Lombard Odier appointed a prominent asset manager as head of sales in Zurich in March. He's left the Swiss private bank less than three months later.

At the end of March, Lombard Odier Investment Managers (Lombard Odier IM) named Thomas Breitenmoser their head of sales in Zurich. finews.ch reported the appointment at the time.

Hiring Breitenmoser was a sign of Lombard Odier's determination to expand its business in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, the bank's global head of sales, Carolina Minio-Paluello, said at the time.

Looking for a Replacement

Three months later, things have changed: Breitenmoser has left the bank, according to two independent sources. The Geneva-based bank is looking for a replacement. «We can confirm that after a short period with Lombard Odier Investment Managers, Thomas Breitenmoser has left the firm,», a spokeswoman said to finews.ch, and: «Lombard Odier is committed to the German speaking Swiss market and we will continue to source strong talent to support our growth in this region.»

The departure of Breitenmoser is a blow for Lombard Odier Zurich, because he is a proven capacity in his field of expertise. Before joining Lombard Odier, he worked as head of asset management sales at Zuercher Kantonalbank (ZKB). Previously, he was in charge of sales for institutional clients at Swisscanto, before the company was taken over by ZKB.

Decade Spent at J.P. Morgan

He also spent a decade at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, where also was responsible for institutional clients for two years.

Breitenmoser earned an Executive MBA in Asset and Wealth Management at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and at the University of Lausanne.