EFG International revealed several new hires in Asia, including rehiring a prominent banker to run its Singapore business to replace its long-standing head in the city-state.
The Swiss bank said it appointed Tho Gea Hong (pictured below) as CEO of its Singapore branch, subject to regulatory approval. She succeeds Kong Eng Huat, who retires at year-end.
She will also sit on the bank's Asia business committee chaired by Albert Chiu, EFG's wider Asia head. Gea Hong returns to the Swiss bank, where she was was head of private banking in Singapore until 2016, from RBC, where she was CEO of its Singapore branch. She started her career at DBS Bank and also worked for Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
New Markets Job
EFG said it is also hiring UBS banker Ivan Ferraroni as its new head of global markets in Asia, effective in October. He was the Swiss giant's head of client office for Asia Pacific, and previously worked in investment banking for Barclays Capital as well as RBS.
Ferraroni's hire in the newly-created markets job is meant to improve the bank’s capital markets capabilities and services to clients in Asia – a key EFG growth market. He will be based in Hong Kong and work closely with Chiu and the bank's central markets unit. Ferraroni will report in his function to global markets head Maurizio Moranzoni and regionally to Kees Stoute, EFG's Hong Kong CEO.
