Former Investec private bank general counsel Scott Southgate has taken up a new role at the Hampshire Trust Bank (HTB).

He left Investec at the end of 2016 after almost nine years at the bank, before starting in his new role as legal counsel at challenger bank HTB earlier this month.

During his time at Investec he took part in a review of its private banking panel, which saw the group standardise its relationships with its legal advisers – which at the time included Osborne Clarke, Reed Smith and legacy Wragge & Co – and cut down its roster.

Investec – whose legal team is led by group general counsel and head of legal Lauren Ekon – is not looking to appoint a successor in his former role.

HTB, which was formed in 1977, was taken over by a new management team backed by private equity house Alchemy Partners in 2014. It specialises in asset finance, commercial mortgages and property finance. The bank's in-house legal team also includes director of legal and compliance Ann Doan, who joined from the Charities Aid Foundation in 2015.

HTB CEO Mark Sismey-Durrant said: "We are delighted to confirm that Scott will be providing general legal counsel at the bank over the coming months. Banking regulation is constantly evolving and given the range and complexity of the current legal and compliance changes we need to process, having additional support in-house will be highly beneficial. Scott has a wealth of legal experience and will be providing support across all departments of the bank."

Before joining Investec, Southgate was an associate at Watson Farley & Williams and now-defunct Scots firm McClure Naismith.