Morgan Stanley has set out more detail on high-profile moves at the top of the firm's private wealth arm in Asia-Pacific.

Confirming a report by this publication in August, Morgan Stanley gave more detail yesterday on its appointment of former senior Goldman Sachs executive Vivien Webb as managing director and head of sales for China and Hong Kong in the private wealth management business. It also announced another move in this side of its business.

Webb was previously head of regional sales at Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management with a focus on the Hong Kong ultra high net worth segment. In her new role, she will continue to be based in Hong Kong, Morgan Stanley said in a statement.  Webb started her private banking career at Citibank in 1983, moving to Chase Manhattan in 1987 and later joining HSBC Private Bank as deputy head for the Premier Clients Business in 2000.  From 2004, she worked at Goldman Sachs in various senior wealth management roles.

While the Wall Street-listed firm has spun off some of its non-domestic private wealth businesses recently, it has retained its Asian business and issued an upbeat message about its ambitions in the region.

“Vivien is one of the most respected private banking business leaders in Asia. Her hire demonstrates Morgan Stanley’s strategic commitment to wealth management in the region and reflects the increased strength and attractiveness of our platform following the successful integration of wealth management with our institutional platform,” Gokul Laroia, co-chief executive of Morgan Stanley in Asia-Pacific, said.

Separately, Eva Chan, managing director and previously head of sales for China and Hong Kong, has assumed a newly created role head of marketing and strategy for PWM Asia, focusing on client relationship management processes, marketing, advisory content and strategic initiatives, it said. Chan joined Morgan Stanley in 1994 in Hong Kong. After eight years with its fixed income division she transferred to private wealth management in 2002, advising ultra-high net worth individuals, private family offices, endowments and foundations.  She was promoted to managing director in 2012.

“These important changes bolster our expanding Asia platform as we seek to leverage the firm’s total offering for the benefit of our sophisticated wealth management clients across the region. Our focus is on empowering our private wealth advisers with an entrepreneurial culture and access to the best products, ideas and institutional-style execution, to enhance their effectiveness for clients,” Vincent Chui, managing director and head of Asia institutional equity distribution and private wealth management, said.

The firm began to integrate its Asia-Pacific wealth management business with the institutional platform in the middle of last year. this move is, it says, designed “to meet rising expectations and sophistication of its UHNW clients”.