Rupert Yeoward has been hired by Merrill Lynch's international private client group as a director of the management team, with responsibility for the offices in Manchester and Leeds. He will report to John Maitland, managing director of the group in the UK and Ireland. Yeoward was a senior investment manager for Rathbone Investment Management in Liverpool.

Hap Russell has retired as general manager of private banking at Standard Chartered Grindlays. Russell, 60, held the same position at ANZ Grindlays Bank before Standard Chartered Bank bought it in August last year. A direct replacement for Russell has not yet been found because the bank is still undergoing restructuring.

Gordon McDonald, Scott Young, Michael Wedderburn and Stephen Martin have joined Adam & Company, the Scottish private bank, as managers and Gillian Walker has joined as their assistant. All five moved from Clydesdale Bank’s investment management team, where they managed portfolios for private and institutional clients.

Charles Du-Luart has joined SG Hambros to head up its French team. He was previously a vice president at Chase Manhattan’s private banking operations in the UK, which now form part of JP Morgan Private Bank. The previous head of the French team has moved to the international team.

Alain Schibl has resigned as managing director of global capital markets at Union Bancaire Privée to set up an asset management firm specialising in fund-of-funds and hedge funds for European high net-worth and institutional investors. The firm will be launched in London in November or December, but Schibl also plans to open an office in Geneva.

Charles Skinner has joined Banque Morgan Stanley in Geneva as head of its Middle East team. He previously headed up the Middle East division at JP Morgan and took a relationship manager and two assistants with him when he moved.

Mort Mirghavameddin has been promoted to general manager of Investec Private Bank. He will replace Carol Goodwin, who has stepped down. He will also manage Guinness Flight Trustees SARL, the bank’s sister operation in Guernsey. Mirghavameddin was latterly head of group compliance at Investec Bank.

Philip Murphy and Peter Kraus have been promoted from Goldman Sachs' private wealth management business to co-head up its investment management division. They have replaced John P McNulty, the incumbent partner, who has retired. Murphy took over the management of the private wealth management arm in 1999 and Kraus joined as co-head in February this year from the investment banking side of the firm.

W Alston Beinhorn has been appointed vice president and global market manager of Citigroup Private bank in Canada. He is based in Toronto and has replaced Kar Whan Chan, who has retired. Beinhorn joined the Citibank Private Bank in 1981 and managed the office in Houston, Texas until 1987, prior to managing the Private Bank's Asian Family Business in Singapore until 1995. He was then appointed global market manager of Citigroup Private Bank for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and most recently India.