French-headquartered AXA Investment Managers, the investment arm of AXA, an insurance and asset management company, makes senior hire from within the business.

AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) has appointed Ouajnat Karim as CEO of AXA IM UK, and AXA IM GS, subject to regulatory approval.

Karim will become UK CEO whilst retaining some of her current responsibilities as global head of oversight and chief operating office (COO) UK, AXA IM Core, the firm said in a statement. She will have a dual reporting line to Jean-Chistophe Menioux, general secretary and chief financial officer (CFO), and Geoffroy Reiss, COO and global head of transversal services for AXA IM Core.

Effective in December, Karim will be taking over from the current UK CEO Marcello Arona, who is pursuing an opportunity outside of the business.

Karim, who joined AXA IM in 2007, has 20 years of experience in financial services across alternatives, impact investing and traditional asset classes. She was appointed deputy COO of core investments (later AXA IM Core) in 2019, assuming her present role earlier this year. A member of the UK executive committee since 2019, she is also a non-executive director for two of AXA IM’s Irish Collective Asset-Management Vehicle (ICAVs).

“I am delighted that Ouajnat will be taking on this new professional endeavour within AXA IM and I trust that her extensive knowledge of the business, significant control and governance oversight experience, as well as her strong focus on people and clients, will be instrumental to her success in the role,” Menioux said. “I would like to warmly thank Marcello Arona for the significant contribution he has made to AXA IM over the last 20 years and wish him every success for the future.”

AXA Investment Managers is a global asset manager offering a range of investment opportunities in both alternative and traditional asset classes, managing about €859 billion ($906 billion) in assets, and has €480 billion of ESG-integrated, sustainable or impact assets.