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

PGIM

PGIM, the global asset manager of Prudential Financial, has appointed Sunita Kara (main picture) and Andre Klotz (pictured below) as portfolio managers reporting to Jonathan Butler, head of European leveraged finance.

Andre Klotz

Kara has 25 years of experience, most recently serving as co-head of global high-yield at Aviva Investors, where she co-led a global high-yield credit book across multiple funds. Prior to that, she was a senior credit analyst at Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings and an analyst at HM Treasury.

Klotz was previously co-head of EMEA high-yield trading and strategy at Jefferies. With 19 years of experience, Klotz has a track record as both a credit underwriter and portfolio manager. Previous roles include senior positions at SC Lowy, ALVA Capital, and Partners Group.

In their new roles, they will be responsible for working with the investment team to manage European and global leveraged finance mandates, overseeing high-yield and bank loan portfolios.

“Sunita and Andre are both highly experienced and respected investors in our industry and we are delighted to welcome them to PGIM. Their wealth of experience adds further strength to our investment team and strategies,” Butler said.

Headquartered in Newark, New Jersey, PGIM has more than 1,400 investment professionals across 41 offices in 20 countries, serving retail and institutional clients worldwide.

St James’s Place

St James’s Place has appointed Rio Stedford as investment product strategy director.

Stedford, who is experienced at growing and managing wealth divisions for a wide variety of firms, will be responsible for driving the long-term product strategy of SJP’s investment division. This will include defining a clear roadmap for the current product suite, as well as identifying opportunities for development and expansion, as the firm continues to broaden investment options available to clients.

Stedford has 15 years of experience in financial planning and wealth management – most recently holding prominent positions at Finura and Quilter Cheviot. She is experienced at leading wealth planning and cross-functional teams, as well as shaping propositions and product development. She has also designed and delivered innovative growth strategies tailored to high net worth individuals and family offices.

This hire marks the next phase of growth for SJP’s investment team, following the appointment of Lea Blinoff as director of investment solutions earlier this year, and the expansion of the “flagship” Polaris range to include four new Polaris Multi-Index funds.

“We’re excited to welcome Rio to our growing investment product team at SJP, marking another important step in our journey as a company,” Kunal Oak, director of investment products at St James’s Place, said. “Her track record has always been oriented around driving strategic growth and making a real impact that aligns with client needs. This will be vital for our clients and partners, as we look to strengthen our product suite and deliver strong client outcomes.”