People Moves

Canaccord Genuity WM Rejigs CIO Leadership After Acquisition

Editorial Staff 13 October 2023

Canaccord Genuity WM Rejigs CIO Leadership After Acquisition

The change comes after the business bought Punter Southall in late 2021. The role of chief investment officer will be held by two people.

Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management in the UK & Crown Dependencies, which oversees £32.5 billion ($39.9 billion) of assets under management as of the end of June, is melding the chief investment offices of CGWM and Punter Southall Wealth.

The firm has named Richard Champion (main picture) and Thomas Becket (below) as co-chief investment officers.

The firm, part of Canada’s Canaccord group, bought Punter Southall in December 2021.
 
“I am delighted that we have been able to combine the best of both CIO worlds to create a compelling breadth and depth of expertise for the benefit of our discretionary portfolios and model services. We now have the deepest sector coverage we have ever had – Richard is a highly experienced specialist in direct equities and is complimented by Thomas’s strengths in fixed income and alternatives,” David Esfandi, CEO, Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management, UK said. 

The changes reflect a range of acquisitions that CGWM UK has made in recent years. 

Champion has been with CGWM UK since 2015 as deputy chief investment officer. Becket joined when CGWM acquired PSW in 2021 where he was chief investment officer.
 
The CIO oversees the interaction of 15 investment committees to power a research-driven and highly analytical centralised investment process. Intermediaries and private clients can access this expertise through the firm’s national and international network of more than 350 expert wealth managers.

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