Bordier & Cie France, a subsidiary of the Swiss private banking group, has strengthened its financial markets base with the appointment of Jean-Yves Gérardin as corporate secretary.

Gérardin was most recently at Autorité des Marchés Financiers (the AMF), working in the investment service providers division and also while the regulatory body was known as COB. He has also worked at BNP Paribas and Crédit Foncier de France.

In other recent news, only last week the Geneva-based private banking house announced it is to expand into Asia by launching a new unit in Singapore.

The new unit, Bordier & Cie Singapore, is to be headed up by Edvard Bordier, a partner at the firm. The Singaporean unit will offer regional clients the same services as its Swiss counterpart.

Bordier & Cie was founded in Geneva in 1844. It employs around 200 people based in offices in Bern, Nyon, Zurich, Turks and Caicos, Paris, London and Montevideo. The group has assets under management totalling SFr9.5 billion (around $9.9 billion).