Hampden & Co unveils key hire and new office

● Three-year-old private bank to announce more hirings shortly

0 Chief executive Graeme Hartop pictured outside the private bank’s Charlotte Square office Edinburgh-headquartered private bank Hampden & Co has bolstered its team serving high net worth clients on both sides of the Border.

The bank, which opened three years ago, said the “highly experienced” Andrew Jackson was taking on the newly-created post of head of banking management at its London offices in Mayfair. With more than 30 years in private banking, Jackson joins from rival private bank Duncan Lawrie.

Further evidence of Hampden & Co’s expansion is the addition of a second office in the Scottish capital, close to its existing base in Charlotte Square. The new office, which lies just around the corner in South Charlotte Street, will house the operational and administration teams with clients going to the existing Charlotte Square office for meetings.

Graeme Hartop, chief executive, said: “Andrew Jackson is one of private banking’s most respected and experienced practitioners and it is testimony to the success of our private banking proposition that he wants to become part of our team.

“We are expanding our headcount and our premises. We’ve come a long way in less than three years and we will be announcing further hirings shortly. Our growth proves that there is a market for quality private banking and our belief that banking is a people business is paying off for us and our clients.”

The bank said it was seeing a wide range of high net worth individuals coming on board, while the firm would work with other advisers to some clients as part of a broader team. Hartop added: “We don’t just provide private banking for an individual, we look at their entire banking needs and extend our services to their family and to their commercial businesses.”

Chairman Ray Entwistle, the former boss of Adam & Co, said: “There is no doubt the large banks want to reduce costs, as we have seen with the recent branch closure announcements, and this creates a very de-personalised banking experience. Many successful people however still value a personal, professional service.”