New posts at Bank Sarasin reflect bullish outlook on China and SEA

The bank will now have a Vice Chair for Client Advisory in Southeast Asia and a banking head for China.

In a statement, Bank Sarasin said Febby Avianto will hold the vice chair position for Southeast Asia while Polly Lam, who has also been promoted to Managing Director, will oversee its operations in China.

Karen Leung, who formerly worked for Credit Suisse and Citibank, is now the bank’s Vice Chair for Client Advisory. Her focus will be on North Asia.

Enid Yip, Bank Sarasin Chief Executive Officer in Asia said, “With these appointments, we are leveraging the powerful base and exceptional platform we have established in Asia. Despite volatile markets, we’ve had a very successful year, proving our strategy of carefully recruiting only seasoned private bankers in Asia.”

Grace Barki, Bank Sarasin’s Chief Executive Officer in Southeast Asia said its Islamic Wealth Management expertise will give the bank “considerable edge” in Indonesia and Malaysia, where it has a strong presence.

Bank Sarasin has undertaken a major expansion program in Asia since 2008, starting with its partnership with Shanghai Biennale in January 2008. In March 2010, Hong Kong became Bank Sarasin’s first bank branch outside of Switzerland while in February 2011, Bank Sarasin launched its Singapore Trust Company.

Its latest investment is the state-of-the-art Avalog banking system for Singapore and Hong Kong. It was rolled out in March 2011.