Credit Suisse has appointed Nicholas Kalikajaros as managing director and head of Private Banking Australia based in Sydney. The appointment is effective from 10 October 2007. Credit Suisse has also announced that it is scaling up its domestic Private Banking operations with a series of new hires. Marcel Kreis, head of Private Banking Asia Pacific said: "Australia is one of the priority markets in Credit Suisse's strategy of enhancing its onshore Private Banking footprint in global growth markets, and dedicated management and resources are essential to ensure the long-term success of our newly launched domestic Private Banking business. [Mr Kalikajaros] will focus on leveraging Credit Suisse's integrated banking platform with our established Investment Banking and Asset Management divisions to offer a comprehensive range of services and deliver the benefits of the entire bank to our clients." Mr Kalikajaros joins Credit Suisse from Merrill Lynch where he was head of Global Private Client Australia and New Zealand. Prior to that, Mr Kalikajaros was the general manager at St George Private Bank and co-head of UBS Private Clients Australia (formerly Potter Warburg Securities). He also held senior roles in Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Mr Kalikajaros will report to François Monnet, Head of Private Banking Southeast Asia and Australasia. On a country level, Mr Kalikajaros will report to David Trude, Sydney Branch Manager and country head Australia. Since the launch of its Private Banking operations in Australia at the end of 2006, Credit Suisse has appointed Shane Galligan as head of Products for Private Banking Australia based in Melbourne, responsible for developing and implementing a domestic Private Banking offering, specifically designed for the Australian investor. Mr Galligan has 25 years of experience with National Australia Bank, covering trading, structured products, treasury and client-driven platform initiatives in the UK, Tokyo and Australia. Rene Pyszko has joined Credit Suisse in Sydney as a vice president and Investment Specialist Managed Funds\Equities. Mr Pyszko joined from Citi Smith Barney where he was vice president for Product Research. Lastly, David McDonald is joining Credit Suisse as a vice president and research analyst based in Sydney, effective from July 23. Prior to Credit Suisse, Mr McDonald was a Senior Research Analyst at Allianz Global Investors.