Hermes Investment Management, HSBC Bank UK Pension Scheme, Volo Pensioen, Fisch Asset Management, VP Bank Group, Erste AM, Credit Suisse, Style Research, Oppenheimer Funds, AllianceBernstein, City Financial, Fortress Investment Group

Hermes Investment Management – Colin Melvin, who was global head of stewardship at the asset manager, has left the firm. In a note on his LinkedIn profile, Melvin wrote: “After 14 years at Hermes, I am taking some time out and looking forward to planning a further contribution to the sustainability of asset management.” Melvin was appointed to the new role of global head of stewardship in February this year, having previously been chief executive at Hermes Equity Ownership (EOS). He reported to Leon Kamhi, head of responsibility at Hermes Investment Management, who will take over Melvin’s stewardship responsibilities.

HSBC Bank UK Pension Scheme – Russell Picot will be chair of the pension scheme’s trustee board as of 1 January 2017. He will be taking over from Tony Ashford, who is also chair of the Unilever UK pensions scheme trustee board. Picot is also a trustee director at LifeSight, the WillisTowersWatson UK MasterTrust, and special adviser to the FSB’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. He is an ambassador for the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC).

Volo Pensioen – The recently authorised general pension fund (APF) of Dutch asset manager PGGM has made board appointments. Frans van der Horst has joined the board, as has Johan van der Tas. Erik Goris is chairman. 

Fisch Asset Management – The Swiss firm has appointed Juerg Sturzenegger and Philipp Good as joint chief executives, effective 1 January 2017. They will be taking over from Patrick Gügi, who has been chief executive for nine years. Sturzenegger is an external hire, having most recently been a consultant on strategic and operational matters for Swiss financial institutions, while Good has been head of convertible and corporate bonds at Fisch. Sturzenegger’s previous positions include COO, CIO and co-chief executive at VP Bank Group, Liechtenstein. Gügi will remain a member of the board of directors.

Erste Asset Management – Alexander Lechner is to become the head of multi-asset management following a reorganisation of this department, with discretionary portfolio management having been spun out into a self-contained department at the beginning of December. Mixed fund solutions for retail and institutional investors remain with multi-asset management. Lechner was previously a fund manager with Erste AM. Jürgen Wurzer will join the asset manager as senior fund manager, having previously worked for Macquarie Investment Management. Thomas Bobek has been head of the new discretionary portfolio management (DPM) department since the beginning of December, having previously held a managerial position in asset management with Credit Suisse in Vienna. He was head of equity at ERSTE-SPARINVEST from 2003 to 2011.  

Style Research – Sally Tennant has joined the investment research and portfolio analytics provider as chair of the board of directors. In addition to her role at Style Research, Tennant is chair of Duncan Lawrie Private Banking, vice-chair of the advisory board of Paladin Capital Group and a director of Ledunfly. She served as chief executive at Kleinwort Benson (2011-14), Lombard Odier (UK) and Schroders Private Banking.

OppenheimerFunds – Doug Stewart has been appointed head of European, Middle East and Africa distribution, based in London. Stewart joins from AllianceBernstein, where he worked for 14 years. Most recently, he was managing director at the EMEA Client Group, responsible for client relationship management, team monitoring and expansion in institutional markets. 

City Financial – The investment management firm has made four senior operations appointments, hiring Amy Wong, William Dumas, Justin Brodersen and Simon Taylor from Fortress Investment Group. They joined City Financial with effect from 1 December and report directly to Lou Thorne, global COO, with whom they worked at Fortress Investment Group in the liquid markets business. Wong, Dumas and Broderson will be based in New York, and Taylor in London. Thorne was appointed COO in early November.

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