Finnish Pension Fund Association Timo Toropainen has been appointed president and chief executive of Eläkesäätiöyhdistys, the Finnish Pension Fund Association, replacing Pasi Strömberg, who has headed up the association since August 2011. Strömberg is leaving the association to become chief executive of Finnish private pension fund Verso. Toropainen was previously a political reporter, working at MTV News, UK broadcaster Channel Four News and Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat.

ArdianTobias Gewolker has been appointed as director in the infrastructure team at private investment firm Ardian, and will be based in Paris in the new role. Before joining Ardian, he worked at DC Advisory, following four years at Barclays Capital.  

LCP — UK consultancy LCP has promoted five of its staff to become partners in the firm. The new partners are Gareth Davies, Catherine Drummond, Carla Lakey, Tom Porter and Gordon Watchorn. LCP said the five promotions brought its number of partners to 98, after marked growth in the business over the last five years. 

BNP Paribas Securities ServicesJosé Placido has been appointed to the executive committee of BNP Paribas Securities Services, and will join the bank on 22 April. He will co-head sales and relationship management alongside Charles Cock, the current head of client development. From January next year, Placido will become global head of sales and relationship management, at which point Cock will become vice-chairman in a new senior client executive role focusing on key customer relationships, the bank said. Placido was previously chief executive of RBC Dexia. At BNP Paribas Securities Services he will be based in London and report to general manager Patrick Colle.

JupiterMartin Harris has been hired as head of institutional business at investment management firm Jupiter. Jupiter said Harris would responsible for improving its institutional business strategy internationally. He joins Jupiter from Kames Capital where he was head of distribution for five years. Before that, he was global head of investor relations and capital raising at CQSLondon.

ING Investment Management – Matthijs Claessens has been appointed head of business development for institutional clients in the Netherlands. He will focus on investment strategies and integrated client solutions. Claessens is to report to Paul van Eynde, head of institutional clients in Europe. Over the past three years, Claessens was in part responsible for acquisitions, as well as positioning of ING IM in the institutional market.