LPFA, Columbia Threadneedle, New Capital, ASR, Cardano

AP3 – Kerim Kaskal, CIO of the Swedish buffer fund, is to leave after two years in the role. Having worked at Nektar Asset Management and Brummer & Partners, he will leave AP3 at the end of October to set up his own fund management business. 

London Pension Fund Authority (LPFA) – Merrick Cockell has been appointed as interim chairman of the London local government pension fund after the resignation of Edi Truell. Cockell has been deputy chair since 2013 and on the board since 2010. Truell resigned to lead an advisory board for the LPFA’s collaboration with the Lancashire County Pension Fund. Cockell is also chairman of the UK’s Municipal Bonds Agency, set up to allow local councils to find a way to raise capital from private markets.

Columbia Threadneedle InvestmentsJeremy Smith has joined the asset manager as its head of UK equity research. Smith will join the firm in September and will lead the UK research term, including recently appointed analysts Phil Macartney and Sonal Sagar. Smith joins from Liberum Capital where he was in the equity sales team.

New CapitalJohn Leahy has been appointed as a UK equity fund manager for the active investment manager. Leahy joins from Hermes Investment Management where he ran a UK small company strategy. Leahy will be based in London and responsible for New Capital’s UK equities offering.

ASR Real Estate Investment ManagementEdwin van de Woestijne has been appointed as managing director of commercial real estate and manage the ASR Dutch prime retail fund. He will join the firm in October from Bouwfonds Investment Management, where he was head of asset management. Van de Woestijne will also join the management team at ASR.

CardanoPhil Redding has been appointed as UK head of business development for the Dutch investment advisory and fiduciary management firm. Redding was head of business development for EMEA at Aviva Investors and joins Cardano’s London office. Prior to Aviva Investors, Redding held pensions roles at Credit Suisse, Zurich, CIS and Scottish Mutual.