GLOBAL – PGGM, The Pensions Regulator, MEP Pension Fund, Rob Lake Advisors, iShares, Aviva Investors, Sackers, Avoca Capital, Pictet Asset Management, Cube Capital, Fidecum

PGGM – Fook Ley Wong has started as senior portfolio manager at the €134bn asset manager. He has been senior portfolio manager at DPFS, the pensions provider for general practitioners and medical consultants, which has merged with PGGM. Wong is responsible for portfolio construction, selection and monitoring of the global equity portfolio for the clients at DPFS. Earlier, Wong was a senior investment manager at PGGM. Separately, Olga Elsenga has started as senior adviser for responsible investment on 1 July. Previously, she worked as senior legal counsel at NYSE Euronext. Before then, she was legal counsel for Europe at Citco Bank Nederland. Her job at PGGM is a new position.

The Pensions Regulator – TPR has named an interim chief executive following the departure of Bill Galvin for the Universities Superannuation Scheme. Stephen Soper, currently executive director for defined benefit regulation, will assume the role with immediate effect and until a permanent replacement for Galvin has been found. His role as head of the DB regulatory division will be filled by Geoff Cruickshank until the search for a new chief executive is complete.

MEP Pension Fund – Richard Balfe, chairman of the pension fund for European parliamentarians, has been awarded a life peerage. Balfe was elected to the European Parliament in 1979 as a UK Labour Party MEP, but joined the Conservative Party in 2002 prior to stepping down in 2004. He will join the Tory benches in the House of Lords once his peerage has been conferred.

Rob Lake Advisors – Industry veteran Rob Lake has set up his own consultancy, providing advice to asset owners on responsible investment. Lake is a former director of responsible investment for the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investment and head of sustainability and governance at APG. Before then, he held a similar role at Henderson. Lake said he would remain a member of the strategy council currently reviewing the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global’s approach to responsible investment. He is also a trustee at Friends Provident Foundation.

iShares – BlackRock’s ETF platform has appointed Tom Fekete as head of product development for the EMEA region. Based in London, he joins from Barclays Wealth, where he was EMEA head of investment products and global head of FX advisory. Before then, he headed the structured solutions team at UBS.

Aviva Investors – Abigail Herron has been appointed head of engagement within the global responsible investment team. She joins from Co-operative Asset Management, where she headed corporate governance. Her new role consists of developing strategies for Aviva’s engagement in all relevant asset classes including equities, fixed income, sovereign debt, property, private equity and multi-manager portfolios. She will report to chief responsible investment officer Steve Waygood.  

Sackers – The UK law firm for pensions schemes and pension scheme employers has promoted Claire van Rees and Georgina Jones to associate directors and Lucy Dunbar to associate.

Avoca Capital – The European credit investment manager has appointed Lord James Blyth to the board as a non-executive director. Blyth has held a number of leadership roles, including chairman of Diageo and Boots, as well as head of defence sales at the UK’s Ministry of Defence. He also remains a non-executive director of Anixter and a senior adviser to Greenhill & Co.

Pictet Asset Management – Eric Borremans has been hired as a sustainability expert, replacing Christoph Butz, who has held the position since 2002. Joining from BNP Paribas Investment Partners, Borremans has more than 20 years’ experience in sustainability issues and will be attached to the PAM quantitative SRI team headed by Laurent Nguyen.

Cube Capital – The alternatives investment manager has appointed Shailen Modi as COO. Joining from Fauchier Partners, where he was partner and CFO/COO, Modi has extensive experience in operational and financial roles. He will be responsible for Cube’s worldwide operations, finance and technology functions, in addition to sitting on the Risk Committee. He will assume the new role on 1 August.

Fidecum – The asset management boutique has appointed Josef Schopf as a portfolio manager. Schopf has worked in equities for more than 25 years and is an expert in European small and mid-cap companies. He has worked at Deutscher Investment Trust (known as AGI today) and Lupus Alpha. Fidecum said it planned to launch an additional equity product to be managed by Schopf soon after his arrival.

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