Bank of America’s investment banking chief Christian Meissner is out

REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

• Christian Meissner, the head of global investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, is leaving the firm. 
• He joined the firm in 2010 and is set to depart at the end of this year, according to an internal memo.
• He will be succeeded by Matthew Koder, the bank’s president of Asia Pacific.

Christian Meissner is out at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. 

The company’s global investment banking chief has decided to leave the firm at the end of the year, according to an internal memo from COO Tom Montag.

“I am very proud of what we have achieved during the last eight years. We have built a tremendous team around the world serving our clients and it’s been an honor to have led such a talented group of professionals,” Meissner is quoted as saying in the memo.

Succeeding Meissner is Matthew Koder, the bank’s president of Asia Pacific, who will soon move from Hong Kong to New York to facilitate the transition. 

Meissner joined in 2010, a period of turmoil for all of Wall Street, though Bank of America was especially hard hit. He built the firm’s investment bank into a top contender, battling the likes of JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs in the annual league tables. 

The bank’s investment banking performance has taken a step back of late, falling from third in 2015 to fourth the past two years on the overall league tables, according to data from industry consultant Coalition. The bank came in fifth in the investment banking league tables through the first half of 2018. 

Here’s the full memo from Montag:

Organizational update
A message from Tom Montag

To: GBAM employees

Christian Meissner has informed me of his decision to leave the company. Christian joined the bank in 2010 during a tumultuous period in the markets. His drive and determination during that period and since then have been critical to the development of our business. Under Christian’s leadership, the Global Investment Banking business reached and maintained a top tier global ranking. His many contributions to our company have played a significant role in our success. Christian will remain at the bank until the end of the year.  

Commenting on his decision Christian said, “I am very proud of what we have achieved during the last eight years. We have built a tremendous team around the world serving our clients and it’s been an honor to have led such a talented group of professionals.” 

I am pleased to announce that Matthew Koder, President of Asia Pacific, will become head of GCIB and will move to New York. Matthew joined the company in 2011 as head of Asia Pacific Global Corporate and Investment Banking before becoming President of APAC in 2012. He has extensive international experience and has been based in Hong Kong, Sydney, London and New York at different points in his career. His excellent leadership and management skills have contributed to APAC’s strong results. His significant experience across several businesses coupled with his management role in APAC positions him well for this new role.    

Matthew will relocate to New York and will work with Christian during the transition period. Matthew’s successor in APAC will be announced shortly.    

Please join me in thanking Christian for his many contributions to our company and congratulating Matthew on his new role. 

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