People moves: ABP appoints interim executive director for investments

ABP – Dutch civil service scheme ABP has appointed Jack Julicher as interim executive director for investments as of 1 March.

Julicher, who is coming out of retirement to help out ABP, is succeeding Rianne Lemsom, who served as ABP’s interim chief investment officer between July 2023 and October 2024 before leaving for APG, ABP’s asset manager.

ABP remains on the lookout for a definite successor to Dominique Dijkhuis, who left ABP over a year ago after prolonged sick leave.

Julicher retired as CIO of asset manager ASR almost two years ago after a long career in asset management and the insurance business. After his retirement, Julicher remained a board member of the Netherlands advisory board on impact investing. He also served as interim chair of the climate commitment commission for the Dutch financial sector.

LD Pensions/AkademikerPension – Louise Jørring Gev, head of equities at AkademikerPension in Denmark, has been hired by LD Pensions as head of equities.

LD Pensions said Jørring Gev would be responsible for DKK18.4bn (€2.47bn) of equity investments, and would develop the institution’s forward-looking equity strategy, as well as being in charge of external portfolio manager selection.

Kristoffer Fabricius Birch, LD Pensions’ CIO, said that in the hiring process, particular value had been placed on Jørring Gev’s experience within equity investments and her analytical approach to various strategies.

“It is also a big plus that Louise has worked systematically with the integration of ESG in the investment work,” he said.

She is replacing LD Pensions’ previous equity portfolio manager Anders Ulrich Nilsson, but with a wider area of responsibility, the pension fund said.

Meanwhile, at AkademikerPension, John Hydeskov has taken on the role of interim head of equities, where the pension fund said he is working, along with CIO Anders Schelde and the team, on restructuring the equity strategy.

Separately, Janne Gleerup has resigned as chair of the board of AkademikerPension after three years in the role, after being elected as the chair of the Danish labour union DM.

Tobias Bornakke, until now the deputy chair of AkademikerPension’s board, has been elected as Gleerup’s replacement at the DKK145bn pension fund, and Henrik Priergaard has been elected as the new deputy chair.

Isio – The UK-based consultancy has appointed Chris Woodhouse as its new chair and Michael Whitfield as a non-executive director (NED). These key appointments will drive Isio’s continued growth and diversification strategy, as the business works to enhance its offerings to the market.

Woodhouse brings a wealth of experience from his time in both professional services, wealth and investment management. He has supported growth organisations through transitions from partnership to corporate structures.

Woodhouse has led Evelyn Partners and the RAC as CEO and held C-Level and chair roles at Homebase, Halfords, and the Gondola Group. His experience will be key in helping Isio execute its strategic roadmap, ensuring a continued focus on delivering value to clients, as well as driving the diversification of its services.

Whitfield joins Isio’s board with a deep market knowledge of the employee benefits and the related technology space, a significant area of focus as the business continues to diversify and expand.

His role as CEO and founder of global employee benefits technology business Thomsons Online Benefits and subsequently as a non-executive director in several high-growth technology-driven benefit businesses, have provided him with invaluable experience that will be essential in helping Isio drive forward as a new force in the employee benefits sector.

Norwegian Venture Capital Association (NVCA) – Allon Groth is taking over from Ellen Amalie Vold on 1 April as chief executive officer of the association.

Groth joins the industry group from the role of director of communications and public relations at Export Finance Norway (Eksfin). He has also been head of communications at the Guarantee Institute for Export Credit (GIEK) and at Norfund, and has worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at home and abroad, NVCA said.

Hymans Robertson – Kathryn Fleming will be the firm’s head of defined contribution (DC) consulting from April 2025, while Anthony Ellis has been appointed as head of DC investment strategy.

In her role, Fleming will “lead her dynamic team of experts to help our clients navigate the ever-changing pensions landscape, using innovation to deliver better value and financial futures for UK DC savers”, the firm stated.

Fleming takes on the role from Mark Jaffray who will now be focusing on strategic investment advice and innovation.

Fleming joined Hymans Robertson as part of the firm’s graduate programme and has been a partner since 2019; she is the head of DC at-retirement services. She has an intricate understanding of the DC market and specialises in advising trustees and governance committees on impactful pension strategy.

Ellis’s appointment as head of DC investment strategy will further strengthen the firm’s DC investment team led by Alison Leslie.

Ellis is an equity member and joined the firm in 2009, having previously worked at Phoenix Group, Lloyds Banking Group and PwC. He has a long history of advising DC clients on investment and retirement benefit strategy and was instrumental in developing the firm’s DC investment proposition before moving on to be head of investment consultancy for Hymans Robertson.

His new role marks a return to focusing explicitly on the DC market, where he will dedicate the majority of his time to supporting investment clients. He will use his leadership experience, gained from heading the investment business, to strengthen the DC investment team.

Additionally, Emma Cameron has been named head of investment consultancy. Her appointment will build on her experience within the investment team and her experience and knowledge of the investment market.

She takes over the role from Ellis who has led the team for the past six years.

Cameron is a partner at Hymans Robertson and joined the firm in 2012, having previously worked at Deloitte and Mercer. In her current role, she advises trustees of defined benefit (DB) pension schemes on various investment issues.

Along with her client commitments, Cameron is chair of the firm’s investment committee and is a member of Partnership Council, one of the firm’s governing groups.

Aegon UK – The firm will welcome Amanda Wright as general counsel and company secretary in May 2025, subject to regulatory approval.

Reporting to Mike Holliday-Williams, CEO of Aegon UK, Wright will be joining from Chesnara where she has been group general counsel and company secretary and a member of the executive leadership team.

Prior to her role at Chesnara, Wright spent 15 years with Standard Life (subsequently Abrdn), where she held several senior leadership roles including head of legal for the platform business and latterly head of strategic relationships.

Wright takes over from James MacKenzie, who served as general counsel and company secretary since 2009, and stepped down at the end of 2024 to take on the role of head of investor relations at Target Fund Managers.

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