Webster Private Bank has hired Yves Cochez as senior vice president and chief investment strategist, based in Stamford, CT.

The CIS role is newly-created, the firm confirmed, and comes at a time when other firms have also strengthened their investment strategy teams in response to the difficult markets of recent years. JP Morgan Private Bank announced earlier this week that it has created a chief investment strategist role to work closely with its chief investment officer, and in February United Capital Financial Advisers also added a chief investment strategist.

At Webster, Cochez will head up the portfolio management team and set the overall direction of investment management for high net worth clients, the bank said. 

He was most recently a partner and chief investment officer at GBS Finance, having previously held a number of senior investment positions at Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management.

In other recent news, at the end of April, Webster Private Bank appointed Madorie O’Hara as a vice president and senior investment manager in Stamford, CT.

Webster Private Bank serves individuals, business owners and institutions with at least $1 million in investible assets.

The firm has over 50 private banking employees with seven relationship managers working in regional teams across New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. At the end of January, it opened an office in Greenwich, CT.