US finance giant JP Morgan reinforces Scottish operation by hiring renowned industry veteran

JP Morgan Private Bank has hired Gillian Murray (pictured) to run its dedicated team of advisers in Scotland. Picture: contributed.

A US-headquartered financial services giant has enhanced its rapidly expanding presence north of the Border with the key hire of a renowned industry veteran to lead its team of private banking advisers in Scotland.

JP Morgan Private Bank has recruited Gillian Murray to run the department that was created earlier this year, and she joins from RBC Brewin Dolphin where she was an investment director, having previously been at North Capital Management.

Oliver Gregson, region head of JP Morgan Private Bank in the UK, Ireland & Channel Islands, said: “We are delighted that Gillian Murray has joined to head [our] growing team in Scotland. Scotland has, for some time now, been a fast-growing hub for innovation and tech start-ups, attracting global interest and investment. Our dedicated local team strengthens our ability to better serve our clients and businesses across the country.

“Our journey in Scotland began over a century ago. Fast forward to today, and the country has become a strategic hub for the firm. This rich history, when combined with JP Morgan's resources, will aim to deliver unparalleled depth of global expertise, knowledge, and capabilities for clients across the region. As I stated when we expanded our advisor footprint earlier this year, our vision is clear: we are here to grow, to partner and to invest in the people and the communities that make Scotland so unique.”

JP Morgan Private Bank in February of this year announced the creation of a team of six private banking advisors in the Scottish capital, based at the firm’s offices on Lochside Place in Edinburgh Park, complementing the premises’ 1,500-strong workforce operating across asset- and wealth-management. The firm has been present in the city since 1976, and JP Morgan claims to be the first New York bank to establish a representative office in Edinburgh. “And stay, if I may say so,” Gregson said in February.

The group can trace its Scottish roots back to 1888, recently also expanding this with the official opening in April 2024 of vast hi-tech offices on Argyle Street in Glasgow’s financial district, and noted at the time that it had about 2,600 staff in the city, and 4,000 in Scotland overall.