Fortis loses three senior bankers to Merrill wealth arm
Three senior relationship managers have left the private banking arm of Fortis to join Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in the first sign of instability since the bank merged the unit with ABN Amro's private client business.
Merrill also hired a fourth adviser from Bank Degroof as it seeks to develop its Dutch business.
In a presentation to investors recently, Chris Vogelzang, the ABN Amro banker appointed as chief executive of Fortis private banking, highlighted the fact staff turnover had been below average this year despite plans to merge the two private client divisions.
Fortis did not respond to requests for comment.
The three Fortis bankers hired by Merrill are Martijn Duijnstee, Rob van Duist and Floris van Zinnicq Bergmann. Jeroen van Lom joins from Bank Degroof.
The quartert will make a new team based in Amsterdam and will report to Geoffrey Bruyn, market leader for the Netherlands, global wealth management, Merrill Lynch.
Prior to Fortis PIM, Duijnstee, Van Duist and Van Zinnicq Bergmann worked as senior financial advisors for banks including ING, MeesPierson, Prudential-Bache and Dryden. Before Bank Degroof, Van Lom worked as a financial advisor for Van der Moolen, ITC and Intal.
The new team will focus on business owners, corporate executives and high net worth private clients, providing tailor-made solutions in investment management and wealth structuring.
Bruyn said: "The team will significantly increase our capacity in the area of business owners and entrepreneurs and will further contribute to the position of Merrill Lynch as a global financial institution with a strong presence in the Dutch market. We will continue to grow our business with the appointment of exceptional wealth professionals who are able to provide our clients with the best solutions in the market.”
Earlier this month Swiss bank UBS said it plans to acquire Dutch wealth manager VermogensGroep for an undisclosed price.
del.icio.us
Digg
Newsvine
reddit
StumbleUpon