Oppenheimer & Co has hired Steve Bernstein as senior managing director for its Asian operations and as Asia chief executive of Oppenheimer Investments.

Bernstein is the founder of Zenbu Media in Hong Kong, which he sold recently. He has extensive experience on the Asian investment scene, having spent 23 years with Citigroup, five of which was in Japan. He left Citi in 2005 to focus on Zenbu. Prior to Citi, he led the international fixed income sales unit at Salomon Brothers before moving to Tokyo in 1994 to run the firm's Asian fixed income business.

In his new role, Bernstein will still be based in Hong Kong and will be responsible for Oppenheimer's activities in Asia.

The company, which provides wealth management, securities brokerage and investment banking services to high net worth individuals, families, executives, local governments, businesses, and institutions, is licensed by the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong. It has 15 staff across the region.