The Swiss private bank said the Philippines has always been a market it wants to grow as part of its Asia strategy.

Union Bancaire Privée has appointed a former venture capital figure, Jamian Lai as its market head for the Philippines. 

Lai is based in Hong Kong and reports to Ricardo Choi, Philippines head, the Geneva-headquartered private bank said in a statement. 

With about 30 years’ experience in the private banking and private markets industry, Lai has experience in managing UHNW individuals and driving growth in markets, including the Philippines. UBP said the country has “always been a key focus of UBP’s expansion plans in Asia.”

Prior to this new role, Lai worked at Headline Asia, a venture capital firm, where he was most recently venture partner and head of investor relations. Before that, he was market team head for Hong Kong and the Philippines at UBS. His career also includes time at the private banking arm of Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, and Standard Chartered, as well as Synergy Capital Advisors, a private equity manager.

Lai holds a bachelor of arts in East Asian studies from Harvard University.