An inquest yesterday heard how HSBC’s head of insurance, Christen Schnor, had been experiencing marital problems instead of work pressures before he was found dead in his suite at a Knightsbridge Hotel in December last year.
The 49 year old banker from Norway, who headed up the HSBC insurance arm for the UK, the Middle East, Turkey and Malta, was found hanging by his belt in a wardrobe at the £500-a-night suite at the Carlton Tower Hotel. A suicide note written in Danish left on the bed showed “serious marital problems.”
The coroner’s officer, Terry Lovegrove, stated: “It appears his marriage had been in difficulty for a while.” The inquest heard that there was no immediate evidence suggesting that work problems were to blame for his depression and subsequent suicide.
Mr Schnor earned a six-figure salary and his arm of the bank was worth an estimated £750 million in profit.
The coroner, Dr Paul Knapman, said that even though Mr Schnor had been drinking, his action “would require a lot of meditation and reflection.”
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