The firm has created the new role of head of “global India and developed markets", including onshore India, the Indian sub-continent and NRI clients, and Japan and Asia business.

Julius Baer has appointed Jason Moo, who will be based in Singapore, as the new head of private banking for Southeast Asia. He is taking over from Torsten Linke, and will start on 17 February next year, the Zurich-listed group said in a statement today.

Linke will take on the newly-created role of head of “global India and developed markets". The territory, which covers onshore India, the Indian sub-continent and NRI clients, Japan and Asia business, will be managed from Switzerland. The appointment takes effect from 1 January next year, and Linke will still be based in Singapore, it said. 

Until Jason Moo takes up his post, which is subject to regulatory approval, Linke will continue to serve as branch manager for Singapore.

Both men will report to Jimmy Lee, head of Asia-Pacific and a member of the executive board. Lee will be leading Southeast Asia on an interim basis from 1 January 2020 until Jason Moo joins.

Prior to joining Julius Baer, over the last 20 years Moo held a variety of positions at Goldman Sachs. Most recently, he was CEO of Goldman Sachs Singapore (Pte) and head of Southeast Asia and Australia for private wealth management. Before relocating to Singapore, he had senior roles in Hong Kong, including head of the market solutions group for PWM and head of alternative capital markets for Asia-Pacific. He joined the firm after graduating as a financial analyst in Singapore and then worked in equity sales in New York before moving to Hong Kong.

The appointment highlights how banks such as Julius Baer have made Asia – and now the Indian sub-continent – important market growth territories. In the case of Julius Baer, the Swiss bank has described Asia as its second home market.