The latest moves and appointments for wealth management roles in the UK, other parts of Europe, the Middle East and select international locations.

7IM
7IM has apponted Darren Fancourt (pictured) as head of operations, succeeding Anthony Higgs, who has relocated to Australia, and will continue to report to Liz Paradine, chief operations officer.

Having spent 16 years at 7IM, most recently as head of trading and operational change, Fancourt has played a pivotal role in driving scalable growth and operational improvement across the business, the firm said in a statement. His leadership has been instrumental in 7IM’s multi-year, multi-million-pound technology transformation programme, as well as its strategic partnership with fintech provider Tikker, designed to deliver greater efficiency and resilience for advice firms, it said.

To add more strength to the team, Darren Campbell has been promoted to deputy head of operations, supporting the next phase of 7IM’s operational evolution. In parallel, Dan Cole has been appointed IT director, with responsibility for 7IM’s core IT infrastructure, application support and client reporting. 

Dan Haselgrove will continue in his role as head of pensions and operational control, where he oversees the governance and growth of 7IM’s SIPP business. His leadership ensures that advisors can rely on a robust, well-managed pension solution that meets regulatory standards and delivers confidence for clients’ long-term retirement planning.

This series of appointments and promotions marks the next step in 7IM’s ongoing commitment to deliver a best-in-class platform and client experience, underpinned by innovation, efficiency, and excellence.

“We are delighted to appoint Darren Fancourt to this role. As a long-standing member of the leadership team with deep operational expertise, he is ideally placed to lead our operations function and support the continued momentum of our transformation programme," Paradine said. “Alongside Darren Fancourt, the appointments of Darren Campbell, Dan Cole and the continued leadership of Dan Haselgrove further strengthen our operational and technology foundations, ensuring advisors benefit from robust governance, resilient infrastructure and a market-leading SIPP proposition."

“We would also like to thank Anthony for his significant contribution over many years. He has played an important part in our growth and development,” she added.

Shiprock Capital Management
London-based Shiprock Capital Management, which manages in excess of $1 billion, has appointed Nicolai Vickman as as chief risk officer.

Vickman is a risk executive with more than 15 years’ experience across leading hedge funds, asset managers and investment banks. He has served in senior investment risk roles at King Street Capital and Algebris Investments. Previously, he worked in quantitative and trading positions at CQS, Ignis Asset Management and Deutsche Bank. He holds an MSc in Engineering Physics from Uppsala University, Sweden.

“We are delighted to welcome such a senior investment risk executive to Shiprock,” Frederick Schroder, CEO at Shiprock, said. “Nicolai’s deep experience and expertise in the space will be of significant value to the firm. This appointment shows we are continuing to invest in best-in-class talent and infrastructure.”

Founded in early 2023, Shiprock Capital Management is an investment management firm focusing on global distressed and special situations.

ZEDRA
ZEDRA, a provider of pension and incentive services, has promoted Matt Race-Pridding as head of Trust Essentials.

Trust Essentials is ZEDRA's “flagship” professional sole corporate trustee (PCST) proposition, designed specifically for small and legacy defined benefit (DB) pension schemes. It delivers all the key benefits of a professional sole corporate trustee at a more competitive cost, the firm said in a statement.

Building on his existing role as client director, Race-Pridding will lead continued growth and development of Trust Essentials, making trustee expertise more accessible to those schemes under unique pressures that often lack the resources or in-house experience to manage increasing regulatory and operational complexity, the firm said.

“Since joining us in 2015, Matt has been an invaluable part of our team,” Kim Nash, managing director of ZEDRA, said. “His promotion to client director earlier this year reflected his outstanding leadership and expertise and, as head of trust essentials, he will continue to drive our commitment to supporting pension schemes of all sizes with effective, proportionate governance solutions.”

Belasko
Guernsey-based Belasko, an independent of provider of funds, corporate services and private wealth, has appointed Richard Marshall to spearhead its commercial development efforts from Luxembourg.

Marshall has more than three decades of experience across asset management, operations, and commercial strategy, including senior roles at BNY and BlackRock. He has joined from Carne Group, where he delivered commercial activity from Luxembourg and supported investment managers to achieve their investment strategies in liquid strategies and the private capital space. Partnering with local and group leadership, Marshall will lead Belasko’s commercial expansion from Luxembourg, strengthening the intermediary network and broadening the firm’s reach with private capital managers across Europe and other priority markets.

“Richard is highly respected in the market and joins us at a pivotal time in Belasko’s ambitious growth journey,” Greg McKenzie, Luxembourg country head, said. “His commercial strengths, strategic mindset and strong network will play a key role in accelerating our expansion and deepening our presence across the region.”