Lombard Odier Private Bank has appointed Michael Le Garignon as head of independent asset managers (IAM) UK, a newly created role.

The move follows the continued investment plan of the Geneva-based asset manager to expand its presence in the UK.

Based in London, Le Garignon will be responsible for driving the launch of Lombard’s IAM solution in the UK.

“Lombard Odier’s IAM business currently has €18bn under custody and the firm is looking to bring this established model to the UK,” said the firm.

The IAM business is anticipated to be launched in the UK in early 2017.

The division serves independent asset managers, as well as providing multi-family offices and wealth managers a state of the art portfolio management platform.

Le Garignon joins from Societe Generale, where for four years he served as head of business development and relationship management for the UK & Ireland for the bank’s Securities Services division. Prior to that he held business development roles at JP Morgan and BNP Paribas Securities Services.

Le Garignon’s appointment is the latest string of hires Lombard Odier has made to boost its London offering. In October the firm announced six appointments, including a new COO, three private banks, a new wealth planner and a legal counsel.