The latest moves and appointments in wealth management in the UK, the rest of Europe, the Middle East and other select locations.

First Sentier Investors
Global investment manager First Sentier Investors has appointed Adele Swan as the new chief people and culture officer, effective 24 June. Based in Edinburgh, Swan will report to the CEO, Mark Steinberg.

Swan has three decades of experience across all aspects of people and culture within the financial services sector globally, including with Standard Life Aberdeen (now abrdn), HSBC and Tesco Bank. She has extensive experience in organisational design and development strategies, change management and HR operational delivery, the firm said in a statement.

Swan will be taking over from Melanie King, who was in the role for three years. In addition to being acting chief people and culture officer, Swan was also global head of talent, leadership and DE&I at First Sentier Investors for the last two years.

“Adele has been acting chief people and culture officer over the past three months and has over this time demonstrated the dedication, leadership and vision required of this role,” Steinberg said.

Today the First Sentier Investors Group manages £124.7 billion ($157.9 billion) in assets across global and regional equities, cash and regional fixed income, infrastructure and property, and alternative credit.

Rathbones Asset Management
Rathbones Asset Management, the fund management arm of Rathbones Group Plc has appointed James Crossley as head of asset management distribution, effective in September.

Crossley will be joining from Legal & General Investment Management, where he was head of UK wholesale distribution. Prior to that, he spent 14 years at Jupiter Asset Management, latterly as head of retail distribution.

Also joining is Abigail Sater as head of distribution Strategy. Sater was formerly at The Big Exchange, where she spent four years, latterly as chief executive officer. Prior to that, she was at Standard Life Aberdeen, where she led the operating model for the distribution division and provided support for the redesign of the strategy, as part of the integration of Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management. In this new role, Sater will be responsible for working across group distribution to build the strategy.

The position forms part of a new structure for the group distribution team, led by Jayne Rogers (pictured), group chief distribution officer, which sees the creation of three additional leadership roles across wealth management and asset management.

These latest appointments follow those of Simon Taylor, as head of strategic partnerships, and John Cowmeadow as head of wealth management distribution, across the combined Investec Wealth & Investment UK and Rathbones Group.

Taylor, who is joining from Investec Wealth & Investment UK, where he was head of strategic partnerships and platforms, will move into a new group-wide role, leading strategic partnerships across key distribution channels, including platforms, networks and life companies.

Cowmeadow, head of intermediary sales at Investec Wealth & Investment UK, also has a group-wide role leading a team which services the wealth management business.

The new leadership team will report to Jayne Rogers.

“We are pleased to announce these key appointments. The new leadership team provides a focused service to clients and supports the future growth of RAM and the wider Rathbones wealth propositions. James will provide a focus to building our asset management business and brings significant experience from his time at LGIM and Jupiter,” Rogers said.

“Having invested heavily in our systems and processes over the past few years, we believe this new distribution leadership team ensures we are well positioned for future growth,” Tom Carroll, chief executive, RAM, said.

Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management UK
Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management UK and Crown Dependencies, a UK-based independent wealth management firm by assets under management, has appointed senior wealth planner, Samantha Gibson to join the Newcastle team.

Gibson, who has over 20 years’ experience in wealth planning and financial services, advises clients on a wide range of often complex planning matters, helping private clients, corporations and trusts. Specialising in providing bespoke solutions for pre and post-retirement planning, savings and estate planning, Gibson also works with clients on long-term care planning and safeguarding assets for future generations. Samantha was previously a financial planner, assistant director at Brewin Dolphin.

The firm said that her appointment reflects CGWM UK’s burgeoning wealth planning presence in Newcastle and underpins the its ambition to create the best-in-class integrated wealth management service for its clients in the Northeast, as well as its other 15 centres throughout the UK.

“We have recently made some great senior hires throughout our regional office network, all aimed at helping us achieve our goal of providing the best integrated wealth management offering throughout the UK. We look forward to working with Samantha to provide excellent wealth planning services for clients in Newcastle and throughout the Northeast,” Duncan Stratford, managing director of Canaccord Genuity WM said.

IQ-EQ
IQ-EQ, the international investor services business, has appointed former Deloitte senior figure Philippe Hijazin as managing director for activities in Belgium.

In his previous job at Deloitte Consulting, Hijazin was a director, working in fields such as asset management, private equity and advisory services for real estate. 

Hijazin will work closely with Diana Senanayake, regional CEO for Continental Europe, to align business opportunities across the jurisdiction.