The UK arm of Israel's Bank Leumi Group has boosted its private banking capabilities.

Bank Leumi has appointed Nick Brandram as a relationship manager within its UK premier banking team.

Brandram, a direct descendant of Queen Victoria, joins from Killik where he was an investment manager. He previously served in the British Army.

The London-based team forms part of the bank’s private banking unit, which looks after private and corporate clients in the UK and internationally. Its offering includes wealth planning solutions and investment, fiduciary and corporate banking services.

The hire coincides with the departure of Bank Leumi's head of premier banking, Simon Yeshooa, who will be retiring at the end of the year. He will be replaced by Mike Fierstone, who joined the bank over 40 years ago.

The Bank Leumi Group, which established a presence in London over a century ago, has more than $310 billion in assets under management. Last year, Zurich-headquartered Julius Baer acquired Bank Leumi’s Swiss private banking business. Just last month, Switzerland's Banque J Safra Sarasin agreed to acquire the group's private banking unit in Luxembourg.