GLOBAL - Franklin Templeton, IFRS, Cantab Capital Partners, Sophis, The Urban Land Institute, Niam, Grafton Advisors

Franklin Templeton - Martin Lasance has joined as director of Swiss institutional business, based in Zurich. Tasked with expanding the company's work with Pensionskassen and insurance companies, he will report to Jens Kruse, director and country head for Switzerland. Lasance has previously worked at BlackRock, where he headed their Swiss institutional business for five years, with prior experience at Swiss Re and Credit Suisse First Boston.

International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation (IFRS) - Dick Sluimers, chief executive of the €266bn asset manager and pension provider APG in the Netherlands, has been appointed as trustee of the IFRS, the supervisory body of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). The IASB, tasked with developing a worldwide accounting standard, will be chaired by Hans Hoogervorst - the present chairman of the Financial Markets Authority (AFM), the Dutch behavioural watchdog - as of 1 July.

Cantab Capital Partners - Genia Diamond has joined the systematic global macro asset manager as head of business development. She joins from OMAM UK and before then worked at Solent Capital and BlueCrest Capital. She started her career in asset management as a senior researcher at PAAMCO. Cantab, based in Cambridge, England, was founded in 2006 by Ewan Kirk and Erich Schlaikjer, formerly of Goldman Sachs, and Chris Pugh, formerly of KBC and DE Shaw.

Sophis - Christian Backe has joined Sophis - a provider of cross-asset, front-to-back portfolio and risk management services - as sales director for the Nordic region. Backe, who joined Sophis in 2010, will be responsible for new business development and client relationships. Before joining Sophis, he held a variety of senior roles in organisations within the financial services sector, including Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and Jackson Consulting.

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) - Joe Montgomery will take over as chief executive for Europe at the end of March. He replaces Bill Kistler, who left ULI last October to join Korn/Ferry International.

Niam - Kristian Krogh has joined the Nordics/Baltics real estate fund manager as a senior director in Denmark. Krogh joins from Aberdeen Asset Management, where he was head of transactions and research in Denmark. Before that, Krogh was senior manager of international investments with Colliers International in Copenhagen.

Grafton Advisors - Claudi Kemp has joined from DTZ as part of Grafton's plans to invest in the UK real estate market. Kemp was a senior surveyor at DTZ and will undertake asset management and source business opportunities for Grafton.

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