Colm Kelleher: UBS picks an outsider with staying power

The Morgan Stanley veteran is a sound pick, but is an old-school investment banker the right person to run the world’s largest wealth manager?

Colm Kelleher is choosing a good moment to join UBS, but time will tell if he is the right fit as the next chairman of the Swiss wealth management giant.

The Ireland-born investment banker will succeed Axel Weber when the latter’s mandate ends in April 2022.

Kelleher has all the right credentials, yet is also a surprise pick. He joined Morgan Stanley in 1989, running the bond-trading desk in London before moving to New York and rising to the position of chief financial officer, then president.

What makes Kelleher a good choice? He is clearly a safe pair of hands

He played a key role in the global financial crisis, helping the Wall Street bank pivot to wealth management and downsize its investment bank.

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