Barclays Wealth Creates New Position for Build-Out

Barclays Wealth, a unit of U.K.-based Barclays plc, appointed David Lewis to the newly created position of managing director and head of banking, Americas. He will be responsible for the regional banking platform, and lead the company’s continued build-out of its regional banking products and services.

Lewis has more than 20 years of experience in banking and trust, most recently as head of banking products, Americas at UBS, where he oversaw all regional banking-related business, including savings deposits, residential mortgages and credit cards, according to a press release from Barclays.

“We are excited to have someone with Mr. Lewis’s expertise and experience to this role,” said Mitch Cox, Head of Barclays Wealth in Americas and Head of Research and Investments for the firm globally, in the press release. “David’s appointment underscores our commitment to building out private banking. Barclays Wealth’s expansion of its credit and banking platform in the Americas is a part of our dedication to meeting the needs of high net worth individuals,” he said.

Indeed, as noted last week, Barclays Wealth has been on a hiring spree. It has a major presence globally, but with about 250 financial advisors in the United States, is only as large as a small regional here. But it has quietly been on a hiring spree that began last year. It hired 50 new advisors last year nationally and plans to add another 50 to 100 this year. Barclays bought Lehman's private investment management business in 2008 when Lehman filed for bankruptcy and has been using that as its base for U.S. operations ever since.

Most recently, it hired Stephen Head recently as a managing director and regional manager for Texas. He will report to Steve Houston, who was promoted in June to build the firm's high-net-worth client business and expand its advisor network.