongside Bill Gross.

In 2012 U.S. President Barack Obama appointed him as chair

of the President's Global Development Council.

Barclays ( JJCTF ) also said it has also appointed Brian Shea, former

CEO of investment services for BNY Mellon from 2014 until his

retirement in 2017, as a non-executive director.