After 22 years at the Swiss financial services giant, Zeno Staub will step down as chief executive at the next shareholders general meeting on 9 April 2024, in order to become more actively involved in Swiss civil society.

Staub’s successor as chief executive is to be determined by the end of 2023.

Also, Felix Lenhard, chief operating officer and a member of the executive committee of

Vontobel Holding AG and of Bank Vontobel AG, will step down from his role at the end of 2023.

This will allow him, among other things, to devote more time to his family in the future.

His successor will be determined by the end of 2023.

Lazard Asset Management

Middle East chief executive Farah Foustok is leaving her role at the asset manager, a spokesperson has confirmed.

Foustok joined the firm in 2014.

Fadi El Haddad will assume responsible for Middle East operations in the interim.

Progeny

The financial planning group has named Sam Murton as chief operating officer.

She has been working with Progeny as a consultant since 2022.

Murton has worked with a diverse range of businesses and sectors, including Aegon, easyJet, Three, Orange (EE) and Next.

Sesame Bankhall Group

Paul Wilson has been appointed as chief operating officer at the adviser network.

Wilson joins from Aviva, where he was chief marketing officer at Aviva.

Currently a non-executive director of SBG’s board, Wilson will officially start his new role on 3 July.

He replaces Richard Howells, who left the business.

Weatherbys

Chief executive Roger Weatherby is to step up to the role of chairman at the banking group.

Roger Weatherby, who was appointed chief executive in 2000, will take over from current chairman David Bellamy.

Bellamy will step down in March 2024 after six years in the role.

Quentin Marshall, the current managing director of Weatherbys Bank, will take over as chief executive of Weatherbys Banking Group from September 2023.

Armstrong Watson Financial Planning

Stewart Crockett has been appointed managing director and partner of the advice firm.

Crockett joins Armstrong Watson after 23 years with Close Brothers Asset Management, where he was managing director.

The firm also announced senior financial planning manager Justin Rourke has been promoted to financial planning director – head of advice.

Walker Crips Investment Management

Alan Kinnaird has joined the company as business development manager.

He has worked in financial services for 27 years, with the last three years as a senior private banker at Kleinwort Hambros Private Bank.

Matthews Asia

Beonca Yip has joined the investment management firm as head of Asia Pacific.

Yip previously led the distribution and client service teams at China Asset Management, where she was managing director, head of global client group.

Morgan Stanley Investment Management

Michael Levin will be joining the company as head of Asia.

The role is a newly created position and Levin is expected to join the firm in July.

Levin has been in the industry for over 25 years and was most recently managing director at Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

Lombard Odier

The international wealth and asset manager has appointed Amit Ben Sira as market head Israel.

Ben Sira joins from family office Globe Invest, where he was head of private assets.

ValidPath

The IFA network has appointed Tim Clark as succession director.

Clark joins from M&G, where he was recruitment and acquisition director.

Withers

The international law firm has grown its Swiss practice, based in Geneva, through the addition of partner Berry Bloomberg, who joins the firm from Burges Salmon.

Bloomberg is a tax and trust specialist, representing clients on asset holding structures, the taxation of offshore trusts and companies and negotiating tax disclosures with tax authorities. His clients include internationally mobile individuals and families, trust companies and financial institutions and he has a particular focus on helping clients with US connections.

Schroders Personal Wealth (SPW)

The advice firm has appointed Justin Blower as regional director for the south and south Wales.

He will be responsible for leading SPW’s advice business across the region including Bristol, Cardiff, Oxford and the south West.

Prior to joining SPW, Blower held the role of sales director at M&G Wealth.

HSBC

The banking group has appointed Kai Zhang as the head of its wealth and personal banking (WPB) team for south Asia.

Zhang, who is based in Singapore, will take on her role from 26 June.

As part of her role, Zhang will look at accelerating the WPB team’s expansion in south Asia across eight markets: Singapore, India, Taiwan, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Zhang joins HSBC with over 25 years of financial services experience in North America and Asia, including leadership roles at Citi and McKinsey & Co.

Liontrust

The asset management company has appointed Victoria Stevens and Matt Tonge as fund managers of the Liontrust Special Situations and Liontrust UK Growth funds, joining existing managers Anthony Cross and Julian Fosh.

They were founding fund managers of the Liontrust UK Micro Cap Fund when it was launched in March 2016. They have also been fund managers of the Liontrust UK Smaller Companies Fund since 2016.

Square Mile

David Holder has been named as senior investment research analyst at the firm.

Holder joins from Edison Group, where he was an associate director.

Collidr

The digital asset manager has appointed Barry Cowen and Bradley Mitchell as senior investment strategists.

Cowen joins Collidr having spent the past 10 years running the Model Portfolio Service at Sanlam Wealth (now Atomos), and

Mitchell re-joins Collidr after a period as portfolio manager at Criterion Capital.

Director Franscesco Gaetano Caltagirone has resigned from Generali, the firm said in a statement.

He was also deputy vice-chairman, non-independent director and a member of several committees at the firm.

In a letter to the chairman, he referred to being “prevented from making his own critical contribution and from ensuring adequate control” within the board of directors, as the reasons for his departure.

Caltagirone had been part of the board since April 2007.

Brown Shipley

Calum Brewster has been promoted to chief executive of Brown Shipley, subject to regulatory approval.

He joined the private bank in February 2021 as managing director and head of private banking and client solutions.

Brewster will succeed Alan Mathewson, who served as chief executive since 2018.

Seccl

The platform technology provider has hired David Ferguson as chief executive, effective from 4 April 2022.

Ferguson was the founder and chief executive of Nucleus Financial Group until September 2021.

Seccl’s current co-chief executives Sam Handfield-Jones and Dave Harvey will continue in their roles until 4 April 2022.

After that, Harvey will focus on leading the firm’s technology and product direction, while Handfield-Jones will transition to an advisory role.

The Pension Superfund

The UK pension consolidating ‘superfund’ has named Michael Clark as chief executive.

He joins from Shell, where he worked as global head of pensions and was responsible for the governance and administration of the group’s pension arrangements.

Avellemy

The UK asset manager has promoted two senior people.

Steven Lloyd, who joined the firm at its inception in 2014 as investment director, will become managing director.

Graham Bentley, who was a non-executive director and chair of the board since 2020, will become the asset manager’s first chief investment officer.

Crestbridge

Martin Lambert has taken on the role of head of UK operations at the global provider of administration solutions, based in London.

He will also replace Paul Windsor as head of the London office, who will retire after six years as London managing director.

Lambert joins from Grant Thornton, where he worked as a partner.

Lazard Asset Management

The asset manager has appointed Nick Savastano as head of third-party distribution in the Middle East, based in Dubai.

He spent the last 14 years as a senior executive officer at Invesco Middle East and Africa.

Marlborough

The firm has brought in fund manager Nick Peters to help with the development of investment propositions.

He was previously at Fidelity International, where he worked as a multi-asset portfolio manager for nine years.

Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)

The Abu Dhabi Global Market has named chief executive Mark Nicolas Cutis has his role, effective from 28 December 2021.

He joined the international financial centre in June 2021.

Ninety One

Juliana Hansveden has become portfolio manager for emerging markets sustainable equity at the independent investment manager, based in London.

She previously worked at Nordea Asset Management, where she was responsible for managing the Emerging Stars Equity and Asian Stars Equity strategies.

Georgios Leontaris has been promoted to chief investment officer for Europe international and Mena region, effective from 1 September 2021.

He is based in Geneva and will develop the house view, asset allocation and thematic ideas for the firm.

Leontaris is currently head of fixed income advisory at the Swiss private bank. He has been at HSBC for 14 years.

Schroders

The asset management giant hired dame Elizabeth Corley as non-executive director, member of the nominations committee and chair designate, effective from 1 September 2021.

She will succeed Michael Dobson as chair following the company’s annual general meeting on 28 April 2022.

Corley was previously chief executive of Allianz Global Investors and has 45 years’ experience in financial services.

Before taking on her position at Schroders, she will step down as a non-executive director at Morgan Stanley and Pearson.

Her appointment is subject to shareholder approval.

Sanlam Wealth

Chief executive John White has left the business after four and a half years.

Jonathan Polin, chief executive of Sanlam UK, will take on the role of interim head of Sanlam Wealth.

AAM Advisory

Shreemati Vadarajan has been promoted to chief investment officer at the Singapore-based advice firm.

She joined the company in December 2019 as head of investments, having briefly worked at Farringdon Asset Management after spending nearly seven years at Globaleye Singapore.

Britannia Global Markets

The UK brokerage firm recruited Simon Black as chief investment officer.

Black held a similar position, and other senior roles, at wealth management firm Dolfin where he worked at since 2018.

Dolfin entered administration on 1 July 2021, after the Financial Conduct Authority ordered the company to stop carrying out regulated activities.

Subsequently, Britannia Global Markets bought certain client assets from Dolfin.

Kingswood

Chairman and non-executive director Kenneth West is retiring from the wealth giant.

He will continue as a consultant for six month, after serving on the company’s board for over seven years and as chairman for more than five.

David Hudd will become acting chairman while Kingswood looks for a successor.

Hudd joined the Kingswood board in 2018 and was previously deputy chief executive and a partner of global law firm Hogan Lovells.

AIC

The Association of Investment Companies has recruited Richard Stone as chief executive, effective from 13 September 2021.

After a handover period, current chief executive Ian Sayers will step down in October.

Stone previously held a similar role at Share plc, The Share Centre platform, from 2014 to 2020 and was finance director from 2006 to 2013.

Church House

James Mahon is stepping down as chief executive of Church House.

He has been at the helm of the investment management firm for 11 years.

He will be replaced by current joint-chief investment officer and director Jerry Wharton from 1 January 2022.

Mahon will remain at the company as joint-chief investment officer and as an executive director, as well as keep co-managing the Tenax Absolute Return Strategies fund.

Lazard Asset Management

Global asset manager Lazard has expanded its global alternatives investment platform with a senior hire.

Robert Wall will become managing director and head of sustainable private infrastructure from October 2021 and will be based in London.

He was most recently a partner and member of the infrastructure investment committee in private markets at Federated Hermes.

Association of Financial Advisers

The Australian trade body for the financial advice sector appointed Helen Morgan-Banda as chief executive.

She recently held similar positions for the Law Society of New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners.

She will take on the role from 2 August 2021.

The private banking and wealth management arm of Societe Generale has made some changes to its executive team.

Christophe Huchet has been promoted to group chief risk officer, after spending four years as chief executive of its Channel Islands operation, effective from 1 October 2021, based in London.

Phil McIlwraith will replace Huchet at the helm of the CI operation, subject to regulatory approval. He has been chief executive and group head of trust and fiduciary services in the Channel islands for the past three years.

Current group chief risk officer David Bromley will succeed McIlwraith.

HSBC

The private banking of the UK-headquartered giant has hired Stefan Lecher as regional head of investments and wealth solutions for Asia Pacific, effective from 3 October 2021.

He will be based in Hong Kong.

Lecher was previously at UBS, where worked for the last 17 years and most recently was head chief investment officer for global investment management in Apac.

Multrees

Glenn Murphy has joined the investor services provider as chief operating officer.

He previously held a similar position at Stonehage Fleming.

Murphy will focus on strategic operating and technology solutions for the firm’s clients as well as manage interface between customers and the operations and technology departments.

Lazard Asset Management

The global asset manager has named Joanne Choi as a managing director and chief marketing officer.

She will be based in New York.

Choi joins from Goldman Sachs Asset Management, where she served as head of global marketing.

First Sentier

The investment firm has recruited Mellanie Halsey as chief people and culture officer, effective from 6 September 2021.

She will be based in London and be responsible for designing and implementing strategies to attract, engage and develop employees.

Halsey was most recently executive vice president, HR at Colt Technology Services.

Carrick Wealth

The South African advice firm has hired Gareth Bew as group director of technology.

He has held several senior positions in technology across different sectors including financial services, analytics and retail.

Blick Rothenberg

The tax advisory business has promoted Caroline Le Jeune to head of tax.

She will retain her duties as head of private client as well.

Jennison

The equities and fixed income manager has named Guillaume Mascotto as managing director and head of ESG strategy.

He will be based in New York.

Mascotto is an affiliate manager of PGIM and was most recently head of ESG and investment stewardship at American Century Investments.

LEBC

The financial advisory firm’s head of public policy, Kay Ingram, has left the business.

She will pursue a different venture as a personal finance writer, commentator and broadcaster.

LGT Vestra

Matthew Wiles has taken on the role of sustainability funds analyst at the investment firm.

He joins from Aberdeen Standard Investments, where he served as senior investment analyst and manager of the MyFolio Sustainable range.