UK SG Hambros has appointed Kim Cornwall as a senior private banker in the UK. Cornwall joined from Merrill Lynch, where he had worked ...

UK

SG Hambros has appointed Kim Cornwall as a senior private banker in the UK. Cornwall joined from Merrill Lynch, where he had worked for 18 years in various senior private banking positions. He works with Tony Due, also recently recruited from Merrill, and is responsible for building the group's private banking capability in the UK. Cornwall's appointment is the latest of four recent additions to Hambros' 16-strong UK senior private banking team, which operates out of London.

Royal Bank of Canada has poached five private bankers from Merrill Lynch International and plans further expansion. Mark Evans, Wyn James, David Mann, Stewart Richardson and Tom Norton, all senior bankers, will join RBC's global private banking team in London.

Baring Asset Management has appointed John Maitland as group head of private clients a new position at the firm. Maitland joins from Merrill Lynch's international private client group, where he was managing director for the UK and Ireland. Maitland worked at Merrill for 14 years. He reports to Peter Wolton, chief executive of the IMG group, and is responsible for all aspects of private client business, including onshore and offshore investment.

Barclays Private Clients has appointed Michael Murray as its new chief operating officer. Murray will combine the role with his existing position as BPC's chief financial officer and will take a seat on the bank's group operating committee. Murray replaced Richard Meddling, who left in October to become director of risk at Standard Chartered. He will report to Bob Hunter, chief executive.

JP Morgan Private Bank has hired Mark Evans as a senior private banker in its London office. Evans joins JP Morgan from Private Business Management, an independent consultancy he founded to manage the family financial and business affairs of wealthy private clients. The bank has also hired Alison Burton as a junior private banker from the firm's investment banking division.

Evans is responsible for managing relationships with clients in the UK and for growing the bank's client base.

Citigroup Private Bank has appointed Tom Bowers as its new chief operating officer in London, a newly created position. He reports to Chris Preston, head of European wealth management at Citigroup, and is responsible for building up its European operations.

France

Marie-Claire Capobianco has been put in charge of the private banking (France) division of French banking group BNP Paribas. Her former posts include that of commercial director of the Nantes division of BNP's individual and business customer markets arm.

US

Merrill Lynch has restructured its private client business into a global entity, merging its international and US domestic businesses. The firm has promoted James Gorman, who formerly headed up the US private client business, to head the new global private client group. Gorman's promotion coincides with the resignation of Kelly Martin, the head of the international private client group.

The firm has also appointed Robert Mulholland and Raymundo Yu as senior regional leaders for its global private client group. Mulholland, a senior vice-president with 23 years' experience in Merrill's private client business, takes responsibility for the Americas in his new role. He combines this with his remit as head of the firm's US client relationship group.

Yu, also a senior vice president at the firm, takes the helm for the Pacific Rim and Europe and the Middle East regions. The two have responsibility for the advisory, private wealth and institutional advisory client segments in their respective regions.

City National Bank, a Los Angeles-based private bank, has opened an office in New York and has appointed Frank Baudille, formerly a senior manager with HSBC Republic's entertainment and media private banking unit, to head it.

Linda Mack, a former a partner in TMP's global financial services practice, has formed a new search business concentrating on wealth management. Mack International, LLL will provide consulting and retained executive search facilities.

Prior to joining TMP, Mack held relationship management positions in corporate banking at both Harris Bank and The Northern Trust Company.

Canada

Brian Peters, head of Royal Bank of Canada's wealth management group in Canada, has been appointed president and chief executive of RBC Dain Rauscher. He replaces Peter Armenio, who has been appointed president and chief executive of RBC Investments in Toronto.