The private banking group continues to build out its Asia business.

VP Bank Asia has appointed former Pictet senior figure Alexander Tsikouras as chief financial officer and chief operating officer for Asia, and Will Wang as head of client solutions and strategic partnerships for Asia in two newly-created roles. 

Tsikouras and Wang will form part of the Asia Management Committee as of 24 September 2021, the firm said in a statement yesterday. 

Tsikouras will be responsible for driving the bank’s strategic financial and operational efficiency in Asia. Wang, based in Hong Kong, will play an active role with VP Bank's clients and strategic partners, identifying and expanding business opportunities in this region. 

Tsikouras will report regionally to Pamela Hsu Phua (CEO Asia), and functionally to Roger Barmettler (group CFO) and Urs Monstein (group COO). He has more than 20 years of experience with expertise in business development, change and risk management, finance and strategy. Joining from Pictet where he was chief of staff for Asia, he holds a PhD in finance from the University of Piraeus in Greece and a master’s in international accounting and finance from the London School of Economics.

Wang, meanwhile, will report functionally to Pamela Hsu Phua (CEO Asia) and Thomas von Hohenhau (group head of client solutions). Prior to VP Bank, Wang was managing director and head of the investment committee at a Hong Kong SFC-regulated asset manager. He has more than 20 years of experience in private banking from front office, investments to management oversight in international locations spanning across Hong Kong, Singapore and Switzerland.

Currently, Wang is also head of CAIA Association Hong Kong Chapter. He is a CFA, CAIA and CMT charterholder, with an MBA from University of St Gallen in Switzerland and a CEMS-Master.

In early August, the Liechtenstein-based banking group, announced a raft of hires in Singapore and Hong Kong. As reported in late March this year, VP Bank and its sister businesses signed a cooperation pact with Hywin Wealth Management and associated entities to build an offshore platform pitched at wealthy Chinese clients. As part of the process, VP Bank acquired a 3.4 per cent stake in Hywin Holdco, a Nasdaq-listed structure.