UBS has made a number of global and regional level management appointments for its new Investment Products and Services unit, WealthBriefing understands.

At a regional level, Michael Benz, Jan-Marc Fergg and Andreas Amschwand are believed to have been appointed to head the Asia-Pacific, Europe and Swiss regions respectively. Mr Amschwand will also serve as overall IPS head.

In other appointments, it is thought that wealth planning within the IPS unit will be led by Bernard Buchs, mandate distribution will be headed by Patrick Grossholz, and investment advisory will be led by Alexander Kobler. Felix Ronner and William Kennedy have been given responsibility for investment products and capitals markets respectively.

Andreas Höfert has been appointed to lead wealth management research within the IPS unit, a role he will hold in addition to his position as the chief economist of UBS Wealth Management & Swiss Bank. Also with an expanded role is Christoph Schenk, who is to lead investment management within IPS while continuing as the chief investment officer of Wealth Management & Swiss Bank.

Claudius Sutter, meanwhile, has been named chief operating officer of the IPS unit. It is believed that Hans-Joachim Steinbock, currently COO within Products & Services, is to be assigned a new role elsewhere within the bank.

The new IPS unit is expected to be operational by the second quarter of the year.