Invesco's exchange-traded fund provider has hired two senior employees in a bid to drive distribution figures.

Invesco PowerShares has appointed Nima Pouyan as head of its Swiss unit and Ashkan Daghestani as business development director in the UK.

In their respective regions, Pouyan and Daghestani will work closely with wealth managers, family offices, discretionary managers, asset managers and institutional clients in the insurance and corporate space, the firm said in a statement.

Prior to Invesco Powershares, Pouyan was a vice president at Deutsche Bank, where he was responsible for the distribution of passive investments in Switzerland and the Middle East. He has also held senior roles at DWS and Deutsche Bank Wealth Management.

Daghestani joins from iShares, where he was head of the Channel Islands business and responsible for London-based private banks, wealth managers, and multi-family offices. He has also held roles at UBS Wealth Management and UBS Investment Bank. 

“Ashkan and Nima’s expertise will be vital as we continue building our product offering and providing education around our smart beta range across the UK, Channel Islands and Switzerland,” said Matthieu Grosclaude, chief operating officer, Europe, Middle East and Africa, at Invesco's retail arm. “Their appointments reinforce our commitment to these key markets.”

PowerShares was founded in the US in 2003. Three years later, the group joined forces with Invesco, and now offers a range of exchange-traded funds that track so-called “next generation” indices.