Ms Chau was most recently senior vice president investment advisory at Coutts Bank von Ernst, responsible for setting up investment advisory services for the bank's private banking joint venture with Bank of China in Beijing and Shanghai.  She also spent three years with Coutts in Singapore, where she managed a team of investment advisors.  

At Barclays Wealth, Ms Chau will oversee a team of investment specialists based in Singapore, reporting to Thomas Fekete, global head of investment specialists and interim head of investment specialists in Asia.  

The team offers bankers advisory solutions through adopting a systematic approach to asset allocation and risk management, providing strategic advice in optimising returns and monitoring portfolios, as well as offering expertise across all asset classes.

Didier von Daeniken, Asia Pacific chief executive of Barclays Wealth, said: "The private banking business continues to thrive in Asia and we are focused on expanding and building capabilities to further enhance our range of services to our clients.  This new appointment will strengthen our client servicing and advisory expertise, and ensure that we are well-positioned to take advantage of market opportunities."