Arbuthnot Latham & Co, the UK-based private bank, has appointed Kieran McDonnell - formerly of Coutts - as a senior chartered financial planner.

While at Coutts McDonnell was a senior financial planning specialist within the bank’s international client group – a role in which he covered markets including the Middle East, southern and western Europe and the US. Before joining the RBS-owned wealth management firm, he was an account manager at Standard Life and Friends Provident.

Arbuthnot has made its wealth planning unit a special focus and has said it wants to hire the best planning specialists in the industry.

The firm has in fact made a raft of senior hires in recent weeks. Last week it appointed Linda Amili Clack to the new position of international banking director, head of Middle East private banking. 

Clack was most recently head of the Mubarakia Limited Family Office. At that firm, she formed legal, audit, accounting and brokerage relationships; she also managed portfolios of property and investment assets.

Earlier this month Arbuthnot named former Coutts senior manager Liz Bottomley as head of private banking.  She filled the position left vacant at the end of 2011 by Richard Dunn.