EUROPE – Investment fund association EFAMA has appointed a new president and vice president.

Robeco Asset Management’s Stefan Bichsel and Mathias Bauer, one of the three managing directors of Raiffeisen KAG, took up their new roles on Friday, at the European Fund and Asset Management Association’s general meeting in Istanbul.

Bichsel, who has been a member of Robeco’s management board since 2003, replaces Wolfgang Mansfeld, while Bauer replaces John Fitzpatrick. Mansfeld and Fitzpatrick’s terms had come to an end.

Bichsel is a former chief investment officer at Swissca Holding AG, the Swiss cantonal banks’ joint venture which is the third largest investment fund manager in Switzerland.

At the end of May, EFAMA proposed a European personal pensions account to ease cross-border portability of pension rights.

EFAMA has been involved in a war of words with FEAM, the Forum of European Asset Managers.