Barclays Wealth has hired Hans Olsen – latterly of JP Morgan - as managing director and head of investment strategy for the Americas, in the latest development of the firm’s high-profile push into the US market.

In this newly-created role, Olsen will help develop the firm's asset allocation with a focus on delivering regionally-customized investment strategies for wealthy clients in America. He will be based in New York and report to Aaron Gurwitz, chief investment officer at Barclays Wealth.

The wealth management arm of the UK-listed bank has been busy beefing up its US business in recent months, appointing six investment representatives in June, five in May and 14 in March. The hiring spree shows no signs of easing off; the bank is understood to be considering further additions to the Americas investment team Olsen will be in charge of.

Olsen joins from JP Morgan, where he had served as chief investment officer for private wealth management since 2007. Before that, he held the same position at Bingham Legg Advisors, a Boston-based wealth manager. Between 1993 and 1995, he was senior portfolio manager at the family office Ram Trust Services, after his career kicked off at Argus Research in New York.

Barclays Wealth has 14 offices across the US and Latin America. It managed £166 billion (about $266 billion) of client assets at the end of March this year.