Duncan Lawrie Private Bank has bolstered its Bristol business with the appointment of senior private bankers Courtney Kerkin and Sandra Killen – hires which form part of the bank’s ongoing efforts to build up its presence in Bristol and the southwestern region.

Kerkin joins Duncan Lawrie from Clydesdale Bank, where he was a business development partner, while Killen was latterly a corporate relationship officer at Allied Irish Bank.

Duncan Lawrie opened its office in Bristol in December 2008 – a move which followed the full integration of Hill Martin, the strategic financial planning, employee benefit and asset management firm which the bank acquired in 2006. It has said that it sees Bristol as a “fantastic” area to grow in and that part of its strategy is to hire new staff from within the region and capitalise on their local knowledge and networks. To read a recent interview focusing on Duncan Lawrie’s expansion plans, click here.

In other recent appointments at Duncan Lawrie, towards the end of last year the bank promoted Steven Quayle to director of finance, risk and compliance at its Isle of Man subsidiary, after four years of service as financial controller. Duncan Lawrie’s Isle of Man business, which has a separate banking licence, currently has a staff of 30. (The Bristol operation currently has around 10 staff.)

Overall, the bank has some 4,500 clients representing around £700 million ($1.1 billion) in assets.