Geneva private bank Lombard Odier is expanding its operations targeting ultra-high-net-worth private clients and entrepreneurial families. Effective January 1, 2027, Christina Stäger Ernst will assume leadership of the Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals and Single Family Offices segment for German-speaking Switzerland. The experienced private banker will be based in Zurich and report directly to Serge Fehr, partner and head of the Swiss market at Lombard Odier, as announced by the institution on Tuesday.
Stäger Ernst brings more than 25 years of experience in private banking and wealth management to her new role. She joins from UBS, where her most recent position was managing director and desk head of UHNW Switzerland Central. In that capacity, she directed a team focusing on exceptionally wealthy Swiss clients while continuing to personally oversee selected accounts. Prior to that tenure, Stäger Ernst spent 14 years working as a senior relationship manager within the global family office and ultra-high-net-worth division at UBS. She initiated her professional trajectory in advisory roles assisting family offices with strategic matters, the establishment of organizational structures, and the formulation of investment processes, alongside earlier work as a consultant at McKinsey.
This appointment highlights the strategic ambitions of Lombard Odier within its domestic Swiss market, with a particular emphasis on growing operations involving affluent families and single family offices. Serge Fehr commented on the appointment that her profound understanding of the requirements of ultra-high-net-worth families, extensive familiarity with the domestic market, and strong dedication to clients will be essential in expanding the institution's footprint across German-speaking Switzerland. Through this recruitment, Lombard Odier enhances its capacity to manage clients possessing intricate wealth arrangements, a sector that holds strategic importance for the domestic Swiss franchise.
Lombard Odier addresses this clientele through a comprehensive service model combining traditional investment advisory and wealth management with wealth planning, succession arrangements, and family governance. The Geneva-based private bank, owned by its managing partners, reported total client assets under management amounting to 367 billion francs at the conclusion of June 2026. Globally, the group maintained a workforce of 2,895 employees spread across 26 locations in 19 countries at that time.
