Gerard Aquilina, formerly vice chairman at Barclays Wealth, has been snapped up by UBS Wealth Management in Switzerland and will take up the role of chairman of its global emerging markets business next week.

Gerard Aquilina, formerly vice chairman at Barclays Wealth, has been snapped up by UBS Wealth Management in Switzerland and will take up the role of chairman of its global emerging markets business next week.

In his new Zurich-based role, Aquilina will lead the coverage of the bank’s key clients across emerging markets, and oversee new business development. Upon taking up his new position on 18 May he will report to Paul Raphael, head of global emerging markets.

Aquilina’s departure from Barclays Wealth after being part of the firm’s leadership team for four years was exclusively revealed by WealthBriefing in January. At that time Barclays Wealth told this publication that Aquilina’s departure was entirely amicable and was driven by his desire to take up opportunities in the emerging markets arena.

One of the most prominent figures in the European wealth management industry, Aquilina joined Barclays Wealth in September 2006 from HSBC Private Bank in New York, where he had been chief executive for the Americas, heading 1,200 staff in more than 20 locations. Prior to that, he held various senior management roles at Merrill Lynch.

He was one of the earliest top-ranking executives hired at the team headed by Tom Kalaris, CEO of Barclays Wealth. At the time he joined the firm, Aquilina headed Barclays Wealth's international private bank in EMEA.