RLAM, WHEB, FCLTGlobal, PGIM, Ortec Finance, Edmond de Rothschild, APPT, Generali, BOLD Partners, DWS, FTN, Federated Hermes, Barings, Neuberger Berman
DWS Group – The group is bringing together its portfolio management, chief investment office and economic research units under the leadership of Vincenzo Vedda.
As part of this change, Vedda, who is currently global head of portfolio management – public markets and is responsible for the group’s entire liquid portfolio management, will also assume the role of global chief investment officer.
Vedda will continue to report to chief executive officer Stefan Hoops.
Bjoern Jesch, former global CIO of DWS, has decided to leave the company by mutual agreement. Johannes Mueller, previously head of economic and thought leadership research, will become chief economist of the group. He will report to Vedda.
“Combining our chief investment office with our global portfolio management unit is a logical step to make even better use of our investment expertise for our clients,” said Hoops, who is also responsible for the investment division on the executive board level.
Vedda has been with DWS since 2013, initially sharing responsibility for global equities trading, before taking over as head of DWS’s global trading in 2017.
Jesch joined DWS in 2020 as head of multi-asset and solutions, before becoming global CIO at the end of 2022. He is also resigning from his role as CEO of DWS CH AG in Zurich, Switzerland. A successor for this role will be announced shortly.
Ortec Finance – The firm has expanded its board with the appointment of two new members. Else Bos has joined Ortec Finance’s board as the fourth non-executive member, while chief operating officer Martijn Vos has been added as an executive member.
Bos brings a wealth of expertise to Ortec Finance’s board. She most recently served as executive director and chair for prudential supervision at De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB, the Dutch Central Bank), where her primary focus was the supervision of pension funds and insurance companies.
Since 2005, she has held various supervisory roles. Prior to her time at DNB, she was CEO at PGGM, a leading Dutch asset manager, and held several positions at ABN AMRO after completing her degree in Econometrics.
Vos, who has been with Ortec Finance since 1995, has also joined the board. As COO, he oversees the management of the solutions that the firm delivers to its clients. He becomes the second executive member of the board, alongside CEO Ton van Welie.
Swedish Fund Selection Agency – Alva Eriksson and Fredrik Johansson have been hired by the agency (Fondtorgsnämnden, FTN) in the role of legal counsel within its strategy and business development team.
Eriksson has a “strong background as a lawyer, business adviser and project manager, specialising in providing legal and strategic guidance throughout the procurement process”, the FTN said in its announcement.
Her most recent job, according to her LinkedIn profile, was as business adviser at AffärsConcept, a consulting company which is part of public sector employers’ organisation, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions.
Johansson, meanwhile, has more than 15 years of legal work experience in courts, law firms, as well as the Swedish Enforcement Authority and Swedbank, where he was a credit framework expert, the FTN said.
PGIM – Prudential Financial, the US-headquartered global financial services group, has appointed Jacques Chappuis as president and CEO of PGIM, its $1.4trn global investment management business, effective 1 May 2025.
Chappuis will report to Andrew Sullivan, head of international businesses and global investment management for Prudential. Chappuis succeeds David Hunt, who will retire as president and CEO and stay on as chair of PGIM until 31 July 2025, remaining actively involved throughout the transition period.
With nearly 30 years of investment management experience, Chappuis joins PGIM from Morgan Stanley, where he was most recently co-head of Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM). At MSIM, he played a key role in the transformative and successful integration of Eaton Vance.
Association of Professional Pension Trustees (APPT) – Council member Rachel Croft has taken the helm as chair of the APPT, succeeding Harus Rai, who has led the Association since 2021. In a move reflecting the growing role, activities and scale of the APPT, council member Vassos Vassou has been made vice chair.
During Rai’s three-year term as chair, not only has the APPT membership of accredited professional trustees leapt to 435, but also the APPT’s accreditation programme for professional trustees and published standards and code of practice for Professional Corporate Sole Trustees (PCST), set to ensure rigorous industry standards, have been reviewed and requirements strengthened.
Croft is a trustee director at Independent Governance Group (IGG) and has more than two decades of experience overseeing pension schemes with assets ranging from £50m to £2.5bn+. She is an enthusiastic and active contributor to pensions industry thought leadership and is a regular speaker on webinar panels.
On the APPT council, since 2021, she has particularly focused on external affairs and furthering the role of professional trustees, having regular interaction with The Pensions Regulator and the Department for Work and Pensions.
Vassou joined the Professional Trustee Standards Working Group (PTSWG) in 2017 and joined APPT council in 2018. @The APPT has grown very significantly in both membership and profile since those early days. I see the next phase of this growth as incredibly important for us as a fledgling profession and for the wider pension sector we work with,” he said.
FCLTGlobal – The non-profit organisation that advocates for a longer-term focus in business and investment decision-making has appointed Eduard van Gelderen as head of research, effective 15 December 2024.
In this role, van Gelderen will shape FCLTGlobal’s long-term research agenda and define its goals, work with members and staff to advance that agenda, and produce research and communications that extend the organisation’s reach and impact.
Van Gelderen was most recently CIO of the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments) from 2018 to 2024, where he was responsible for PSP Investments’ total fund portfolio and long-term investment strategy. He also headed the sustainable investment, public policy, global government affairs, and strategic communications functions of PSP Investments.
Federated Hermes – Christine Bergstedt Jorgensen has been appointed by the investment manager as director, business development, Nordics, based in Copenhagen.
She will report to Angelo Natale, the firm’s head of business development, CEMEA, and be responsible for “raising assets with institutional and wholesale clients and the continued implementation of the growth strategy for the Nordic region”, Federated Hermes said.
Before joining Federated Hermes, Bergstedt Jorgensen was director for business development in the Nordics at asset manager Arabesque, and has previously worked at Aviva Investors, Barings Asset Management and Cheyne Capital
Federated Hermes said Bergstedt Jorgensen had much experience within ESG, impact and sustainable investments across many asset types.
Edmond de Rothschild – Nathalie Cerutti has been appointed as director of corporate social responsibility (CSR). She joined the group on 1 November 2024.
Based in Geneva and reporting to chief sustainability officer Nathalie Wallace, Cerutti will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of a comprehensive CSR strategy that aligns with Edmond de Rothschild’s mission.
Cerutti’s role involves implementing sustainable practices across all aspects of the firm’s business, from reducing the carbon footprint to nurturing a culture of sustainability within the organization. Her leadership will help ensure that the firm’s operational model exemplifies its commitment to sustainable development.
Cerutti brings more than 15 years of substantial experience in sustainability and ESG analysis. Prior to joining Edmond de Rothschild she was a sustainable equity analyst at Lombard Odier. She previously served as senior ESG/sustainability analyst at Ethos Services for five years and Pictet for eight years.
WHEB Asset Management – The impact investment firm has appointed Hans-Christoph Hirt to its advisory committee to provide independent oversight and governance on behalf of clients in WHEB’s investment strategy.
Hirt brings more than 20 years of experience working on corporate governance and shareholder activism and engagement across the financial sector. He spent over 17 years at Federated Hermes eventually leading the Equity Ownership Services (EOS) business. Most recently he was managing director, head of impact engagement at UBS.
In addition, Hirt is a member of the Financial Conduct Authority’s listing authority advisory panel, an advisory board member at UCL, a member of the advisory board at the Institute of Directors, and director of the Hermes Pension Trustee Company.
Hirt joins four other external members on the committee – Jayne Sutcliffe, non-executive chair; Abigail Rotheroe, non-executive director of HydrogenOne Capital Growth, Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon and Templeton Emerging Markets Investment Trust; Martin Rich, co-founder and CEO of the Future-Fit Foundation; and Alice Chapple, director at Impact Value.
Generali Investments – Marco Zanuso has been appointed as the firm’s chief sales and marketing officer.
In this role, Zanuso will be responsible for defining and overseeing global commercial development strategies and plans aimed at strengthening Generali Investments’ positioning in key markets. He will lead a global team of sales professionals and will directly report to Woody Bradford, the Generali Investments CEO and general manager.
Zanuso joins the Generali Investments team with more than 20 years of experience in the investment management industry. Previously, he was senior managing director, head of EMEA institutional at Manulife Investment Management in London and Milan.
Royal London Asset Management (RLAM) – The asset management firm has expanded its equity team by appointing a head of equities and three portfolio managers.
Mike Fox has been appointed as head of equities. He continues to lead on RLAM’s suite of sustainable investment funds, supported by the 10-strong sustainable investment team, the RLAM responsible investment team, and its external advisory committee.
In addition, Richard Saldanha, Francois de Bruin and Matt Kirby has been appointed to RLAM’s equity team.
Saldanha, who becomes lead manager of the Royal London Global Equity Income Fund and a manager on the Global Equity Select Fund, joins from Aviva Investors, where he spent 18 years, most recently as a global equity fund manager responsible for over £1.5bn in assets under management.
De bruin joins as lead manager on the Royal London Global Equity Select Fund, while Kirby will manage the Royal London Global Equity Income Fund alongside Saldanha. All three, who combined have nearly 40 years of industry experience, join with immediate effect.
There will be no change to the differentiated, repeatable and proven investment approach which underpins the firm’s equity capabilities, and the funds continue to be managed in line with their objectives.
Neuberger Berman – The firm has appointed Khalid Albdah as head of Middle East, North Africa, and new markets, effective January 2025. He will lead the firm’s strategic development across client coverage, operations, and investments in the region. Additionally, he will join Neuberger Berman’s partnership committee.
Albdah brings over a decade of experience from Goldman Sachs, where he served as CEO of Goldman Sachs Saudi Arabia and co-head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management for the Middle East, North Africa, and new markets. Previously he held the role of head of product at Al Rajhi Capital and began his career at the Capital Market Authority (CMA) in Riyadh.
Barings – Sascha Specketer has been recruited as managing director, head of distribution for DACH.
In his new role, Specketer will be responsible for leading distribution in the DACH region, covering institutional and wealth channels across Barings’ full suite of investment capabilities and products.
He joins from Invesco Asset Management where he was head of distribution for DACH and CEE for more than seven years. He has also held positions at Source, a company founded by Goldman Sachs, Bear Stearns International and RCM/ Allianz Global Investors.
Specketer will be based in Munich and report to Jon Millin, head of UK, EMEA and Asia Pacific distribution.
BOLD Partners – Marketing and communication specialists Marcus Bolitho and Will Gold have launched a global marketing consultancy focussed on financial services and the investment industry.
Bolitho and Gold have almost half a century of combined marketing and communications experience from working together in companies including Jupiter Asset Management, Merian Global Investors (formerly Old Mutual Global Investors) and BNY Investments.
Syz Capital – Ursula Nitschke has been appointed to the role of head of business development and investor relations at Syz Capital, the $1.8bn alternatives investment arm of the family-owned Syz Group.
In her new role, Nitschke will oversee the firm’s business development, capital raising, investor relations and communication. With over two decades of experience in the alternatives and private markets industry, she brings extensive expertise and a global network spanning both private and institutional investors.
Over a decade, Nitschke established, launched, and led the hedge fund advisory business at UBS Wealth Management by pioneering investor outcome-oriented customised single hedge fund portfolios. Prior to joining Syz Capital, she expanded institutional business relationships at INOKS Capital, a Swiss asset manager specialising in impact private debt strategies.
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