Citi Private Bank internally promotes a heavyweight banker to become a global market manager based in Hong Kong, finews.asia has learned.

Kevin King has been named as the global market manager for southern mainland China. He was most recently a team head covering the offshore Chinese market. 

A spokesperson for the bank declined to comment on the appointment. 

King is a seasoned private banking veteran renowned for his deep network and relatively fast rise in an industry with a notoriously thin pool of senior talent. In addition to 11 years with Citi Private Bank, King had also previously worked with the likes of J. Safra Sarasin, UBS and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council where he focused on developing relations with the Greater China business community.

Greater Bay Area

The most notable tailwind for the southern mainland region is the ambitious Greater Bay Area plans which envision closer integration between Hong Kong, Macau and several cities in the Guangdong province.

In addition to creating an integrated economic and business hub, the plan if successful is expected to provide a boost to the tech sector most notably by filling the talent gap between fast-growing demand from mainland China and the relatively small pool in Hong Kong. According to a Colliers estimate, the Greater Bay Area could generate gargantuan economic output totaling $3.6 trillion annually by 2030.