NETHERLANDS - Pension insurer Swiss Life has named Gerard Sirks as chief investment officer of its Dutch arm Zwitserleven, it announced.

Sirks, 51, will take over from Hans Molenaar, who will leave for SNS Asset Management.

Zwitserleven’s new CIO will also become director of Swiss Life Asset Management, or SLAM, the asset management arm of the company, it added. The appointment will be as of June 1.

According to Swiss Life, Sirks has recently worked as an independent interim manager at AZL Asset Management and SBA Artsenpensioenfondsen in the Netherlands. Earlier, he has been director at F. van Lanschot Bankiers and Deutsche Bank de Bary, it added.

“Sirks will focus on a further specialisation of asset management for pensions. As CIO, he will be responsible for all investment activities of Zwitserleven. His director’s role will make him partly responsible for the activities of SLAM and Zwitserleven Asset Management as well,” it explained.

Zwitserleven is part of worldwide operating pensions insurer Swiss Life. In 2005, Zwitserleven generated a contribution income of over €1bn and a net profit of €67m, which put the company in the top 10 of life insurers in Holland.

SLAM has almost €12bn of assets under management. It reported a rise of 7.5% during 2005.

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