Barclays Wealth has added analyst Matthew Latham to its Liverpool team, a hire which is part of a graduate scheme which has seen the firm take on 40 trainees in the UK this year.

In his new role Latham will support a private banking team serving clients across Merseyside and the northwest of England.

Graduate training schemes are of course an important part of the wealth management recruitment picture, as the industry is notorious for its cannibalisation of top talent. Barclays Wealth is also noteworthy for its Embark programme, which targets recruits from outside the financial services sector.

Barclays Wealth has been hiring extensively in recent times, with UK regional expansion being one priority area. The firm is in the throes of a five-year £350 million ($580 million) investment programme, of which 40 per cent has been earmarked for investment in staff.

In another expansionary move, last week Barclays Wealth unveiled a new office in Chelmsford, Essex – adding to four east and southern offices to be opened in the UK in second half of this year. The other three new offices are in Reading, Cambridge and Norwich.