HONG KONG, June 18 (Reuters) - Europe's biggest bank

HSBC ( HSBC ) appointed Christopher Chua head of mergers and

acquisitions on Wednesday, after its former global head left for

JPMorgan last month.

Chua, who was most recently the bank's Asia head of M&A,

will take up the new role immediately and continue to be based

in Hong Kong, according to a memo seen by Reuters and confirmed

by a company spokesperson.

He will lead the M&A business in "Asia and the Middle East,

an area of competitive strength where we provide significant

value to our clients", Adam Bagshaw, the bank's global head of

capital markets and advisory said in the memo.

Chua is the latest top banker to be promoted to oversee

reconfigured dealmaking business at the Asia-focused bank, which

started a global overhaul last year that left the operation more

focused on M&A and equity capital market capabilities in Asia

and the Middle East.

The bank wound down its M&A and some equities businesses in

Europe and the Americas earlier this year and its former global

M&A head Kamal Jabre's left for U.S. rival JPMorgan.

Chua, who joined HSBC ( HSBC ) in 2022 from Credit Suisse to lead its

M&A business in Asia, has more than 20 years' experience

advising international blue-chip companies on complex

cross-border M&A transactions.

Meanwhile, Vikas Seth will chair the M&A business at HSBC ( HSBC ),

in addition to his role as vice chair for corporate and

institutional banking that focuses on strategic client

engagement.