Valiant Holding AG unit Valiant Bank AG appointed Bertrand Merkli the new head of its private banking business in Romandy, a French-speaking region in western Switzerland.

Merkli joins Valiant from Germany's M.M.Warburg & CO Gruppe GmbH where he most recently served as deputy CEO of the Swiss business. He previously held senior roles at HSBC Holdings PLC and Swiss banks Julius Bär Gruppe AG and Credit Suisse Group AG.

Merkli succeeds Patrick Bumann, who will focus on client advisory at Valiant.

The Swiss bank plans to further expand its operations in Romandy. It recently opened a new office in the Morges municipality of the Swiss canton of Vaud and plans to open two more offices in the same canton, one in November and the other one in January 2019.