UBS is poaching a prominent Citigroup executive to run $600 million of its investments. Her hire follows the departure of one of the Swiss bank's highest-profile female asset management executives.

Zurich-based UBS said on Monday it is hiring Suni Harford as head of investments, effective in July. She will report to overall asset management head Ulrich Koerner.

While hardly known in Switzerland, Harford is a high-profile American banker and 24-year-veteran of Citigroup who has served as the American bank's head of North American markets for the past nine years.

Harford is also a well-known advocate of workplace diversity, a topic that UBS is tackling with renewed vigor.

More Female Representation

UBS' management is sparse on female representation, save for former Westpac boss Gail Kelly, a senior advisor to CEO Sergio Ermotti, and top management member Sabine Keller-Busse

«Suni brings strong leadership capabilities combined with a broad knowledge of the investment markets across multiple asset classes and deep understanding of macro-economics," Koerner said in a statement.

The hire is a coup for Koerner, who only recently lost hedge fund executive Dawn Fitzpatrick, one of Wall Street's most powerful women, to George Soros' fund.