Bank Sarasin has named Bas Rijke – latterly managing director and country head for Switzerland at Fortis Banque (Suisse) – as the new head of its Geneva branch.

In his new role Rijke also assumes country responsibility for the bank’s private banking activities in the Netherlands, Belgium and France and has become part of the management team of the private banking division. He reports directly to Eric Sarasin, head of private banking.

Between 2001 and 2005 Rijke was head of private banking at the Geneva branch of Banque MeesPierson, and when the bank changed its named to Fortis Banque (Suisse) he first headed up its Swiss private clients business before going on to assume responsibility for the rest of the bank’s Swiss branches. He was appointed assistant managing director in 2006, before becoming managing director and country head for Switzerland in 2007. 

Rijke will play a key support role in pushing the bank’s growth strategy in the Geneva region, Sarasin said in a statement.

In another recent high profile appointment, at the start of this month Thomas Mueller became Sarasin’s new chief financial officer, succeeding Matthias Hassels, who left the bank after a 12-year tenure "to pursue a new professional challenge.” Mueller was previously group CFO and chief risk officer for the Swiss Life group.