GLOBAL – Janus Capital has hired former Citigroup Asset Management executive Jill Paitchel as president of its global arm, Janus International.

The move comes as the firm says its INTECH arm is considering launching a global product in addition to its current US equity offering.

Paitchel is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Denver-based firm’s international business, which had more than six billion dollars in assets at the end of 2003 and 65 employees. Janus has a total of 151.5 billion dollars under management and a payroll of around 1,250.

She was with Citigroup AM for seven years, most recently as head of retail and high net worth in Europe and global head of product development, Janus said.

She will report to Erich Gerth, senior vice president and managing director of Janus Global Adviser. David Schofield, regional sales director for Europe and the Middle East, will report to Paitchel.

Gerth took over as chief executive of the international business from Richard Garland, who resigned in November in the wake of an internal review of trading activities amid the improper trading scandal. Gerth joined Janus in July 2003 from Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

Gerth said in an interview that INTECH, which last month won a 250 million-dollar US large-cap mandate from Blue Sky Group, is looking at launching a global product later this year.

Schofield said the unit has spent six months researching global equity indices, and explained that INTECH’s method mathematical works best in liquid, efficient markets. He added that a pan-European product was possible. “It’s something we may think about in the future.”

Gerth said the new product demonstrated the company’s commitment to being more than just US-centric.

INTECH’s assets under management have more than doubled in the last year, the executives said.

“UK pension funds are a major focus this year,” Schofield said, of INTECH’s ambitions.

On the impact of the market timing investigation in the US, Gerth said clients were taking a “wait an see” attitude to see how events unfold. He pointed out that 2003 saw positive net inflows internationally.

Gerth said European assets rose 50% to 1.8 billion dollars in 2003, though the company does not break out figures. The international business as a whole gained over a billion dollars in assets last year.

Janus’s fourth-quarter earnings are scheduled for release on February 4.

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