Fidelity
Fidelity has appointed Michael Gibb to the newly created role of head of stewardship and sustainable investing.
Gibb will oversee Fidelity’s strategy and policies on engagement, voting and environmental, social, governance (ESG) integration across its active product range.
Reporting to Paras Anand, chief information officer equities, Europe, he will lead activity among Fidelity’s existing ESG team, helping to advance the integration of ESG factors within the firm’s investment processes.
Gibb has more than 27 years’ investment experience. He started his career as a portfolio manager in Asian equities and has worked at a range investment companies including Martin Currie Investment Management, Credit Suisse and Gartmore Investment Managers.
Momentum Pensions
Bernie Saker has been appointed by Momentum Pensions as business development manager for the Middle East and Asia.
Saker, based in the UAE, has worked in financial services for more than 30 years. For the past seven years she has focused on the pensions sector and joins the firm from Harbour Pensions in Malta, which was recently purchased by the STM Group, where she worked for two years.
HSBC
HSBC Private Banking has appointed Alan Beattie as Hong Kong-based global head of private wealth solutions (PWS). The appointment is effective 22 January, subject to regulatory approval.
PWS is a trust and fiduciary services provider, which offers individuals and families with wealth, business and family succession solutions.
Beattie will be responsible for managing PWS globally and will report to Peter Boyles, HSBC Private Banking’s chief executive. He will replace Chris Marquis, who is leaving to pursue opportunities outside of the bank.
Hermes
Hermes Investment Manager has announced Lin Chew has joined the company’s Asia Pacific business development team as a director.
Chew will report to Jakob Nilsson, head of business development for Asia Pacific.
Based in Singapore, Chew will be responsible for managing engagement with the company’s clients and prospects across the region as it continues to grow its local footprint.
Her focus will include providing analysis and insight into Asian markets, helping raise third party assets and delivering on new business targets.
She has experience working with investors, distributors and consultants across Asia, having most recently been in business development for Winton Capital Asia.
Vontobel Asset Management
Vontobel Asset Management has hired Thierry Larose as an emerging market bond manager.
Larose, who will specialise in local currency bonds for the firm, has more than 30 years’ industry experience.
He joins the firm from Degroof Petercam Asset Management in Brussels, where he was portfolio manager of the Emerging Market Sustainable Bonds fund.
Smith & Williamson
Financial and professional services group Smith & Williamson has appointed Andrew Fisher to the board of the company’s board as a non-executive director.
Fisher has extensive executive and non-executive experience in the financial services and wealth management sectors, having served as chief executive of Towry Group, Coutts & Co, and more recently, as a non-executive director of private bank, C. Hoare & Co.
He succeeds Bob Bogart, who retired as a non-executive director in 2017.
Saxo Bank
Multi-asset trading and investment specialist Saxo Bank has appointed Damian Bunce as chief client officer, effective from 19 February.
Bunce joins Saxo’s executive team and will report directly to Kim Fournais, chief executive and founder.
In this role, Bunce will assume overall responsibility for the origination, retention and growth of Saxo Bank’s direct and wholesale business and drive growth through its network of worldwide offices.
Bunce joins Saxo with more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry with particular expertise in electronic trading across asset classes gained through his work with a number of global banks in London, New York, Tokyo and Moscow.
He spent nine years at Goldman Sachs where he lead electronic execution sales for Europe, followed by three years at Barclays Capital where he was managing director and head of European electronic sales trading and distribution.
Markel UK
Markel International, the specialist insurer, has appointed Nic Brown as sales and marketing director of its national markets business in the UK, with responsibility across all its insurance, tax and legal operations.
The business combines Markel’s regional insurance operation with Abbey Tax, the accountants’ fee protection insurer and tax consultancy, and Abbey Legal, the legal expenses insurance and legal advice business.
Brown was previously global sales director for Bupa’s international medical insurance business and, prior to that, held senior sales and marketing roles at Axa, Aetna, Cigna and Citibank, in an insurance career spanning 20 years.
Withers
International law firm Withers has appointed eight associates to partner, the majority specialise in tax, trust and estate specialists.
- James Dougherty, based in Greenwich, advises on estate planning and administration, probate matters and litigation arising from trust and estate succession issues.
- Lian Fang, based in New York, advises on wealth planning matters, often working with multi-generational families to assist them with transferring their wealth to younger generations.
- Eva Farkas-DiNardo, (New York), advises clients on personal and business tax planning across their international interests.
- Theda Fisher, (New York), provides corporate immigration advice to a wide range of US and foreign businesses, and personal immigration advice to successful people.
- Elliot Galler, (New York), advises US domestic and multi-national businesses and high net worth individuals on the tax implications of investing in the US and abroad.
- Stephen Nerland, (London), advises US nationals based in the UK on their US tax and estate planning, as well as advising non-US individuals on tax planning ahead of moving to the US
- Jaime McLemore, (London), advises US nationals based in the UK on their US tax and estate planning and compliance, as well as advising both individuals and organisations on charitable giving.
- Vasiliki Yiannoulis, (New York), advises individuals and corporate investors on commercial real estate projects, including advice on debt financing and other lending transactions.
