Feb 28 (Reuters) - Swiss bank and wealth manager Julius

Baer is close to appointing former HSBC CEO

Noel Quinn as its next chairman, a person familiar with the

matter said on Friday.

A spokesperson for Julius Baer declined to comment.

Quinn could not immediately be reached for comment.

In January, Julius Baer chairman Romeo Lacher said he was

stepping down as the bank continued a management shake-up that

began a year earlier when it suffered major losses from exposure

to collapsed property group Signa.

Quinn announced he was leaving HSBC in April last year. He

oversaw a raft of asset sales, navigated the global pandemic and

a push by rebel investors to break up the bank, guiding the

lender to a record profit.

The news of his impending appointment to chair Julius Baer

was earlier reported by U.S. news agency Bloomberg.