BNP Paribas has announced a big appointment for leadership at its Greater China business area.

BNP Paribas, the Paris-listed banking and wealth management group, has appointed Paul Yang as regional head for Greater China, as well as head of country for China, with effect from 1 September 2014. The responsibilities are in addition to his current roles of head of country for Hong Kong and CEO of BNP Paribas’ Hong Kong Branch.

Based in Hong Kong, Yang reports to Eric Raynaud, chief executive officer of BNP Paribas Asia Pacific, the firm said in a statement today.

“As the China market continues to open up and becomes increasingly important to the global economy, it is key for us to continuously step up our integrated approach in growing our business and serving our clients in the region. Therefore, we’ve decided to create a new role to look after the Greater China region which is a crucial market in our Asia Pacific development plan,” Raynaud said.

“As a veteran banker, Paul has an in-depth understanding of the China, Hong Kong and Taiwan markets, with extensive client relationships. He will play an important role to help bring our business in the region to another level as we continue to expand our franchises here,” he added.

Laurent Couraudon, current head of country for China, will take a leave to pursue a personal project, BNP Paribas said.

Yang joined BNP Paribas in Paris in 1988, and has held various senior positions in France and in Asia over the years, including head of country for Taiwan from 2001 to 2004. He was appointed head of country for Hong Kong and CEO of BNP Paribas’ Hong Kong Branch in 2011.

There have been a number of moves at BNP Paribas in recent days. A few days ago, as the bank reported its second-quarter figures, showing the cost of its $8.97 billion settlement with US authorities, the firm announced a swathe of changes, including the planned retirement of its compliance boss. (To view that article, see here.)