Securities and Exchange Commission
The US SEC has named Stephanie Avakian and Steven Peikin co-directors of the Division of Enforcement; the agency’s largest unit with more than 1,200 investigators, accountants, trial attorneys, and other professionals.
Avakian was named acting director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement in December 2016 after serving as deputy director since June 2014.
She was previously a partner at law firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, where she served as a vice chair of the firm’s securities practice and represented financial institutions, public companies, boards, and individuals in a broad range of investigations and other matters before the SEC and other agencies.
From 1996 to 2004, Peikin served as an assistant US attorney in the southern district of New York. He was chief of the office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force, where he supervised some of the nation’s highest profile prosecutions of accounting fraud, insider trading, market manipulation, and abuses in the foreign exchange market.
Most recently, he was managing partner of Sullivan & Cromwell’s criminal defence and investigations group. His practice focused on white-collar criminal defence, regulatory enforcement, and internal investigations.
First State Investments
First State has promoted Todd Warren to head of global resources, effective 1 July 2017. He was previously global resources portfolio manager and succeeds Joanne Warner, who will retire from funds management in August 2017.
Based in Sydney, Warren has over 15 years’ experience in global resources investment at First State. In addition to leading the team, he will become lead portfolio manager of Australia-domiciled CFS Global Resources Fund.
In addition, London-based Tal Lomnitzer, who has 19 years’ investment experience within the resources and commodities sector, will become deputy head of global resources. He will have lead portfolio management responsibilities for the UK and European client Global Resources portfolios having been deputy portfolio manager to Warner since 2011.
Ashburton Investments
Ashburton Investments has expanded its multi-asset team with the hire of two new analysts and a cross-asset strategist.
Mark Melehes joined the business as a cross-asset strategist in April, with Jianzhong “Jack” Ren coming onboard as a fixed income analyst and Samed Hysa as a macro analyst.
Melehes previously worked at Pivot Capital Management and most recently at SEIA Capital Management as its head of trading. Ren spent the past five years at the macro fund Caxton Associates.
Hysa is relatively new to the field having had several internships; including with HSBC and BlackRock.
Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment
Paul Kneen has been appointed president of the CISI Isle of Man branch, replacing Richard Bellwood.
Kneen has 30 years’ experience in banking and financial services across funds, banking and fiduciary investment administration. He started his career with Barclays and has held board positions with a number of international regulated banking and financial services firms.
He worked in Bermuda for seven years where he sat on the executive board of a listed bank before relocating to the Isle of Man to work with Abacus where he became chief executive of Abacus financial services. In 2015, he joined Pacific Fund Systems as chief operating officer.
