The latest moves, appointments and personnel changes among wealth management and related organisations in the UK, the rest of Europe, the Middle East, Africa and select international locations.

Barings
Barings, one of the world’s prominent investment managers, has appointed Sascha Specketer (pictured) as managing director, head of distribution for DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland).

He will be responsible for leading distribution in the DACH region, covering institutional and wealth channels across Barings’ full suite of investment capabilities and products, the firm said in a statement. He will be based in Munich and report to Jon Millin, head of UK, EMEA & Asia Pacific distribution.

Specketer was previously was head of distribution for DACH & CEE (Central and Eastern Europe) for more than seven years at Invesco Asset Management. He has also held positions at Source, a company founded by Goldman Sachs, Bear Stearns International and RCM/ Allianz Global Investors.

“The DACH region is a key area of growth for Barings, and we are continuously investing in our distribution team and on the ground presence to support our ambitions,” Millin said. “Sascha is an experienced senior leader, and I am confident that he has the skills to help us continue to deepen our partnerships with clients and support the firm’s long term growth objectives in the region.”

Cripps
UK-based law firm Cripps has appointed Kitty Sokol as a partner in its private wealth team in the London office.

Sokol, who brings a wealth of experience advising clients on complex UK and international estate planning matters, including generational change, asset protection, and tax, has been practising law for 10 years She has a particular focus on private structures, such as trusts, companies, and partnerships, the firm said in a statement.

Prior to joining Cripps, Sokol worked at a boutique private client firm in London. Her experience includes advising on complex settled land act trusts, UK and international trusts, alternative structures and complex cross-jurisdictional probate.

Prior to working in law, Sokol worked at a boutique investment bank which covered cleantech advisory and financing and, before that, a single-family private office.

“Her expertise and experience will further enhance our ability to provide exceptional legal advice to our clients especially those with international cross border requirements," Paul Fairbairn, who heads up the private wealth sector, said.

Sokol is the fifth partner to be hired this year, joining Matt Holman, Paul Alger, Aiden Dunning, and Gail Brooks. In April 2024, Cripps announced 36 promotions across is offices, spanning the firm’s legal and business services teams.

An A B Corp certified law firm, Cripps serves corporate, real estate and private clients. It has offices in Kent, London and Sussex, with an integrated team of more than 500 staff.

Chelverton Asset Management
Chelverton Asset Management has launched a UK equities fund to be managed by Julie Dean, who joined the firm earlier this year as co-manager, alongside Henry Botting.

Known within the UK fund management industry for her business cycle investing approach, Dean, began her fund management career in 1992 at GT Asset Management, managing UK equity funds, moving subsequently to HSBC Asset Management, where she managed large and All-Cap UK equity growth funds, and institutional portfolios. Dean joined Cazenove in 2002 to manage its UK Opportunities Fund, later the Schroder UK Opportunities C Acc, which delivered a return of 251.74 per cent over a 10-year period to 31 August 2014 compared with the IA UK All Companies return of 129.17 per cent. From 2015 to 2019 Julie was an owner manager at Sanditon Asset Management.

Henry Botting joined Chelverton in 2021 and has 10 years’ experience in UK equities. He is also co-Manager on the MI Chelverton UK Equity Growth Fund, which celebrated its 10th anniversary just a couple of weeks ago as the No 1 ranked UK Equity open-ended fund over the period.

The new fund – the Chelverton UK Opportunities Fund, an All-Cap portfolio with a minimum of 60 per cent of assets in large cap stocks – will be managed by Dean and Botting. The fund, which is a focused portfolio of between 35 and 55 all-Cap UK equities., has no permanent size, sector or style bias and seeks to outperform the UK equity market by 3 per cent per annum over rolling three-year periods.

Remarking on the launch, Botting said: “Julie’s expertise and knowledge of business cycle investing are a tremendous asset for Cheverton, and we’re excited to be launching the fund at a time when the economic cycle appears close to an inflection point.”

Tidan Capital,
Tidan Capital, an employee-owned Swedish investment firm, has appointed Monique Melis as an independent director to its board of directors, effective immediately.

In this role, Melis will contribute to guiding Tidan Capital’s growth strategy and corporate governance as the firm continues to expand and drive value for its stakeholders. Her expertise and industry experience are expected to strengthen the board’s oversight, the firm said in a statement.

Melis is also managing director, global head of financial services compliance and regulation at Kroll, a global independent provider of risk and advisory solutions. She has more than 25 years of regulation, governance, risk and compliance experience in UK and internationally with a proven track record of leadership, governance and strategic insight. Prior to her role at Kroll, Melis served as manager of the Transaction Monitoring Unit at the FSA (now FCA/PRA) and head of regulation at The Cayman Islands Stock Exchange (CSX).

"Monique Melis brings an unparalleled depth of knowledge in international regulatory frameworks, which will strengthen our expertise at Tidan Capital,” Serge Houles, CEO of Tidan Capital and Ronny Elénius, chairman of the board said. “Her leadership across the financial services sector, combined with her entrepreneurial mindset and strategic insight will help us navigate an evolving financial landscape while upholding our commitment to innovation and operational excellence. We are confident that her contribution will support both our immediate goals and long-term vision."