Armstrong’s arrival on November 5 adds to a sweep of hires for Aviva’s equities team this year. David Cumming was appointed chief investment officer back in January; nine new members joined the emerging markets teams in July; and Aviva hired Susan Schmidt in October to head up US equities.

Armstrong joins from asset managers Alquity, where he spent over four years, most recently as a senior analyst in the Asian investment team. He will report to Alistair Way who heads up Aviva’s global emerging market equities.

Way said of the move: “In a competitive market with increasing divergence in company performance, sound stock selection will be key to delivering the investment outcomes our clients seek.” He said Armstrong brings a “strong track record in Asian mid-cap stock picking”, which will “enhance” the firm’s emerging-market growth plans.