GLOBAL - Nikko Asset Management, Towers Watson, Mercer, Ruffer, iShares, SWIP

Nikko Asset Management - Charlie Metcalfe has joined as president of Nikko Asset Management Europe to run its business across Europe and the Middle East, as well as oversee its operations in the US. Metcalfe was the former chief executive at First State Investments, a post he left in 2009. For the last year, he has been a non-executive advisor with Auden Capital. The news follows Blair Pickerell's appointment in Hong Kong as head of Asia and global chief marketing officer. Charles Beazley has moved from London to Tokyo, where he is now responsible for all Nikko AM's businesses outside Japan, as well as its Japanese institutional business. Both Metcalfe and Pickerell will report to Beazley.

Towers Watson - Chris Ford has been appointed investment leader for the EMEA region with immediate effect. Ford joined Towers Watson in 1990 and has held a variety of research, consulting and management positions, including heading the New York investment practice from 2000 to 2003. On his return to the UK, he took responsibility for the investment strategy team in 2004 and joined the EMEA executive committee in 2007. He joined the global practice management team in 2008.

Mercer - Mark Stanley has been appointed head of business development and client service for Mercer's UK investment management business. Based in London, he will join next month from Bedlam Asset Management, where he was head of sales and client relationships. Separately, Dan Melley, who has been with Mercer for 13 years, has been appointed UK leader for Mercer Dynamic De-risking Solutions (MDDS), the consultancy's fiduciary management business. Alan Baker will take on the position of EMEA head of solutions management. He has been with Mercer for two years and most recently held the position of UK leader for MDDS.
 
Ruffer - David Benson has joined the investment manager as investment director. Benson joins the company's institutional team with responsibility for absolute return and diversified growth mandates for UK pension schemes. From 2005 to 2009, he was a fund manager at Société Générale Asset Management, focusing on pooled UK equity and multi-asset portfolios for UK institutions and retail investors.

iShares - David Gardner has joined BlackRock's ETF platform as head of sales for iShares EMEA. Gardner joined iShares in 2000 and has held a number of executive roles for the business in the US and Asia Pacific. Most recently, he was head of Northern Europe sales and also served on the iShares EMEA executive committee, as well as the BlackRock EMEA operating committee.
 
SWIP - Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) has appointed Daniel McKernan as head of European and UK credit within its fixed income team. McKernan, who starts in February, will be responsible for managing the investment-grade credit research and institutional investment management teams. He will also have direct responsibility for a number of large credit mandates. He joins from BlackRock, where he was director of fixed income and a senior credit portfolio manager.
 

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