Retail banking and wealth management will be working more closely together at HSBC after the appointment of Alex Hungate to the new role of global head of personal financial services and marketing. He joins in September from news service Reuters, where he was Asia managing director. Mr Hungate, who will be group managing director of the two departments, will be based in London and will report to HSBC group chief executive Michael Geoghegan. He also becomes a member of the 10-strong global group management board. He plans to “join-up” the bank by cross-referring more customers between divisions such as retail banking and wealth management. HSBC has been looking to create a board-level marketing director position to replace group general manager of marketing Peter Stringham, who left in February to become global chief operating officer of marketing services group at Young & Rubicam Brands. Mr Hungate will combine leading the bank's personal financial services operations with its marketing function, overseeing advertising, sponsorship and customer marketing activities. An HSBC spokesman told Marketing Week that Mr Hungate's "top priority" in personal financial services was to "connect" the bank's operations around the world. He has been charged with selecting products, services and technologies from HSBC's 83-market network and implementing them globally as well as creating new services.