*PIMCO strengthens Benelux position*
Marc van Heel has been appointed senior vice president and director of business development for the Netherlands and Belgium at PIMCO. He will be responsible for client development for the manager as well as other asset management companies within Allianz Asset Management, who bought 70% of PIMCO in May last year.
Van Heel, previously director and head of relationship management and client services at NIB Capital, will be based in Rotterdam and reports to Joe McDevitt, head of PIMCO Europe’s London office.


*RLAM picks SLAM fund managers*
Royal London Asset Management in London has appointed nine fund managers from Scottish Life Asset Management, four of them joining securities investment and the rest join property investment. Jeremy Hall will work on European equities, Patricia Fiddes will be responsible for US shares, with Chris Jeffrey and James Wildash concentrating on UK stocks. The new property managers are Jane Erskine, Emma Gilchrist, Kerri Hunter, Richard Pardoe and Iain Whiteford.


*Duval to head Aon UK benefits*
Donald Duval has been promoted to head of actuarial and benefits consulting practice at Aon Consulting in the UK. Simon Martin will replace Duval as head of research. David Eteen, Duval’s predecessor will concentrate on his work as chairman of the company’s worldwide retirement practice.


*Jecks moves to Watson Wyatt*
Keith Jecks is joining Watson Wyatt consultancy as a senior investment consultant in its global investment management services group. Jecks was formerly head of institutional business at Lazard Asset Management.


*Smith joins emerging markets at Pictet*
John-Paul Smith has been recruited as head of emerging markets at Pictet in London from April. Currently, Smith is head of global emerging markets strategy at Morgan Stanley. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley he worked as director of Rothschild Asset Management.
Douglas Polunin, Smith’s predecessor, is leaving the company.


*Gartmore recruits new analysts*
UK firm Gartmore Investment Management has appointed two analysts to its investment division. Nigel Kennett, formerly at Royal & Sun Alliance, will take up a position of a pan-European analyst focusing on consumer goods and services sector. David Blackhouse joins the company as credit research analyst from United Bank of Kuwait.


*ZSI widens fixed income team*
Zurich Scudder Investments has recruited four new members to its fixed income team in London. Myles Bradshaw will analyse government debt and Duncan Hughes will focus on quantitative analysis. Daniel Loughney joins the sterling bond team as a fund manager and Stephen Wingate joints the high yield bond team as a credit analyst.


*Duval to head Aon UK benefits*
Donald Duval has been promoted to head of actuarial and benefits consulting practice at Aon Consulting. Simon Martin will replace Duval as head of research. David Eteen, Duval’s predecessor will concentrate on his work as chairman of the company’s worldwide retirement practice.


*Rothschild appoints US MD*
James H MacNaughton has joined Rothschild in New York as managing director and head of its North American financial institutions business. MacNaughton was formerly managing director and head of financial institutions mergers and acquisitions group at Salomon Smith Barney.


*Mercury’s media team establishes*
Stefan Winterling has been appointed as an associate investment director at Mercury Private Equity. Winterling will initially be based in its London office, working on establishing the new media team, but will move to the company’s Frankfurt office, where he will focus on media.


*Cade to sell funds at BAM*
Christopher Cade has joined the UK mutual fund sales team at Baring Asset Management, with responsibility for developing the compay’s relationships with life insurers and fund supermarkets. He joins from Chase Fleming Asset Management.


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