The firm's new head of Switzerland and Austria will oversee the opening of a new Zurich office in 2017.

PineBridge Investments has appointed Alain Meyer as head of Switzerland and Austria. The firm has also launched the PineBridge European Secured Credit Fund.

Meyer will oversee PineBridge’s expansion into the Swiss institutional and intermediaries market, as well as the opening of a new Zurich office scheduled for 2017, the firm said yesterday in a statement.

He joined from Aviva Investors, where he was head of institutional sales, overseeing operations across Germany, Austria and Switz, where he was head of institutional sales, overseeing operations across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Meanwhile, PineBridge Investments has also launched the PineBridge European Secured Credit Fund. The fund will be co-managed by portfolio managers Julie Bothamley and Evangeline Lim, as well as global head of credit and fixed credit Steven Oh.

The fund aims to provide investors with income returns and capital preservation from a diversified portfolio of European sub-investment grade debt obligations issued by corporations in various industries and geographical regions. The fund will seek to achieve these returns by investing into primarily senior secured obligations.

The PineBridge European Secured Credit Fund will be domiciled and regulated in Luxembourg and is registered in 17 countries across Europe.