This news service brings another exclusive on a senior move in the Asia-Pacific private banking market.

Pictet, the Switzerland-headquartered private bank, has appointed a senior private banker to cover Southeast Asian markets, this publication can exclusively report today.

The private bank confirmed to this news service that Grace Barki joined the bank yesterday as managing director, senior private banker, covering Southeast Asian markets.

Barki had been head of Southeast Asia at RBC Wealth Management, having joined the Canadian banking group in 2012. She left that bank last June. Barki has more than 30 years of private banking and corporate banking experience, beginning her career in 1985 and subsequently taking on senior leadership positions in the corporate banking and private banking divisions of global banks.

Last week, Pictet reported that its consolidated net profit fell 2 per cent to SFr452 million ($464 million) over the course of 2015 despite a rise in assets under management. In its unaudited figures for the full year, Pictet reported a SFr2 billion increase in assets under management or custody to SFr437 billion at the end of 2015.

The group has been busy hiring within its asset and wealth management divisions. Most recently, Niall Quinn joined Pictet Asset Management as global head of institutional business (excluding Japan), while in December, Pictet Wealth Management hired JP Morgan's Cesar Perez Ruiz as its new chief investment officer.