There is change at the top of Standard Chartered's private banking arm in Geneva, this publication can exclusively reveal.

Standard Chartered has appointed Mark Hirst – latterly of Credit Suisse – as regional head of private banking based in Geneva, Switzerland, WealthBriefing can exclusively report.

The role encompasses high net worth clients in or with connections to Asia, Africa and the Middle East, who the UK-listed bank covers from Switzerland. Hirst reports to Jeremy Parish, chief executive of StanChart in the alpine state.

Hirst joined Credit Suisse to lead the market area for the UK and International from Deutsche Bank in 2009. At Deutsche, Hirst worked with Middle Eastern clients.

Earlier this month,Standard Chartered said that wealth management income in the first quarter was in line with the first quarter of 2011 and up on the run rate seen in the second half of 2011. The wealth management arm of the bank reported a 12 per cent rise in operating income to $1.138 billion in 2011 from the year before.