The latest moves in the world's wealth management sector during what is usually a relatively quiet holiday month. Even so, there were a number of senior moves and changes.

Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management in the UK and Crown Dependencies (Canaccord Wealth), appointed investment director, Paul Fielding to join its Birmingham team. Previously, Fielding worked at RBC Brewin Dolphin for 23 years.

AAX Biotech, a Swedish startup biotech company aiming to solve unmet needs in developing next-generation antibody therapeutics, appointed Patrik Strömberg to join its board of directors. Previously, he worked at pharmaceutical companies including AstraZeneca and Biovitrum/Sobi. Since 2021, he served as the CEO of AnaCardio. He holds a PhD in biochemistry from Karolinska Institutet and an MBA from Stockholm University.

BIL Suisse appointed experienced banker Lionel Pilloud as the new head of its Geneva branch. Pilloud, a banking professional with over 30 years of experience, has expertise covering various banking sectors. Most recently, he was at Credit Suisse for nearly six years serving in various roles in Romandy and Ticino. Prior to that, he spent almost 20 years at Vontobel.

UK-based based IFA Ascot Lloyd appointed Francis Jackson as chief executive officer. He replaced Nigel Stockton, who said in February that he wanted to step down after leading the business since 2015. Previously, Jackson was the chief executive officer of RBC Investor Services.

Capital Union Bank Middle East appointed one of its senior figures, Peter Albinsson, as CEO and member of the board of directors, based in Abu Dhabi. Previously, Albinsson was CEO of Zurich-based external asset manager UCAP Wealth Management Switzerland. Prior to UCAP, Albinsson was was a member of the executive board and the deputy chief executive and head of international private banking and ultra-high net worth clients at NPB Neue Privat Bank AG. 

Vistra appointed Andrew Cherry as group chief financial officer (CFO) designate. Initially based in Luxembourg before moving to Singapore, Cherry leads the group’s finance function. Most recently, he was CFO at Alter Domus for five years where he was responsible for value creation and the sale of the business to Cinven.

Evelyn Partners appointed two new business development managers for its IFA business. Ben Sims and Joe Sheehan joined the team to cover Central London and key national accounts respectively.

Quilter Investors added Alex Daniels as a manager research analyst. He reports to Kristian Cassar, head of manager research at Quilter Investors. Daniels was formerly an investment analyst at Bordier where he managed equity, fixed income and alternative funds within the firm’s research team for over four years.

Reto Calonder was appointed to take over Julius Baer's St Gallen branch and the Eastern Switzerland region. He succeeded Michael Eicher, who decided to take on a new challenge outside the bank. Calonder has more than 30 years of experience in the financial sector. For the past 10 years he has been head of ultra-high net worth, executive and entrepreneurs and desk head for lawyers, trustees and notaries as well as deputy head of wealth management Eastern Switzerland at UBS in St Gallen.

Lighthouse Canton, the Singapore-based independent asset manager, appointed three senior executives: Amrit Singh, Henrik Aslaksen, and Balaji Prasanna. They founded AWM Capital after their stints at banks such as Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse. Singh and Prasanna are based in Singapore, while Aslaksen is based in London.

Orbis Investments, a UK-based firm, reshuffled its leadership on the retail side. Matthew Spencer, who has served in a range of roles at Orbis since 2008, officially took on the role of head of UK retail. Marcel Bradshaw will be retiring at the end of this year after leading the retail team in the UK for more than seven years. 

London-based asset manager Premier Miton appointed a new MPS investment director: Chris Robinson joined the multi-manager investment team of its newly-launched Model Portfolio Service, led by Ian Rees.

UK data and business intelligence firm Fundpath hired Trustnet co-founder Dominic Timberlake as a non-executive director, and Leanne van der Hoeven as chief marketing officer.

The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investments (CISI) appointed Daniel Ogier-Keltie ACSI as the Guernsey branch committee president. He took over from Ben Snook, chartered MCSI, who led the committee for two years. Ogier-Keltie is a senior listings analyst in the wider international markets division at the International Stock Exchange. 

NEBA Private Clients, a division of UK-based wealth, asset management and financial services group Team, appointed Ben Stubberfield, Ciprian Bratu and Craig Penketh as partners.

Equiom, a global provider of private client, family office, corporate administration, and accounting solutions, added to its corporate services team. Sarah Cobden was appointed as head of corporate services and Vanessa Blanchet as executive director, corporate services. 

Nuvama Private, the private banking arm of India’s Nuvama Group – a wealth manager – launched operations via an office in the Dubai International Financial Centre. The business, which obtained a CAT III C licence, appointed Vishwajit Patil as the senior executive officer for Nuvama Private DIFC. Patil has more than 20 years’ experience in banking, wealth management, and leadership.

Berner Kantonalbank added a team to its private banking unit. The group is led by former Credit Suisse bankers Markus Mühlheim and Michael Honegger. Other former Credit Suisse colleagues also joined: Rosa Cardinale Rohner, Urs Rentsch, Marc Rohrer and Oscar Rodriguez.

Titan Wealth appointed Ian Wood as group chief investment officer (CIO) of Titan Investment Solutions. Wood also took responsibility for investment decisions at Titan Investment Solutions as group CIO. 

Stonehage Fleming appointed Jayne Franks as group head of HR, based in London. She replaced the previous incumbent, Carol Mote. Franks, who has more than 25 years’ experience in talent management, strategic HR and organisational development, was previously senior vice president HR for Europe at Sotheby’s. 

abrdn Adviser appointed Verona Kenny in the newly-created role of chief distribution officer reporting directly to Noel Butwell, CEO of abrdn Adviser. Kenny, who has been a senior leader in the platform industry for many years, joined abrdn in Q4 after working most recently as managing director, intermediary at 7IM.

Law firm Lawrence Stephens promoted Jim Richards and Eleanor Wood to director. 

Asia-Pacific
Eastspring Investments appointed Dominic Wong as regional head of intermediary sales. Based in Hong Kong, Wong is responsible for leading and growing Eastspring’s intermediary business. He reports to chief distribution officer Salman Haider. Wong, who has more than 30 years’ experience in the asset management industry in Asia, was most recently head of intermediary distribution, Asia ex-Japan, at BNY Mellon Investment Management.

Lighthouse Canton made several appointments to add to client coverage from North Asia and Southeast Asia. Stella Lau was appointed as managing director, wealth advisory where she will be strengthening the company's client base and leading the growth strategy for North Asia. Previously, she was greater China market group head at Deutsche Bank and has served in similar roles, managing and expanding North Asia market teams at JP Morgan, UBS AG, and Credit Suisse AG. Charlene Lin was elevated to managing director, strategic gowth – North Asia and Southeast Asia.

Phoenix Property Investors, a large private real estate manager in Asia Pacific, appointed Kwanghyun (Tommy) Kim as managing director and head of South Korea. He has over 26 years of experience in real estate transactions and projects ranging from commercial, residential, logistics, hospitality and mixed-use residential properties. Prior to Phoenix, Kim was CEO of Hangang Asset Management. He also served as division head of global investment at Samsung SRA Asset Management and at Korea Telecom consulting for its real estate arm.

Emirates NBD appointed Sameer Deshpande as its wealth management head in Singapore. Before Emirates NBD, Deshpande was global head of investments e-sales at Citi Global Wealth, at Citigroup, also in Singapore; he served in various roles at the US bank since 2016.

Julius Baer appointed Ashwin Jayaram as team head, global non-resident Indians business, in Singapore. Jayaram is based in Singapore and reports to Vijay Solomon, group head, global NRI.

Jayaram served in various leadership roles focused on the South Asian diaspora at leading institutions including Bank J Safra Sarasin, Credit Suisse, and Coutts. Most recently, he served as CEO and managing director at a multi-family office – licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore – that serves UHNW clients across Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.

Vontobel appointed former BlackRock senior figure Clarabelle Ho as head of intermediary clients Asia. In all, Ho has more than 15 years’ experience in private and retail bank wholesale fund distribution in Southeast Asia and wider Asia region. At BlackRock, Ho was responsible for intermediary distribution as part of the wealth APAC client business team in Singapore. Previously, she was at UBS Asset Management.

VP Bank shut its physical presence in Hong Kong to focus on Singapore, while Pamela Phua, chief executive and Heline Lam, chief operating officer, left VP Bank in Hong Kong. VP Bank said the office closure is not related to its relationship with China-based Hywin Wealth Management, in which it bought a 3.4 per cent stake in 2021. Phua joined VP Bank in July 2021 after two years at Pictet as head of Asia family office. She worked at Julius Baer and Credit Suisse in their private banking units. Lam became COO in April this year after more than three years as chief of staff in Hong Kong. VP Bank established its Hong Kong office in 2006.

Lighthouse Canton appointed three senior executives to join its leadership: Amrit Singh, Henrik Aslaksen, and Balaji Prasanna. They founded AWM Capital after their stints at banks such as Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse. Singh and Prasanna are based in Singapore, while Aslaksen is based in London.

Capital Group appointed Stella Xu as head of institutional business for Greater China. Xu is based in Hong Kong and reports to Toby Chan, head of client group for Greater China. This role was previously managed from Singapore; it is now based in Hong Kong to provide better support for clients in Greater China and the region. Prior to this, Xu was head of institutional sales, Hong Kong and mainland China, at Fidelity International. She has more than 18 years’ industry experience in asset management.

Florence Wong was named as the new head of institutional sales for Hong Kong and Macau at BNP Paribas Asset Management. Wong, who has more than 20 years of industry experience in asset management and finance, succeeded Ross Lu, who moved to a new role within the BNP Paribas Group. Lu was in this post since 2018.

London-headquartered FINE+RARE Group – an international marketplace for wine, spirits and collectable experiences – made 10 new hires across its global portfolio, including hires in Asia. Hong Kong-based Jose Lau joined as its new sales director Asia. With a 14-year tenure in the industry, Lau came from Berry Bros & Rudd where he worked as head of sales, private clients. The firm also hired Christie Chan as customer experience executive in Hong Kong.

NEBA Private Clients, a division of UK-based wealth, asset management and financial services group Team, appointed Ciprian Bratu as a partner. Bratu is based in Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia.

Jaye Chiu was named regional head of private banking at Bank of East Asia, based in Hong Kong. He had previously been head of investment products and the advisory department since July 2020. Before BEA, he was managing director, regional head of investment management at the private bank, at BMO Private Banking, in Singapore and Hong Kong.

Federated Hermes appointed Elizabeth White to join its Australian and Asia-Pacific distribution team. White is based in Sydney and reports to Gary Horton, Federated Hermes’ head of distribution for Australia and New Zealand. White is responsible for aligning and distributing Federated Hermes’ products to meet the needs of wholesale, private bank and family office clients across the region. Her previous employers included NMG Consulting, Credit Suisse Private Bank, First Sentier Investors (formerly Colonial Global Asset Management), APN Funds Management (now DEXUS) and Macquarie Bank.

BlackRock appointed Tomoko Ueda as chief operating officer for Asia-Pacific, replacing James Raby, who moved to New York to take on the role of global head of compliance. The appointment expanded Ueda’s role, who oversees business operations in the region and leads the finance, corporate strategy and development teams to drive growth and operational efficiency. Ueda, who reports to Susan Chan, head of Asia-Pacific, has relocated to Hong Kong from Tokyo. Ueda joined BlackRock in 2022 as Asia-Pacific head of corporate strategy and development.

DBS appointed Tan Su Shan as deputy CEO, adding to her roles as group head of institutional banking. Tan succeeded Piyush Gupta as CEO who was due to retire; he has more than 35 years’ bank and wealth management experience. Besides Singapore, Tan has worked in Hong Kong, London and Tokyo. Tan, who joined DBS in 2010, built up the lender’s wealth business. Subsequently, she spent time managing the consumer banking/wealth management and the institutional banking businesses.

Union Bancaire Privée appointed former Bank of Singapore senior figure Teresa Lee as region head for North Asia and chief executive for Hong Kong. She succeeded Ivan Wong, who is retiring. At Bank of Singapore, Lee was head of the Greater China business and later vice chair for Greater China. She was also relationship manager head, China, at Standard Chartered, and team head at ABN AMRO’s private bank. In other roles, Lee has actively supported Hong Kong's wealth management sector, notably as the former chair of the wealth management sub-committee at the Family Office Association of Hong Kong. 

Deutsche Bank appointed two market heads for its private bank’s Global South Asia & Africa franchise. Puneesh Nayar, managing director, joined as market head in Singapore; Nick Malik, re-joined the bank as market head, based in Dubai. Nayar has over 20 years of industry experience, most recently at Julius Baer where he had been a senior team head for global India since 2016. Malik returned to the bank in March from Credit Suisse. He was group head with Deutsche Bank for six years until 2022, and before that he was with Standard Chartered Private Bank in Singapore and Dubai. Both Nayar and Malik report to Rajesh Mahadevan, head of Global South Asia & Africa, for the private bank’s emerging markets business.

Citigroup appointed former DBS senior banker Yeo Wenxian as its new head of wealth for the Asia South region. She replaced Shyam Sambamurthy, who left the bank earlier this year. Yeo, who is a Singaporean, was head of DBS Treasures in the city-state.

Former senior HSBC figure Philip Kunz joined Nomura International Wealth Management as managing director – senior advisor and group head, Southeast Asia, based in Singapore. Kunz reports directly to Anurag Mahesh, head of coverage for SEA, global South Asia and Middle East at Nomura.

Most recently, Kunz was head of global private banking for South and Southeast Asia at HSBC. Before that, he was at UBS where he held senior wealth management positions, including chief operating officer of wealth management in Singapore, overseeing client management teams.

M&G Real Estate appointed Wenning Jung as director, portfolio management – fund of funds, Asia Life Fund. Based in Singapore, Wenning reports to Martin Seol, head of Asia Life Fund. Wenning, who has more than 20 years of institutional real estate investment experience and client management experience, has held senior positions and built strong relationships with institutional investors across the region. 

Raffles Family Office appointed Dr Niti Nerngchamnong as a board advisor. Nerngchamnong, who brought over 20 years of legal and business expertise experience, has served as the managing partner of NITI Law Office and NITI Academy Bangkok. 

360 ONE, an India-based wealth and asset management house, appointed Akhil Gupta as chairman of the board. He was already an independent director of the firm. Gupta took over from Nilesh Vikamsey. A chartered accountant by training, Gupta has expertise in the telecom sector, fundraising and mergers and acquisitions. He is vice chairman and whole-time director of Bharti Enterprises.

MFS Investment Management, a US-headquartered firm, appointed Emily Koh as relationship director for institutional sales for Southeast Asia. Koh, who previously worked at Wellington Management as a relationship manager, joined MFS in June.

North America
Financial advisor and investment manager, Nepsis, appointed Kelly Nanasy as its new vice president of accounting and advisory services. With over 30 years of experience as a financial leader, Nanasy started her journey as a certified public accountant with a large multinational accounting firm. She has since held key positions including CFO at ThreeBridge Solutions and Wausau Financial Systems, as well as vice president of finance at Deluxe Corporation.

RBC Wealth Management welcomed a financial advisor with $438 million in client assets to its Boulder, Colorado office. John Terrion, managing director – financial advisor, joined the firm from Merrill Lynch, along with support staff member Meagan Belford, investment associate. 

RBC Wealth Management welcomed a multi-generational team of financial professionals to its new branch in Cincinnati. The Paradigm Group joined from Morgan Stanley, where they managed approximately $693 million of client assets. The team includes:

-- Kyle McLaughlin, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, managing director – private wealth advisor; 
-- Joseph Goetzinger, senior vice president – financial advisor; 
-- Robert Hill, CPFAâ„¢, senior vice president – financial advisor corporate retirement director; 
-- Terry Regan, CIMA®, first vice president – financial advisor; 
-- Brandon Vornhagen, financial advisor; 
-- Mary Lynn Bosway, senior financial associate; 
-- Sam Mayne, senior business associate; 
-- Maureen Regan, registered client associate; and 
-- Suzi Wood, client associate.

Baird added Brad L Spencer as vice president and financial advisor to its wealth management office in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Spencer, who has more than 25 years of industry experience, was previously at RBC Capital Markets, where he managed over $206 million in assets. He was joined by client assistant and daughter, Jordan L Spencer.

Americana Partners, a $7.5 billion Texas wealth advisor and a member of the Dynasty Network, welcomed Javier Altimari as founder and managing partner of its international division, Americana Partners International (API). Altimari, who is based in Houston, is a member of the API board, along with Jorge Suárez-Vélez, founder and CEO. Previously, Altimari was a senior director and portfolio manager at Oppenheimer & Co.

Wellspring Financial Advisors appointed Jeff Kadlic as its new president and chief operating officer. Kadlic, who was formerly a founding partner at Evolution Capital Partners, has more than 25 years of professional experience across disciplines, including strategic leadership, operational management, client relations, alternative investments, financial management and stakeholder engagement.

EP Wealth Advisors, an RIA, appointed Megan Glover as the firm’s first chief people officer to join their executive team. Glover has more than 20 years of experience leading all facets of human resources strategy. Glover most recently served as managing director and chief human resources officer for SMBC MANUBANK, a Los Angeles-based bank with over 800 employees. 

MetLife Investment Management (MIM), the institutional asset management business of MetLife, named Jude Driscoll as its president. Previously serving as MIM’s global head of fixed income and private capital, Driscoll continues to report to John McCallion, MetLife’s chief financial officer and head of MetLife Investment Management. Driscoll joined MIM in 2017 following its acquisition of Logan Circle Partners, where he was founder, chief executive officer and chief investment officer. 

Advisor360°, a provider of technology for wealth managers, appointed Dena Upton as chief people officer. Upton, who has more than 25 years’ experience in leadership, most recently served as head of people at Dandy, a software company. 

Karen DeBaker joined the independent Ameriprise practice, Threshold Financial Partners, based in De Pere, Wisconsin. DeBaker brought 10 years’ experience as a financial advisor, most recently at Raymond James.

Raymond James
Raymond James reorganized its regional structure within its Raymond James & Associates Private Client Group (RJA), taking effect from the start of October. Tom Walrond became RJA PCG president on the same date. Eastern division regional director Kelly Anderson leads the Northeast Division as division director, maintaining her current area of responsibility. Eastern division regional director Tim Killgoar became division director for the Southeast division. Central division director Patrick O’Connor was promoted to RJA chief operating officer. Central division regional director Mike O’Meara succeeded O’Connor, while Bert White remained at the helm in the western division.

RJA PCG chief operating officer for strategic initiatives Michael Tormey joined COO Kim Jenson’s team as managing director, PCG strategic initiatives, expanding the scope of his work to all of the wealth management businesses.

Raymond James welcomed the wealth advisory team of Security Wealth Management, located at Security Savings Bank, to its Financial Institutions Division (FID). Based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the group includes financial advisors Jon Gadberry, Brad Jarabek and Sean Powell. They were joined by registered representative Tim Houska and client service manager Joshua Reid. The group, which manages about $165 million in client assets, was previously affiliated with LPL Financial.

Separately, Raymond James welcomed Jacob Schmidt, Daniel Schmidt, and Matthew Schmidt, to its employee advisor channel in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The team arrived from Baird, where it managed over $290 million in client assets, and is joined by senior client service associate Jennifer Taylor and client service associate Kristina Stuller.

The firm welcomed financial advisor Joanna Knieberg to its employee advisor channel in Frisco, Texas. As Knieberg Wealth Strategies of Raymond James, she serves business owners, corporate executives, families and individuals from RJA’s Frisco branch, led by branch manager Jon Blair. Knieberg, who has 20 years’ experience in the financial services industry, began her career at Wells Fargo Advisors in 2004. She was previously at JP Morgan for 12 years, where she managed more than $150 million in client assets. 

Raymond James welcomed financial advisor Brett Goldstein to its employee advisor channel in New York. Arriving from LPL Financial, Goldstein managed more than $245 million in client assets. As Brett Goldstein of Raymond James, he serves families and individuals, retirees, business owners and corporate retirement plans as a part of RJA’s New York branch, led by complex manager Judson Potter.

Raymond James welcomed financial advisors Gary Perl and Katie Janda to its employee advisor channel. The team, formerly at Morgan Stanley where they managed over $360 million in assets, was joined by practice business manager Sharon Brown and client service associate Elisabeth Perl. As The Perl Group of Raymond James, they operate from offices in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and Fort Collins, Colorado as part of RJA’s Ponte Vedra Beach branch. 

RBC Wealth Management – US also hired former Merrill Lynch figure Marcel TenBerge to be director of its Southern California complex, where he leads 11 branch offices and 215 employees in the region. TenBerge draws on more than 24 years of experience in the wealth management industry. He most recently served as the Pasadena Central Valley market executive for Merrill Lynch

Summit Trail Advisors appointed Paul Hoskin as partner and advisor in Newport Beach, California. Hoskin was a Key Client Group advisor based in Newport Beach, managing over $500 million in assets while providing advisory services to business owners and UHNW families. Previously, he worked at Citibank and US Trust.

Russell Investments hired Ayesha Parra as global head of alternatives to lead the global business strategy for the firm’s alternatives platform. Based in the New York office, Parra also serves as a member of the organization’s operating committee. Prior to joining Russell Investments, Parra spent 19 years at Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM), where she served in several leadership positions across various business units, most recently playing a key role in the general partner stakes team within the external investing group.  

Bank of America added Luke Palacio as Miami senior market executive for Miami in its private banking operations. This is a new role for the firm. Palacio has more than 25 years of experience working with family offices, private equity and hedge fund firms within the Miami market. He reports to Hong Ogle, Southeast and Southwest division executive at Bank of America Private Bank. Prior to this role, Palacio worked at Citi Private Bank where he was most recently MD and global market manager for the Southern US. 

Fiduciary Trust International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton, appointed Kevin F Flood as a senior relationship manager in its New York office. Flood has more than three decades of private wealth management expertisel. He spent more than a decade as senior vice president and senior wealth advisor at Wilmington Trust, and held vice president positions at US Trust/Bank of America and at Mutual of America Life Insurance Company.

Nepsis®, a Minneapolis-headquartered national financial advisor and investment management firm, appointed Troy Williams, a financial services industry expert, to the newly-created position of senior vice president of strategy and corporate development. He reports to Matt Pearson, president at Nepsis®. Williams, who has more than 15 years’ experience, joined from US Bancorp.

Kestra Private Wealth Services, an RIA headquartered in Austin, Texas, added Rachel Eisenhart, in partnership with Alexandria, Virginia-based HF3 Wealth Partners, which joined the Kestra network in 2022. 

John Hancock Investment Management, part of Manulife Investment Management, added two new independent trustees to the board of trustees of the John Hancock Group of Funds. The trustees – William K Bacic and Thomas R Wright â€“ bring expertise in accounting and audit, and capital markets and trading.

Petra Funds Group, a New York-headquartered private funds administrator, added Nicholas Gajdjis as a senior advisor. Gajdjis joined after nearly four decades at EY, where he worked with financial services and investment management firms. 

Ameriprise Financial appointed former UBS financial advisor Michael Walstien to join its branch channel. He oversees $150 million in assets in Wayzata, Minnesota. He was joined client service associate Kaeli Williams. They are supported locally by Ameriprise complex director Adam Lukens and Ameriprise regional vice president Mitch Doren.

Carnegie Investment Counsel, an RIA, hired Wendy Eldridge as a retirement plan advisor. Eldridge has almost 25 years’ experience in the retirement plan and financial services industry.

iPipeline, which provides digital solutions for the life insurance and wealth management industries, appointed technology strategy leader, Steve Cover, as chief technology officer. Cover has more than 30 years of knowledge and experience of leading technology teams, including firms such as UKG, Horizon Software International, UnitedHealth Group, Microsoft, and, most recently, CentralSquare Technologies. Cover reports to CEO Pat O’Donnell.