Towers Watson has appointed Chris Ford as the global head of its investment business, effective immediately. He succeeds Carl Hess who has assumed the role of managing director of the Americas.

The global professional services firm Towers Watson has appointed Chris Ford as the global head of its investment business, effective immediately. He succeeds Carl Hess who has assumed the role of managing director of the Americas region and joins the company’s executive committee.

“Chris has proven himself to be very capable – both strategically and operationally – at propelling the business forward and delivering strong growth,” said Tricia Guinn, managing director of Risk and Financial Services at Towers Watson, when commenting on the appointment.

Ford has held numerous leadership roles since joining the firm 23 years ago, most recently heading the company’s investment business in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Heading up the business, he will focus on creating financial value for institutional investors through risk assessment, strategic asset allocation, fiduciary management and investment manager selection. 

The investment business currently has around 800 associates worldwide, over $2 trillion assets under advisory and around $60 billion in assets under management.