Mutual-fund company wants to improve relationships with private-client firms. Mutual-fund company Pioneer Investments has moved wholesaler Thomas Coffey from its bank-distribution channel to concentrate his sales and support efforts on independent advisors, and hired Thomas Jones from DWS to concentrate on distribution to big-name brokerages in a bid to sharpen its focus on lucrative market segments.

"The expansion of the sales force is designed in part to help us better communicate information about our investment capabilities to key clients and prospects," says Joseph Kringdon, head of U.S. retail distribution at Pioneer. "The changes also will help us to better respond to the demand of investors, ranging from individual investors to large financial services firms, that are looking for investment capabilities like Pioneers' that pursue a conservative, consistent, and disciplined approach to investing."

Drawing closer

As they did in the aftermath of the 2001 recession and the long market downturn that followed the attacks of 9/11, asset managers have lately been making a show of their efforts to improve "outreach" to intermediaries.

Coffey has been at Pioneer for five years, focusing on the banking channel and independent financial advisors. Prior to joining Pioneer, he covered the banking and independent channels for John Hancock Funds, Before that, he was a wholesaler for Liberty Funds.

Jones was national-accounts head at Deutsche Bank's DWS. He was a managing director at Putnam Investments, where his responsibilities included large-cap core distribution, senior relationship manager for national broker/dealers, and internal wholesaler manager for the eastern U.S.

Boston-based Pioneer had about $236 billion in assets under management at the end of July 2009. -FWR

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