Play all audios:
There are "huge opportunities" for Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse, with potential growth in emerging markets, according to its incoming CEO Tidjane Thiam. He declined to comment
on any new strategy for the bank, which he will head up from June, but told CNBC Tuesday that Credit Suisse had a "great brand." He added that there were opportunities to tap into
the demographics of emerging Asian countries, like China. Thiam, who is currently CEO of Prudential, was named the new CEO of the Swiss bank on Tuesday morning. He will take over from
outgoing CEO Brady Dougan, who has been with the Swiss lender for 8 years, in June 2015. Tidjane Thiam Chris Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images Shares of Credit Suisse surged 7.5 percent
at the session open on Tuesday following the news, while Prudential's stock slumped 3 percent. "By definition you want to leave when everything is going well. There's not one
business slowing down or having any issue," Thiam said on his departure from Prudential. "That really allows you to leave without the market worrying that you're running away
from something. That was really important." He added that Prudential has a "very good" succession plan in place. "It's a kind of formality but it hasn't been
announced. It will be announced shortly … we will reassure the market," he said. Paul Manduca, chairman of Prudential, called Thiam an "exceptional leader" who had steered the
company through the financial crisis. Predecessor Dougan added that he had "tremendous respect" for him. Read MoreWho is the new CEO at Credit Suisse? Thiam joined Pru as its
chief financial officer in 2008 and was appointed group chief executive a year afterwards. The London-based international financial services group has operations in the U.S., Asia, Europe
and Latin America and its shares have risen around 150 percent during Thiam's tenure. Onlookers cite this background in insurance and wealth management as the main driver behind his
appointment at Credit Suisse. Christopher Wheeler, an analyst at Atlantic Equities, called it a political move, as the bank is replacing an investment banker with Thiam in the hopes of
appeasing anxious Swiss authorities.