The bank has appointed Jane Niles as chief executive.

She is taking over the role from Brendan Stewart, who is stepping down after five years.

Niles joined Investec in 2016, initially leading the corporate and family office segment, and more recently, acting as head of offshore real estate and head of lending.

Irwin Mitchell

The law firm and advice group has named Craig Marshall as group chief executive.

This is following the death of the firm’s former chief executive Andrew Tucker.

Marshall joined Irwin Mitchell in 2007 when the firm merged with Scottish law firm Golds before being appointed chief executive of Irwin Mitchell’s personal legal services division from 2014 to April 2021.

He then became group chief operating officer in 2021.

Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM)

The asset manager has named Pauline Plunkett as chief executive of its European operation and managing director of Ireland, subject to regulatory and board approvals.

She was previously head of insurance clients, having joined LGIM in March 2014.

Brown Shipley

The Quintet Private Bank subsidiary has hired Andrew Kyle as chief financial officer, subject to regulatory approval.

Kyle, who served as chief financial officer of Coutts for the previous five years, will join Brown Shipley in October 2023 as chief financial officer designate, working alongside the firm’s outgoing chief financial officer Andrew Curran, who will retire in March 2024 after serving at the UK private bank for over 20 years.

Standard Chartered

Mike Tan has joined the bank as global head of wealth planning and family advisory.

He was most recently part of the wealth advisory team at JP Morgan NA, Singapore.

Lombard Odier

The wealth manager has appointed Alexandre Meyer as managing partner.

Meyer joined Lombard Odier 25 years ago.

Annika Falkengren, who joined the group in 2017, has decided to step down as managing partner at the end of 2023.

MKC Wealth

The independent wealth management firm has appointed Rick Eling as managing director of its authorised investment management business MKC Investment Management.

He joins from Quilter, where he was latterly head of adviser propositions and spent four years as investment director of its advice network Quilter Financial Planning.

Alexander Peter Wealth Management

Claire Taylor has joined the advice firm as a transatlantic financial planner.

She was previously at Forth Capital, where she was an international planner.

Indosuez Wealth Management

The global wealth management arm of Crédit Agricole Group has named Emile Salawi as head of the Middle East.

He joined Indosuez Wealth Management in 2020 as head of key clients and family offices of CA Indosuez (Switzerland) SA.

EFG

The company has named Francesca Speroni as team leader and deputy head of private banking of EFG Private Bank, the UK private banking arm of EFG International.

Speroni has joined EFG from Credit Suisse, where she was a managing director and served as team leader UK for more than five years.

Earlier this year, EFG also hired Inbal Shiloach as client relationship officer focusing on Israeli ultra-high net worth individuals (UHNWI).

She joined the bank from Julius Baer, where she spent 12 years and most recently served as head of Israel out of London.

Vivian Yuen also joined EFG in London earlier this year as client relationship officer with responsibility for UHNWIs based in Hong Kong and Greater China.

She previously worked for Julius Baer Hong Kong, where she was most recently an associate manager serving private clients booked in Hong Kong, Singapore and Switzerland.

HSBC

The UK private banking arm has recruited a team of relationship managers in its London office.

Phil Aleppo will lead the team and joins from Credit Suisse where he led a team of ultra-high net worth and high net worth bankers in the UK domestic team.

Joining the team are Henri Etchegoyen, Brad Werner, Usmaan Aziz and Oliver Beasant.

Elsewhere, Lok Yim has been named as regional head of global private banking, Asia Pacific.

Yim joins HSBC on a designate basis on 1 November and commences formally on 1 January 2024, subject to regulatory approval.

Yim succeeds Siew Meng Tan, who is retiring after an almost forty-year career in banking.

He joins HSBC from Deutsche Bank where he spent 16 years, most recently as chief executive for Hong Kong SAR.

Belasko

The financial services provider has appointed Alex Le Prevost as associate director.

Le Prevost was previously at Suntera Global, where he was a senior trust manager.

UBS

Ulrike Hoffmann-Burchardi will join the firm’s chief investment office as head chief investment officer for equities, effective 23 October 2023.

Hoffmann-Burchardi joins from Tudor Investment Corporation, where she has been a partner and senior portfolio manager since 2009.

Holborn Assets

The Dubai-based firm is launching a major expansion of its residency and citizenship investment (RCBI) division.

It has appointed Pablo Ostrick to be the managing director of its RCBI unit, known as Holborn Pass.

In his new role, Ostrick will hire 25 advisers this year to work alongside the firm’s 250 wealth managers.

He was previously general manager of Holborn Pass.

Macquarie Asset Management

Henry Middleton has joined the firm as managing director and head of wealth distribution for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

He was previously at Barings, where he most recently led its US institutional and global wealth distribution activities.

Gabrielle Beaumont has been named as chief executive of the financial advice and investment manager firm.

The company has also named Matt Taylor as chief financial officer.

Beaumont replaces Matthew Bugden who has stepped down from his role to devote more time to his family. She was previously managing director for the firm.

Taylor joined the group in May 2023 as chief financial officer. He has over 20 years experience working for a broad range of financial services firms including Nucleus Financial and James Hay.

Morningstar

Dan Kemp has been promoted to chief research and investment officer at the investment giant, according to Linkedin.

He was previously global chief investment officer.

Newton Investment Management

The BNY Mellon Investment Management subsidiary has strengthened its multi-asset investment team with the appointment of Paul Brain as deputy chief investment officer.

Brain’s existing role at Newton as head of fixed income will be assumed by Ella Hoxha, who joins from Pictet Asset Management on 31 July.

Brain will retain his current portfolio management responsibilities through a transition period, after which they will be assumed by Hoxha.

Walker Crips Investment Management

The investment firm has hired Joe Simpson as a business development associate.

Simpson was previously an England rugby international and played for Wasps, Gloucester, Saracens, Bath and Sale Sharks.

BRI Wealth Management

The wealth management company has named Laura Ripley as a financial planner.

She joins from Handford Aitkenhead & Walker, where she was operations director.

Association of British Insurers (ABI)

Tim Bailey has been named president of the ABI.

He is currently UK chief executive of Zurich and replaces Barry O’Dwyer, who is group chief executive of Royal London, in the role.

Also, Clare Bousfield has been named as ABI deputy president. Bousfield is chief executive of retail and savings at M&G.

Standard Chartered

The banking group has named Sabina Chiang as head of managed investments for wealth management, and Adam Ng as head of managed investments for private bank in Hong Kong, respectively.

Chiang was formerly head of managed investments for private bank in Hong Kong.

Prior to joining Standard Chartered, Ng worked in HSBC Private Banking, where he was an alternative investment specialist advising various alternative solutions to private banking clients.

This includes its private and business banking arm. Standard Chartered’s corporate, commercial and institutional-banking division will also move across to AJIB.

Sunil Kaushal, regional chief executive of Standard Chartered Bank in Africa and the Middle East, said that one of the main reasons for the sale was to redirect resources to areas in the region with the greatest potential for growth.

He added: “While we will be selling our local business, we will continue to facilitate and be a bridge for international capital flows into Jordan.”

Acquisition trail

AJIB said it had bought the business as part of its strategy to grow market share in Jordan, following its acquisitions of HSBC’s banking business in the country in 2014 and the National Bank of Kuwait’s banking business in Jordan in 2022.

Hani Al-Qadi, AJIB chairman of the board, said: “Standard Chartered Bank is a leading regional and international bank with more than 160 years of experience; the bank has been present in Jordan for more than 98 years.

“We are pleased to have been selected as the preferred buyer.”

The funds, which are developed in partnership with Amundi, comprise a series of Securities and Futures Commission-authorised, multi-asset funds. They are constructed to offer sustainable risk-adjusted returns, capitalising on near-term market or economic conditions, which will be reviewed and rebalanced regularly.

Retail investors will have access to four globally diversified multi-asset fund of funds and ETFs portfolios. They are the Signature CIO Income Fund, the Signature CIO Conservative Fund, the Signature CIO Balanced Fund and the Signature CIO Growth Fund.

“The Signature CIO Funds synergise the strength of Standard Chartered and our strategic partner in developing relevant investment solutions for our clients. It is encouraging to see investment sentiment gradually improve since Mainland China’s boundary reopening, this is reflected in the marked increase in fund transaction volumes compared to the last quarter,” said Alson Ho, head of wealth management for Hong Kong at Standard Chartered.

“We are glad to partner with Standard Chartered to contribute Amundi’s global asset management expertise to the funds, catering to investment needs of Hong Kong investors. The Signature CIO Funds join best of both worlds to offer retail clients with the ability to access a diverse set of asset classes and investment strategies,” said Kerry Ching, chief executive of Amundi Hong Kong.

For more insight on asset and wealth management in Asia, please click on www.fundselectorasia.com

The Gibraltar-headquartered financial services group has hired Tyron Skipper as global head of business development, to expand its partnerships and alliances.

He joins from London-based consultancy firm Witehira, where she spent the last year as managing director.

Brooks Macdonald

The wealth manager has made a trio of senior hires.

Andrew Bennie and Rachael Marsden have become heads of investment management for Manchester and Leeds, respectively. Bennie has been at the company for 13 years, while Marsden joined in 2019.

Additionally, Leanne Barnham will join the business as global head of marketing from Ninety One, where she was head of UK marketing.

LGT Wealth Management

Elliot O’Brien has been promoted to head of business transformation at LGT’s wealth management arm.

He joined the company in 2017 from HSBC Private Bank and was most recently a partner.

Deutsche Bank International Private Bank

The international private banking division of the German banking giant has hired two Asia market heads.

Kevin King and Stella Lau will join as managing director and market heads of north Asia wealth management and will be based in Hong Kong and Singapore, respectively.

King will take on his role in March after he leaves BNP Paribas where he has been head of China; while Lau will join in April from Credit Suisse where she was market leader for China.

Sun Life International

The global insurer has promoted Kate Subak to vice president and chief operating officer.

Most recently, she was at Sun Life Canada, where she led business growth and client experience initiatives.

Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management

Lee McDowell has taken on the position of head of intermediaries, business development at the wealth manager.

He was at Psigma Investment Management for over 12 years, most recently as head of business development.

Standard Chartered

Private banker Shahid Qazi has left Credit Suisse to join Standard Chartered as executive director in Singapore.

He most recently served as vice president at Credit Suisse, after being with the company for nearly seven years.

Freeths

The UK-based law firm has strengthened its private wealth offering with a senior hire.

Tom Gauterin has taken on the role of director and will advise on all aspects of personal tax, including inheritance tax, capital gains tax, income tax and stamp duty land tax.

He was previously at Smith & Williamson, now Evelyn Partners, where he served as a director of private client tax services for nearly three years.

DFSA

The chief executive of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), Ian Johnston, has been appointed as vice chair of the Africa and Middle East Regional Committee (Amerc) and as a board member of the International Organisation of Securities Commission (Iosco).

He previously served as chair of the joint forum comprising members of Iosco, the Basel Committee and the International Association of Insurance Supervisors.