GLOBAL – APG, SNPF, BP Investment Management, OECD, World Bank, BlackRock, Natixis GAM, Russell Investments, MetLife, ECU Group, UBS GAM

APG – The €311bn Dutch asset manager and pensions provider has appointed Peter Gortzak as its new head of strategy and policy. As of January, he will be responsible for advising both APG’s clients and executive board, as well as external stakeholders. As vice-chairman of the union federation FNV, Gortzak has been one of the architects of the Pensions Agreement.

SNPF – Maarten Dijkshoorn is to replace Gijs Alferink as chairman of the Dutch €1bn occupational pension fund for notaries (SNPF) as of 20 December. Alferink has been chairman since August 2010 and overseen new governance arrangements at the scheme, while starting the process for a new sustainable pension plan.

BP Investment Management – Anthony Pike, chief executive officer and director at BP Investment Management in the UK, is set to retire at the end of this year. Pike, who is no longer working full-time for the company, has been responsible for investment management, apportionment and oversight since 2007, when he succeeded Colin Maltby. Pike joined BP Investment Management in 1998 from AMP and will be replaced by John Bearman, the former chief investment officer at Santander Asset Management. Bearman joined BP Investment Management in September.

World Bank – Fiona Stewart, currently principal administrator at the OECD in Paris, is to leave the organisation to join the World Bank in Washington in December this year as a senior financial sector specialist. At the World Bank, she will work with the non-bank, financial institutions service line within the financial and private sector development vice-presidency. Stewart has spent eight years at the OECD’s financial affairs division.

EDHEC Risk Institute – Tomas Franzén, chief investment strategist with Swedish buffer fund AP2, has been appointed as chairman of the institute’s international advisory board. Franzén succeeds Theo Jeurissen, former director of investments at PMT, the Dutch industry-wide metal worker pension fund, who has recently retired.

BlackRock – The firm has hired a three-person team from Blackstone’s private debt business to launch its own infrastructure debt platform focused on Germany, France, Benelux and the UK. Philippe Benaroya and Chris Wrenn – both appointed co-heads of European infrastructure debt – and director Gilles Lengaigne previously worked for Harbourmaster, which Blackstone’s GSO debt division acquired last year.

Natixis Global Asset Management – Leigh Fisher has left Neptune Investment Management, where she was sales manager, to become head of advisory sales at Natixis Global Asset Management. Additionally, Darren Pilbeam has joined as new head of strategic alliances. He was previously sales manager at Investec Asset Management.

Russell Investments – Adam Smears has joined the company from Old Mutual Global Investors as head of fixed income research, while Kevin Dockrell has joined from Towers Watson as fixed income research analyst. Both will be based in London, and Smears will head up a team, including Dockrell, working across London, New York, Toronto, Seattle and Sydney.

MetLife – MetLife has appointed Andy Stephenson as national sales manager for its employee benefits business. Stephenson, who joins from Aviva, where he was group risk national sales manager, will start his new role in January 2013, reporting to sales director Tom Gaynor.

ECU Group – Antony John, previously chief executive at multi-asset manager BNP Paribas FundQuest, becomes chief executive of ECU Group. Jan Pilkington-Miksa, a former chairman and co-founder of corporate finance advisers Ferghana Partners Group has been appointed executive director for corporate development. They join veteran currency specialist, Michael Petley, ECU’s founder and CIO. Finally, George Robb, former chief executive and chairman of Aberdeen Asset Management, has been appointed non-executive chairman. 

UBS Global Asset Management – The company has promoted Thomas Wels to the role of head of its global real estate business, starting 1 December this year. Wels has been with the firm since 2005 and a member of the executive committee since 2007. Most recently, he was chief operating officer. UBS GAM also announced that Paul Marcuse, head of global real estate since 2007 and a group managing director, will be leaving the firm to pursue new opportunities, having worked for 32 years in financial services and real estate. Finally, UBS GAM has appointed Richard Johnson as global head of business development for Global Real Estate, effective 3 December and reporting to Wels.

Neuberger Berman – The asset manager has appointed Robert Ryan as managing director of official institutions. Ryan will be based in London, focusing on central banks and sovereign wealth funds. He will report to Dik van Lomwel, head of EMEA and Latin America.

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