Chew Soon Gek has started at Switzerland's second largest bank as head of strategy and economic research in the private bank, Asia-Pacific, based in Singapore.

She is the latest joiner from the recently-merged Clariden Leu, where she was the head of portfolio management and investment strategy Asia from 2009. Prior to that, she was chief investment officer of Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management Asia-Pacific, and CIO of ING Asia Private Bank.

She reports to Fan Cheuk Wan, head of research, Asia-Pacific, for private banking. In her new role, Chew is responsible for Credit Suisse’s cross asset class portfolio strategy and macroeconomic research in Asia-Pacific, said the firm in a statement.

Following the merger between Credit Suisse and its smaller rival this month, Chew will be reunited with around 70 other colleagues, reported here. These include Jimmy Lee, former chief executive of Clariden Leu, now a Credit Suisse managing director, and Yee Chin Lit, previously a managing director and head of Southeast Asia at Clariden Leu, now managing director and sector head of the Indonesia market. Both moves were announced this week.

The three go back a long way, also having worked together at Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management.

The bank also announced today that Kum Soek Ching has rejoined Credit Suisse as head of Southeast Asia equity research, based in Singapore, reporting to Chew, after a year's absence. 

Kum held the same role from 2005 to mid-2011. Last year, Kum went on extended leave for personal reasons. During that time, her role was taken over by Eric Guller, who was previously Credit Suisse’s head of emerging markets and thematic research for private banking, based in Zurich. Guller has recently taken on a new senior product specialist role in the multi asset class solutions group of the bank's asset management business in Asia.

Credit Suisse's ranks are about to grow substantially. In total around 70 staff from Clariden Leu have joined the private banking division in Asia. As at December 2011, Credit Suisse had around 360 Asia-Pacific relationship managers, mainly in Hong Kong and Singapore. Switzerland’s second biggest bank is also in the process of absorbing HSBC’s Japanese private bank, scheduled to take place this June.