PEOPLE MOVES: OMW, Phoenix Group, AMP

Old Mutual Wealth appoints an industry veteran to its specialist pensions team, the Phoenix Group chairman announces his retirement and embattled AMP appoints an executive chairman.

PEOPLE MOVES: KPMG, Investors Trust, Carrick

|

Old Mutual Wealth

Old Mutual Wealth has hired industry veteran Jamie Clark as a pensions specialist on its sales team.

Clark has more than 28 years’ experience in the pensions industry and specialises in communicating complex pension issues to help advisers and their clients achieve their goals.

Prior to his appointment at OMW, Clark was business development manager at Royal London in Edinburgh.

Through workshops, events, seminars and visits he will work with advisers to enhance their understanding of technical pension issues and navigate a constantly evolving pensions environment.

Since the pension reforms in April 2015, OMW has been building its specialist sales team, which now has 19 members.

Aberdeen Standard Investments

Aberdeen Standard Investments (ABI) has hired the former managing director of Westoun Advisors, Andrew Hendry, as head of distribution for the Asia Pacific.

Hendry will work closely with the leadership and business development teams in Asia Pacific to develop and implement the distribution strategy across the institutional, private banking, wholesale and retail channels.

He will report to Campbell Fleming, global head of distribution (based in London), and Hugh Young, head of Asia Pacific (based in Singapore).

In addition to Westoun Advisors, Hendry’s experience also includes being managing director at M&G Investments Asia, where he launched the company’s Asia business and focused on raising assets from institutional investors and private banks.

He has also previously worked at The Capital Group Companies in Singapore and Switzerland, managing its global distribution business and private banking client relationships.

Phoenix Group

Phoenix Group’s chairman Henry Staunton has informed the company’s board he is retiring and will not be seeking another three year term when his current term ends on 31 August.

However, if a successor is not found by 31 August, Staunton said he would remain in the position until the appropriate candidate is found.

In a statement, he said: “I have hugely enjoyed my time at Phoenix and I leave it a stronger and financially more resilient business, with its market capital more than double from the start of my tenure should the Standard Life acquisition complete.

“Phoenix’s financial success, geographic expansion and management ambitions are at a higher level than they have ever been. I would like to thank the Board and all my colleagues at Phoenix for their support; and wish them all the best in their future endeavours.”

AMP

The former chief executive of Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) David Murray has been appointed chairman of embattled financial services firm AMP.

In a statement, AMP said Murray, who served as chief executive officer of the CBA from 1992 to 2005, would take on the role before 1 July, but did not give an exact date.

The company’s current executive chairman Mike Wilkins will return to the position of acting chief executive officer.

Murray and Wilkins will lead the search to replace the former chief executive Craig Meller, who along with chair Catherine Brenner, resigned after AMP told an Australian banking royal commission it charged its customers for financial advice they did not receive.

SEI

SEI has announced the appointment of Helen Oxley as solutions director of its UK private banking team.

Oxley, who will report to proposition director Kevin Russell, will be responsible for the solutions team, overseeing a number of initiatives that will help lead the development and delivery of services through the SEI Wealth Platform.

With more than 20 years of wealth management experience, Oxley joins SEI from Winterflood Business Service where she was head of business development.

She has also held a number of senior roles at companies that include Sanlam UK and BNP Paribas.

Signal Capital

Signal Capital Partners, the London-based private asset management firm, has appointed Sarbjit Nahal as its chief strategist.

He joins Signal from Bank of America (BofA) Merrill Lynch where he headed the thematic investing strategy team within its global research department, based in London and New York.

He was also a member of BofA Merrill Lynch’s Global Wealth & Investment Management impact investing core council.

Prior to joining BofA Merrill Lynch in 2010, he was head of thematic investing at Société Générale and Crédit-Mutuel-CIC, and held positions at Vigeo, the International Council on Human Rights Policy, and Pensions Investment Research Consultants.

 

Eastspring

Eastspring Investments has named Ooi Boon Peng as its chief executive for Singapore.

Ooi replaces Phil Stockwell, who was previously chief executive and chief operating officer. Stockwell will focus solely on the chief operating officer role.

In addition to taking over the chief executive role, Ooi is also appointed as regional fixed income officer, where he is responsible for advising the firm’s fixed income team.

Ooi first joined the firm in July 2007 and was previously the chief investment officer for fixed income, according to the firm’s website.

As a result of Ooi’s appointment, Low Guan Yi was promoted to fill the fixed income officer position.

Low first joined in 2007 as a portfolio manager and is currently the lead portfolio manager for pan-Asian local currency bond portfolios, as well as single-country Philippines and Thai bond portfolios, according to the firm’s website.