A veteran Asian private banker who capped her career by joining the board of J. Safra Sarasin is already out, finews.asia has learned.
Enid Yip has left the Swiss-Brazilian bank's board after less than a year: her name has quietly disappeared from the bank's website detailing the oversight body, which is led by Chairman Juerg Haller. One of Asia's most prominent female wealth managers, Yip had joined in February as the crowning achievement on her long career in private banking.
It isn't clear when she exited or why. When she first joined then-Bank Sarasin in 2007, Yip had already gained prominence as head of Credit Suisse's Hong Kong branch. Yip couldn't be reached for comment; a spokesman for J. Safra Sarasin confirmed her departure but declined to detail any reason for it.
Hotbed of Change
Controlled by 82-year-old family patriarch Joseph Safra, the bank has been a hotbed of change in the last year. Haller, a 35-year veteran of UBS, took over last autumn. Four weeks later, J. Safra Sarasin named Daniel Belfer, a 45-year-old Brazilian banker, as its new CEO.
The family, worth nearly $23 billion, are notoriously secretive and have reportedly experienced strife lately. Much of the Safras' money comes from banking, but the family also owns 50 percent of banana distributor Chiquita and real estate like London's Norman Foster-designed «Gherkin» skyscraper.
