The UK-based bank continues to build out its private banking operations in Singapore and the Southeast Asia region.

Barclays Private Bank has made three senior appointments in its Singapore office, reinforcing its recently-stated commitment to building its presence in the region.

These appointments follow the announcement in July of former senior UBS figure Evonne Tan as head of Barclays Private Bank, Singapore.

Adrian Khoo (pictured) has been named head of strategic client coverage, Barclays Private Bank, Singapore. In his new role, Khoo will provide coverage for key strategic clients of the private bank in the jurisdiction, concentrating on collaborating with the corporate and investment bank. He will also help to drive Barclays Private Bank growth strategy for the Asian market, the UK-listed group said in a statement yesterday. 

Khoo, who has more than 16 years’ experience in the financial services industry, has joined from Julius Baer, where he was a senior relationship manager for Southeast Asia covering ultra-high net worth and family office clients. Prior to this, he served in senior roles at BNP Paribas Wealth Management, Asia Capital & Advisors, Goldman Sachs and Macquarie Bank.

Jaime Huang, who has been appointed private banker, Barclays Private Bank, Singapore, will focus on developing and growing the private bank business in Asia.

Prior to joining Barclays, Huang worked at the Bank of Singapore and spent the last four years as a director responsible for advising UHNW and family office clients in Southeast Asia and China. He has more than 18 years of private banking and investment advisory experience and has previously worked at Citigroup, HSBC and ABN AMRO.

Ken Sze has been appointed head of investments for Asia, Barclays Private Bank, Singapore. Sze has relocated from London, where, for the past three years, he was a senior member of Barclays Private Bank Global Investments team as global head of the funds and ETFs business. In his new role, Sze will be responsible for all private bank investments business in the Singapore office.

He will work alongside private bankers to develop investment opportunities and deliver end-to-end solutions for the UHNW and family office client base, as well as building out the supporting investment infrastructure. Sze continues to be an active member of the Barclays Private Bank Global Investments team. Prior to joining Barclays he was with HSBC Private Bank in a number of investment roles including head of strategic partnerships and fund advisory in the UK and investment advisory desk head in Hong Kong.

Huang and Khoo will report to Tan and Sze will report to both Tan and Jean-Damien Marie, global co-head of investments, Barclays Private Bank.

The UK-based group is ramping up its Asian business. The situation in which Barclays finds itself is very different from when, back in 2016, it sold its wealth and investment management arm to Singapore-listed OCBC – parent of Bank of Singapore. Barclays Private Bank did, however, retain its business in India, so it kept an Asia presence. In July this year, this news service interviewed James Penny, head of Asia ex-India at the private bank.