Nikko Asset Management
Udo von Werne has been named head of Europe, Middle East and Africa for Nikko Asset Management.
Taking on the role of chief executive of Nikko AM Europe, he will assume responsibility for growing the business across the region, reporting to president and chief executive Takumi Shibata.
He brings more than 25 years’ experience in the financial industry, most recently as head of institutional clients for continental Europe at Pictet Asset Management, with earlier roles at Zurich Financial Services and UBS.
Generali Worldwide
Generali Worldwide recently appointed a new sales manager, Chiew Min Tan, to join their Singapore Branch.
Chiew Min joins Generali Worldwide from Zurich International Life, where she was a sales manager working with many financial advisory firms both locally and internationally. She has over 13 years’ experience in financial services having also worked with Citibank and Prudential, among others.
Zurich UK Life
Helen Pickford has been appointed chief financial officer of Zurich UK Life. She will succeed Neil Evans on 1 April, who is retiring after 28 years with the business.
Pickford joins from Ageas, where she was finance director for eight years, following 15 years holding senior positions at Royal Sun Alliance, including finance director.
Royal Bank of Scotland Group
Former JP Morgan Chase & Co head of Asia wealth management Peter Flavel is set to lead Coutts & Co and Adam & Co as Royal Bank of Scotland Group’s chief executive of private banking.
He replaces Michael Morley, who has been chief executive since 2009. Morley will leave the business at the end of May.
Arbuthnot Latham
Ian Street has been appointed as director, private banking at Arbuthnot Latham’s international office in Dubai. He joins from Coutts & Co where he was head of their Abu Dhabi business for over eight years. Street takes up his appointment with immediate effect.
JP Morgan Asset Management
JP Morgan Asset Management has hired Anthony Simpson as EMEA head of client portfolio management for multi-asset, leading the London and Hong Kong teams.
Based in London, he will report to James Elliot, global co-chief investment officer of multi-asset solutions.
Simpson has more than 30 years of industry experience including nine years in the hedge fund industry. He also held leadership roles at Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs, where he founded and co-headed the Pension & Insurance Services Group in London.
Alliance Trust
Katherine Garrett-Cox is to depart Alliance Trust as chief executive of its fund management business in March after her role was abolished.
The announcement follows a high profile row last year between the management of the trust and activist investors Elliot Advisors, which was resolved by Alliance Trust appointing two candidates to the board who had been proposed by Elliott.
Elian
Elian has hired Paul Lawrence as head of European funds. Taking on all administration services for Europe, including real estate, private equity managers and investors, including depository services, he will lead the 130-strong European team.
In addition, Lawrence will oversee its Asia funds operations, growing the firm’s presence in the region in response to inward and outward European asset flows.
He will move from Luxembourg to London to take up the newly created role.
Candriam Investors Group
Pan-European multi-specialist asset manager, Candriam Investors Group, which is owned by New York Life Investment Management (NYLIM), announced two senior hires – Chris Davies as Head of UK Distribution, and Derek Brander as Head of UK Wholesale – as it seeks to bolster its presence in the UK.
With more than 30 years’ experience, Davies joins after 11 years at Fidelity. He will be responsible for driving distribution across institutional, wholesale, and retail investor segments.
Brander brings 25 years of experience within asset management, most recently spending five years at Natixis Asset Management, growing its UK Wholesale business from infancy.
Both will be based in Candriam’s growing London City office.
Gravis Capital Partners
Former Cenkos Securities senior corporate adviser to the investment funds sector, Dion Di Miceli, has joined Gravis Capital Partners (GCP) as head of investment funds.
He will work with the boards of GCP-managed funds, their investors and advisers.
Aetna International
International health benefits provider, Aetna International has appointed Laurent de Veyrac as senior director, business development for Europe.
De Veyrac comes to Aetna International having spent the past 10 years in senior executive roles within the health insurance industry in Hong Kong, Singapore, and China. He was most recently chief operating officer at Abacare.