Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), the UK-based asset management firm, has appointed of Justin Onuekwusi as a fund manager, subject to regulatory approval.

Onuekwusi joins LGIM’s 18-strong strategic investment and risk management team, which specialises in multi-asset solutions and pooled funds, from Aviva Investors where he was lead manager on a range of the firm’s risk-targeting multi-asset funds. He also held the roles of co-fund manager on a number of unit-linked life and pension funds, as well as manager of manager products at Aviva. Before that, Onuekwusi served as a fund research analyst at Merrill Lynch and an investment consultant for Aon Consulting.

Working closely with LGIM fund managers Bruce White and Martin Dietz, Onuekwusi will be the lead manager for the Legal & General multi-index range which launched on 21 August 2013. The range consists of five risk-targeted multi-asset funds that are diversified by asset class, offering exposure to UK and international equities and bonds by investing in L&G’s popular index tracking funds and to UK property through the actively managed L&G UK Property Trust, the firm said in a statement.

Earlier in the month Legal & General reported a 13 per cent rise in pre-tax profits, with strong underlying growth across its businesses. The insurer has increased its interim dividend by 22 per cent to 2.40p per share as pre-tax profits came in at £592 million ($908 million) compared with £523 million for the first six months of 2012.