Laurel Powers-Freeling walked from Lloyds TSB's Create service a week after its launch to accept the post of chief executive of Marks and Spencer's financial services division. She was replaced by Chris Wiscarson, a Lloyds veteran of more than a decade, who will also retain his position as the managing director of the international banking division.

SG Hambros appointed Keith Brown as senior private banker for its UK team. Brown will be responsible for building client associations in the UK. He joined from Coutts & Co, where he was a senior private banker.

Paolo di Montorio-Veronese, ex-chief marketing officer at Pioneer Alternative Investments, was named European regional manager at Man Investment Products in London. Di Montorio-Veronese replaced Mark Chambers who stepped up to a director's role covering some of the responsibilities held by John Kelly who is now based in the US.

Hanson Green Financial Services, the global search company, hired Ginny Hutchins from TMP Worldwide. Hutchins is working as a researcher in Michele Turner's private banking and asset management division.

Simon Culliford was appointed as a non executive director with niche headhunting firm Private Banking Search & Selection International. Culliford was formerly the head of private banking for Union Bancaire Privée, London, a position he left in February.

Europe

Deutsche named Dr Dirk Krekeler as general counsel for its private clients and asset management division. Krekeler's appointment follows the restructure of Deutsche and the splitting of PCAM from the corporate and investment banking division. Krekeler was previously head general counsel for the combined entities.

SEB announced two appointments to its new Nordic retail and private banking division, the result of the merger of personal banking Sweden and personal banking international into one division. Fleming Carlborg was named head of the new division while Mariana Burenstam Linder was appointed as his deputy as well head of private banking.

Benedict Hentsch resigned after 16 years as a managing partner of Geneva's oldest private bank, Darier Hentsch & Cie, because of a conflict of interest with his position as vice chairman of collapsed Swiss national carrier, Swissair. The bank said the move might only be temporary and to maintain the distinguished name of the bank, which was founded in 1796, his mother Anny Hentsch took his place as a silent partner. Hentsch also stood down from his position as chairman of the Swiss Private Bankers Association, leaving Niklaus Baumann as acting chairman.

Bank of Bermuda posted Luca Tomasi to Luxembourg as head of private client services. Tomasi, who joined the bank at the beginning of 2000 from Coutts & Co, left Bank of Bermuda (Guernsey) to take up his new position.

US & Canada

Kelly Martin was named the new president of Merrill Lynch's international private client group. Martin took over from Winthrop Smith Jr who retired from the firm the day after his replacement was named, citing a changing of the guard. Also at Merrill, James Gorman put his stamp on the US private client group by announcing a series of top level appointments. Bob Mulholland was named as Gorman's right hand man and the replacement for his former post of head of the US private client relationship group. Dan Sontag was named director of all 16 US regional business districts. Mary Allyn was appointed head of the private client group's human resources department. Ron Strauss was made head of the department's marketing and investments group, assuming the duties of Rosemary Berkery who was promoted to general counsel. Paula Polito, a vice president at the firm appointed to head marketing efforts, will assist Strauss.

David Vollmayer, head of private banking at US Trust in New York, left the firm less than three months after it was hit with a $10m regulatory fine and a cease and desist order. He was replaced by both Geraldine McNamara who will head private banking in New York and Thomas Clark who has taken a newly created post of chief credit officer.

The Bank of New York appointed John Babcock as senior vice president and head of New Jersey private client services. Babcock previously served as executive vice president at Fleet Bank, and its predecessor Summit Bank.

Joseph T. Keating joined AmSouth Bank as head of asset management, a new position with responsibility for the bank's mutual funds, individual managed portfolios, annuities and development of any new products for the Wealth Management Group. Also at AmSouth, Jeffrey P. Botsford was named the new head of the private client services group. Botsford was previously the private client services area executive for Bank of America in Sarasota. Michael C. Daniel was appointed chief operating officer for the wealth management division. Daniel was previously the chief financial officer for the client services and sales groups.

Royal Bank of Canada Investments axed the position of its chief operating officer, Bill Hatanaka, as part of a restructure of its wealth management arm. Hatanaka said he was looking forward to new challenges.

FleetBoston Financial appointed Steve Prostano as executive vice-president of Fleet’s private clients group. Prostano will be responsible for managing the Fleet Private Client Group’s markets in the New York metropolitan area, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. He joined from JP Morgan, where he was president and chief operating officer of Chase Asset Management and Hambrecht & Quist Funds Management. FleetBoston Financial also appointed Joseph Clark as managing director and mid-Atlantic regional sales manager for the private clients group.

Boston Private Bank & Trust named Molly Downer as senior vice-president and resident manager of the newly opened office in Kendall Square, Cambridge. Downer was senior vice-president and director of the private client group for USTrust.

City National Bank appointed Nancy Lawson to senior vice-president and manager of the South Bay Private Banking Group. Lawson’s group in Los Angeles, California, is responsible for private banking operations in Long Beach and South Bay. She joined from Citibank/Citigroup, where she was responsible for the Palos Verdes Financial Center.

Heritage Bank of Commerce appointed Douglas Williams as senior vice-president and team leader of its private banking division. Williams joined from Silicon Valley Bank, where he was vice-president of technology banking. Heritage Bank of Commerce is a subsidiary of Heritage Commerce Corporation, and is based in San Jose, California.

Asia

David Smith, one of the longest serving members of Bank of Bermuda's global funds team and head of global fund services for the Americas, is leaving Bermuda to become global head of sales and client relationships. Bank of Bermuda also promoted two of its key Hong Kong personnel, Richard Boutland and Simon Lo, to the position of director. Boutland and Lo will each lead a client relationship team and report to Bernard Rennell, head of private client services for the bank in Hong Kong.