The latest moves in wealth management and adjacent sectors in the UK, rest of Europe, Middle East and select international jurisdictions.

VG 
Jersey-headquartered VG, a provider of private wealth, funds, corporate and capital markets services, has appointed William Douglas (pictured below) as CEO, continuing its growth after Mayfair Equity Partners made a strategic investment into the firm in late 2024.

William Douglas

Last year, VG launched its capital markets service and opened a dedicated London office. In 2026, VG will extend its expansion into Ireland the Middle East, it said in a statement yesterday.

Douglas, who has served in senior global roles with firms such as JLL, Samsung and BlackBerry, was most recently the chief commercial officer at Vistra where he had overall responsibility for the performance of the firm's business units and growth.

“VG has made a great start in expanding from its strong base in Jersey through establishing a presence in London and launching capital markets services,” Waqqas Ahmad, partner, Mayfair Equity Partners, said. “We will continue to invest in the business to deliver organic growth and pursue complimentary acquisitions that fit with VG’s strategy.”

Simmons & Simmons
International law firm Simmons & Simmons has hired 10 partners, joining in January, in offices across London, Paris, Brussels, Luxembourg, Singapore, Dubai and Dublin.

The moves come after the law firm opened offices in Saudi Arabia and the Abu Dhabi Global Market.

New partners:

Ali Fagan, London, dispute resolution, construction;

Emmanuel-Frédéric Henrion, Luxembourg, funds;

Ermine Bolot, Paris, corporate;

Hannah Shipley, Dubai, tax;

Henry Bennet-Gough, London, tax;

Louise Dobbyn, Dublin, financial services regulation;

Mark Chivers, London, corporate;

Michelle Phang, Singapore, corporate;

Oliver Wicker, London, structured finance and derivatives; and

Stefan Nerinckx, Brussels, employment.

In total, the law firm has over 350 partners and 2,200 staff in Asia, Europe, the US and the Middle East across 23 offices.

Bentley Reid
London-headquartered Bentley Reid, an employee-owned wealth manager, has promoted Kevin Andrews (main picture) to chief operating officer.

Andrews joined the firm as head of IT and operations in December 2023. Since joining the firm, Andrews has led on driving enterprise-wide transformation and shaping the firm’s operational strategy. Prior to Bentley Reid, Andrews spent his career in a variety of roles at C Hoare & Co and Arbuthnot Latham.

“Since joining Bentley Reid, Kevin has made a significant contribution to the firm, strengthening our operational capability and becoming a valued member of the senior management team,” Peter Clark, chief executive of Bentley Reid, said. In his new role, he will play a key part in supporting our growth strategy and ensuring we continue to deliver a high-quality service to our clients.”

This promotion comes several weeks after Bentley Reid opened its Dubai office after it was granted a Category 4 regulatory licence by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA).

STEP
The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) has announced that senior financial industry figure Emma Lovell is its new CEO, taking the helm from Mark Walley.

Walley, chief executive for seven years, is on gardening leave until the end of March before formally starting his retirement, the international organisation said yesterday in a statement.

Lovell has held positions in professional services, financial services, regulatory and membership bodies. From April 2020 to the end of 2025, she was CEO of the Lending Standards Board, the UK’s voluntary regulatory body for the financial services sector and, before that, CEO of R3 (Association of Business Recovery Professionals), the UK’s membership association for insolvency, restructuring and turnaround professionals.

Elsewhere, Lovell was a commissioner for the Institute of Directors, helping to develop the UK’s first voluntary Code of Conduct for company directors launched in 2024. She is also a non-executive director for the Money Advice Liaison Group, a membership body supporting all sectors to improve the lives of people in debt.

“Emma brings a truly global view alongside a proven ability to lead complex organisations through change. Her energy, insight and strategic mindset make her exceptionally well placed to lead STEP as we continue to evolve and strengthen our impact worldwide,” newly-appointed STEP worldwide chair Paolo Panico TEP said. The departing chair is Kelly Greig added.