Wood (pictured) is currently CIO of Titan Private Wealth but will also take responsibility for investment decisions at Titan Investment Solutions as group CIO. He takes on this newly created role after nearly two decades at Titan Private Wealth (formerly Cardale Asset Management), a discretionary investment manager based in Harrogate, which was acquired by Titan Wealth in 2022.

The statement said: “Ian has an impeccable track record of managing money. Between 31/12/2018 and 30/06/2024 the Titan Private Wealth All Equity portfolio has increased in value by 104.24%, which compares to the IA Global sector which has risen 79.48%.”

With the recent acquisition of AHR in Dubai, the group now has £8.7bn of funds under management.

As Group CIO, he will oversee the investment strategy across the businesses and play a leading role in developing and growing Titan Wealth’s asset management business.

His current role and wider understanding of the Titan Wealth investment business and strong leadership credentials make his appointment as Group CIO a natural fit and he will be instrumental in driving future growth and innovation.

Mark Harries remains as chief investment officer of Square Mile and will work closely with Wood to ensure the investment strategies across the group are aligned.

Leiper said: “It’s been an absolute pleasure leading the investment team and helping grow the business over the last few years. I am grateful to a talented and ambitious team, amazing colleagues and the support of senior management. I am proud of what we have achieved during this time but am now excited to embark on the next stage of my career and wish Titan Wealth every success in the future.”

Paul Hunt, joint CEO of Titan Asset Management said: “I am very pleased to be announcing Ian’s appointment as the Titan Wealth Group CIO.

“Ian has done a fantastic job as CIO of Titan Private Wealth, and has a formidable track record. With his appointment as Group CIO, he will bring his wealth of experience and decades of invaluable leadership experience to the wider Titan Group.”

Wood said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as Titan Wealth Group CIO at an extremely exciting time for the business.

“As CIO of Titan Private Wealth, I have already developed close and productive working relationships with colleagues across the group, which will be invaluable in my new position. I look forward to the new challenge and continuing to deliver great outcomes for our clients in my new role.”

AHR currently advises and manages $2bn of assets under advice and management on behalf of its clients and employs over 150 professionals in seven locations across six jurisdictions globally, Titan Wealth said in a statement today (24 July).

On completion of the acquisition AHR will be rebranded as Titan Wealth International,

Its first international deal “underscores the firm’s ambition of building a vertically integrated, client-focused financial services offering across multiple jurisdictions. Central to this ambition is a commitment to delivering enhanced value and comprehensive solutions to clients.

This acquisition will bring Titan Wealth’s assets under advice, under management and on platform to over £20bn.

Founded in 2020 by Daniel Dickinson, Tyla Philips, William Burrows, Asad Sheikh, Marc Beattie and Daniel Waterman, AHR provides bespoke wealth management and cross-border financial advice, primarily serving the specific needs of expatriates.

With a significant presence in the UAE and offices in Mauritius, Malaysia, Cyprus, the UK, and Australia, AHR offers a broad suite of services including discretionary fund management, financial planning, tax planning, and estate planning.

The statement further said AHR’s expertise and approach aligns seamlessly with Titan Wealth’s mission to prioritise client relationships and deliver tailored financial solutions. The firm’s wide client base and experienced management team would enjoy the backing of the Titan Wealth Group, enabling it to enhance its service offering and deliver greater client satisfaction.

This strategic move would extend Titan Wealth’s reach into the UAE, “a market with significant opportunities for growth”.

AHR’s strong regional presence, proven track record and expat-focused approach presented an established platform from which Titan Wealth could leverage these opportunities, whilst ensuring that clients continue to receive excellent, tailored advice and support, the statement highlighted.

For existing clients of both Titan Wealth and AHR, this development also “promises an expanded range of financial solutions, delivered with the same dedication and personalised care they have come to expect. Titan Wealth is committed to integrating its range of offerings to provide seamless, high-quality financial services across multiple jurisdictions, enhancing the overall client experience, while delivering improved value”.

Andrew Fearon (pictured below), joint group CEO and head of M&A at Titan Wealth, said: “This acquisition is an exciting development for our clients, reflecting our dedication to delivering an integrated financial services offering on a global scale. We look forward to working closely with the talented team at AHR to build our proposition internationally, whilst helping them expand their services to both existing and future clients.”

Daniel Dickinson, CEO at AHR, added: “Joining Titan Wealth is a natural progression for AHR. Our complementary strengths and shared commitment to service will enable us to offer an even richer array of solutions to our clients, ensuring their financial needs are met with excellence on a truly international level.

“We also look forward to benefitting from Titan Wealth’s substantial resources which will support our ambitions for growth, improve the career opportunities for our colleagues and will reinforce the firm’s standing as an attractive proposition to the wider advisory community.”

Tavistock said in the statement issued on 8 June: “This follows a sustained period of unacceptable performance by Titan.”

It further said: “It is the board’s expectation that the final sums due under the agreement will be received in due course and further updates will be made as appropriate.”

In April last year the plc company acquired Precise Protect, a UK-wide protection business based in Bangor, Northern Ireland.

This deal added to its network to create more than 400 advisers and other business introducers working with more than 110,000 UK retail clients with total assets estimated to be more than £6bn, as well as 350 corporate and affinity clients with some 16,000 employees.

In a separate statement, Titan noted Tavistock’s announcement dated 8 July 2024 that its 10-year partnership with Titan has come to an end, it said:  “Tavistock’s suggestion that the partnership has been terminated because of ‘unacceptable performance’ by Titan is wrong and strongly denied. The partnership was terminated by Titan against a background of serious wrongful conduct by Tavistock and certain individuals associated with it who, Titan believes, have deliberately acted contrary to the terms of the partnership.

“In light of those matters, and contrary to the ‘expectation’ of Tavistock’s board, as reflected in its announcement, there are no further sums which Titan expects to pay to Tavistock under the agreement. In fact, by reason of the wrongful conduct referred to, it is Titan that has claims against Tavistock for substantial damages.

“Those claims are now the subject of pre-action correspondence between the parties’ legal representatives in accordance with the applicable court protocols, and accordingly, it would be inappropriate for Titan to comment further on them at this stage.”

He will share the role alongside current Titan AM CEO Paul Hunt, while also retaining his role as head of Square Mile.

The FCA approved Titan’s acquisition of Square Mile on Friday (23 February).

The acquisition, first announced in June last year, includes the £2.5bn in assets under management held across Square Mile’s MPS solutions.

Square Mile will continue to operate under its own brand and management, while supported by Titan Wealth.

See also: Square Mile ousts trio of BNY Mellon funds from ratings academy

Romer-Lee said: “The completion of Titan Wealth’s acquisition of Square Mile marks a very exciting milestone, both for our business and the wider Titan Wealth group of companies.

“The backing this brings means that we can forge ahead with our commitment to strengthen and broaden the services we provide to our clients and will help us achieve our long-term growth ambitions.”

This article was written for our sister title Portfolio Adviser

The newly-named investment management business was acquired by Titan in 2022. It provides portfolio management to private clients, pension schemes, charities, corporates and intermediaries across the UK.

The firm plans to significantly increase staff and client numbers in the coming years, and will shortly move to a new building in Harrogate with double the floor space.

See also: Mattioli Woods eyes ‘robust acquisition pipeline’ as assets inch down to £15.2bn

It has around 2,700 discretionary clients with £2bn of assets under management.

The business invests across a range of asset classes and runs five MPS portfolios with different weightings of equities and risk assets.

James Kaberry, joint-chief executive of Titan Wealth Group, said: “The newly rebranded business delivers new possibilities to Titan Wealth Group and adds to our existing high-quality asset management offering.”

See also: Söderberg & Partners makes further IFA purchases

Mark Puleikis, chief executive of Titan Private Wealth, added: “This is an exciting new chapter for the team. Thanks to Titan Wealth’s support, we will accelerate our growth and continue to operate a dynamic business model, ensuring we can move quickly to maximise opportunities for our clients.”