Jean Christophe Gerard

Spear’s Review

Jean-Christophe Gerard of Barclays Private Bank joined the bank in 2017 as its global head of investments after spending 24 years at HSBC. He became private bank and wealth management CEO in 2020, and now serves as chairman of the division. 

He previously told Spear’s that he sees himself as ‘the guardian of a very rich heritage with the duty to stick to modernity and bring the best to our clients’ and that the industry is becoming ever more challenging. ‘In the past, it was taking generations to create a dynasty. Today, I know some 30-year-olds who started from scratch and are now billionaires. Those clients have a very particular mindset and are expecting banks to adapt quickly to their needs.’ 

He’s optimistic about Barclays’ ability to cater to these young wealth creators and believes that while ‘digitalisation will continue to be at the forefront’ of providing quality service to clients, ‘the human side of banking has not changed’.

Gerard is focused on ensuring that Barclays continues to anticipate the needs of its clients, especially as the nature of wealth – and wealth creators – changes. Regardless of Barclays’ success, Gerard avoids complacency. ‘Private banking cannot leave room to be mediocre – this is my everyday battle.’