The latest moves in wealth management from across Europe and the UK.

LGIM Real Assets
LGIM Real Assets, a division of Legal & General Investment Management, has appointed Denizer Ibrahim as head of retail and futuring. The move follows plans advanced in the summer to restructure LGIM’s property investment approach, particularly in retail, to make if fit for the future, hence the new role and "futuring" in the title. Part of this will be "prioritising great locations, top level services, and strong partnerships."

“Ibrahim’s experience and passion for creating places that work for people to live, work and play will be integral to the role,” the firm said.

He joins from BNP Paribas Real Estate, where he was director and head of commercial placemaking and masterplanning. In the newly-created role, he will report to Michael Barrie, head of fund management at LGIM. “Denz is an energetic and imaginative individual and we are very excited to be welcoming him to the team to apply his insight into placemaking to our strategy,” Barrie said. 

Before BNP Paribas, Ibrahim worked in urban design at the pop-up rental service Appear Here and the London School of Economics’ Cities Programme.

LGIM Real Assets, headed up by Bill Hughes, has around £33 billion in assets managed and is one of the largest managers of UK real assets. LGIM said the responsibilities of the new post lie in meeting rapidly changing retail demands.

“Since 2000, e-commerce has grown from 0.2 per cent of retail sales to just below 20 per cent; average lease lengths have shrunk from over 12 years to seven and the churn in retail business launches and failures has increased by 29 per cent over the past five years,” the firm said. As a result, it is “vital for owners and occupiers to work together in partnership to deliver more dynamic, engaging and vibrant retail spaces that meet and exceed the expectations of consumers.”

Thematics Asset Management
Thematics Asset Management, an affiliate of Paris-Natixis Investment Managers, has appointed Matthieu Rolin as co-manager of the Thematics Safety Fund.
 
Rolin will work with Frédéric Dupraz, one of the founders and owners of Thematics Asset Management and manager of Thematics Safety Fund. Rolin will assume portfolio management and research responsibilities, identifying companies which offer products and services for the physical and digital protection of individuals, business and government. 

Most recently, Rolin was a fund manager for a range of US equity and global equity funds at Aviva Investors France. Before joining Aviva Investors, he was head of equities at SwissLife Banque Privée, managing both US and European equity portfolios. 

Payne Hicks Beach
London law firm, Payne Hicks Beach, has appointed Nicholas Bennett as a partner in the firm’s family department. 

The firm said that Bennett’s move marks the first time that a barrister has been appointed as a partner. He joins the firm from Farrer & Co and his appointment is with immediate effect.

Bennett is a fellow at the International Academy of Family Lawyers and lectures at Oxford University on the law of nuptial agreements.