Henderson, the UK-listed investment manager which recently announced a proposal to buy rival Gartmore, has hired a new head of UK marketing from Ignis Asset Management.

Allyson Foster, who was head of partnership marketing at Ignis, is set to join Henderson in April. She joined Ignis in May 2009 from New Star. In her new role, she will report to Richard Wilson, the director of marketing and distribution services at Henderson.

The acquisition of Gartmore, if successful, will add to Henderson’s retail assets, and this appointment further confirms the firm’s commitment to the UK retail market, a spokesperson for Henderson told WealthBriefing.

Henderson last week set out its proposal to buy embattled rival Gartmore Group, in a deal that would create a firm with combined assets under management of £78 billion (around $124.1 billion). Under the terms of the deal, Gartmore shareholders will receive two Henderson shares for every three Gartmore shares.