UBS general counsel Peter Kurer (pictured) will be the next chairman of the Swiss banking giant, it was announced today (1 April), with current chair Marcel Ospel opting to stand down after major losses suffered by the investment bank.

Kurer, who joined UBS in 2001 as group general counsel and has been a member of the group executive board since 2002, is poised to take charge after the group’s annual general meeting later this month (23 April).