Just Group
The UK financial services group has named David Richardson as chief executive.
He will also be chief executive of the group’s insurance subsidiaries Just Retirement and Partnership Life Assurance.
Richardson will retain his roles as interim group chief financial officer and managing director of the UK corporate business.
He was appointed interim group chief executive of Just Group on 30 April 2019 after Rodney Cook stepped down from the role.
Schroders Personal Wealth
The financial planning firm has hired Tom Horan as head of adviser development, as it looks to create an adviser academy.
Horan joins from St James’s Place Wealth Management, where he designed the interview and selection process for candidates applying for its academy programme.
His role will include recruiting advisers to join Schroders Personal Wealth and leading their professional development once at the firm.
AJ Bell
The investment firm has appointed Rachel Vahey as senior technical consultant.
As part of the technical team at AJ Bell, she will help financial advisers understand the changing pensions and savings environment and how new legislation and regulation affects them and their clients.
Previously, Vahey worked at Nucleus and Aegon.
She joins AJ Bell initially on a one-year contract.
RBC Wealth Management
The banking group has named Terence Chow as head of RBC Wealth Management – Asia, effective 1 November 2019.
Chow, who is based in Hong Kong, joined RBC 15 years ago and recently held the role of chief operating officer of RBC Wealth Management – Asia.
He replaces Peter Corry, who has decided to retire following more than 22 years of service.
With this leadership change, Mike Reed, chief executive of RBC Singapore branch, will lead RBC Wealth Management’s Singapore office and southeast Asia private banking team, reporting to Chow.
Royal Bank of Scotland
Alison Rose has been named executive director and chief executive of the bank, effective on 1 November 2019.
Rose is currently deputy chief executive of Natwest and chief executive of commercial and private banking.
Ross McEwan, who is joining National Australia Bank, will formally step down as chief executive on 31 October 2019.
PortfolioMetrix
The investment management firm has promoted Ben Peele to managing director of the UK division.
Peele joined PortfolioMetrix as UK head of strategy in April 2019.
Prior to this, he was at UBS Investment Bank.
Former managing director and head of innovation, Mike Roberts, will be taking on the global role of chief proposition officer.
Roberts will be responsible for driving business globally.
Old Mutual
Non-executive director Nombulelo Moholi has resigned from the South African financial services firm for personal reasons.
Moholi will also step down from its subsidiary Old Mutual Life Assurance.
She wished the board “all the best during this difficult time”, as Old Mutual continues to be embroiled in a sacking scandal with former chief executive Peter Moyo.
Canada Life
The life insurer has recruited John Chew to become pension and estate planning specialist, a newly created role.
Most recently, Chew was commercial director at Fidelity International, responsible for the strategy and business plan for Fidelity Retirement Services.
Prior to that, he worked at Legal and General as product and funds director in its savings business.
Lombard Odier
The wealth manager has named Andreas Arni as head of its Zurich office and head of its Swiss domestic market, a newly created position.
Arni was most recently head of entrepreneurs and executives Switzerland at Credit Suisse.
As a member of the executive committee of the private client unit, Arni will be based in Zurich, reporting to Frédéric Rochat, co-head of private clients.
Generali Investments
The asset manager has appointed Mario Petrachi as head of sales for France and Luxembourg and Gabriele Alberici as head of sales for Italy.
Both Petrachi and Alberici report to Carlo Trabattoni, chief executive of Generali Investments.
Petrachi joins from BNP Paribas Asset Management, where he was head of fund distribution for France and Monaco.
Before Generali, Alberici was at UBS Wealth Management, where he spent 13 years, first as a senior portfolio manager and then as head of the product specialists team.
Alberici takes over from Paolo Casadonte, who has taken on the role of head of relationship management at Generali Group Investments, Asset & Wealth Management.
Casadonte led the Generali Investments’ sales team in Italy for four years.
Furthermore, Ilaria Perletto joins the sales team in Italy as sales manager, with a focus on the wholesale segment, reporting to Alberici.
Perletto joins Generali from Lyxor Asset Management, where she managed institutional and wholesale clients in Italy and Ticino, an Italian-speaking region of Switzerland.
Stonehage Fleming
The multi-family office has hired Charl du Toit as partner in the South African family office division, with responsibility for tax advisory services.
He will be based in the group’s Cape Town office.
Du Toit joins the company from PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he was a tax partner.
Charles Stanley
The UK wealth manager has named Louise Fletcher as head of middle office.
Fletcher has over 25 years’ experience working in financial services and investment management for both institutional and private client organisations.
Most recently, she has been working with Charles Stanley as an external consultant.
Wealthify
The Cardiff-based digital wealth manager has appointed Dan Giddings as head of business development.
Giddings joins after nine years at BNY Mellon Investment Management, most recently as partnerships development director.
The Personal Finance Society
Adam Owen has been named president of the trade body for 2019/20.
He is currently curriculum and training director at NextGen Planners.
Owen replaces outgoing president John White.
Gibraltar Financial Services Commission
Kerry Blight will become the chief executive of the regulatory body.
He is currently a non-executive director of the board of the GFSC.
Previously, Blight served as the regional director of RBS International/Natwest from 2002 to 2009 and subsequently the chief executive of Credit Suisse Gibraltar from 2010 to 2016.
Blight replaces Samantha Barrass, who was appointed as chief executive of the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission on 17 February 2014.
