People moves: AP Pension picks former Velliv chief

AP Pension – Steen Michael Erichsen, the former chief executive officer of Danish pension provider Velliv, has been appointed by Danish pensions firm AP Pension to the newly-created role of partner director. Velliv said the appointment was part of its efforts to bolster its strategic sales activities. Erichsen started the new job on Monday, and reports to chief commercial officer Janni Bové Schou.

AP Pension said Erichsen had played a crucial role in the development of Velliv over 21 years, including its buyout from Nordea and transformation into a customer-owned company with increasing deposits and market share.

Erichsen was fired as Velliv’s CEO in 2023 for making a private investment decision, which the firm’s chair, Anne Broeng, said at the time did not meet the ethical standards required from a CEO.

He was subsequently investigated by Denmark’s National Special Crime Unit (NSK), but police charges were dropped last year and the case was closed.

Aviva Investors – The global asset management business of Aviva has appointed Josien Piek as head of Benelux and Nordics business development.

Based in Amsterdam, where she will also be branch manager, Piek will report to Steven Gardner, head of EMEA institutional.

Piek has more than two decades of experience working with institutional asset owners across the Nordics and Benelux, including pension funds, insurers and sovereign wealth funds. She began her career in financial services in 1991, later moving to the buy side as a fixed income portfolio manager before transitioning into senior institutional sales roles.

She joins from Ninety One Asset Management, where she was sales director. Previous roles include head of the Nordics and the Netherlands at Haven Green Investment Management, and head of EMEA at GRESB. Piek is also an ambassador for the World Benchmarking Alliance.

Isio – Marcus Slee has been appointed as partner and head of employee benefits, as the firm continues to invest in the growth of its technology-enabled benefits offering and strengthen its leadership team.

Isio’s employee benefits practice advises employers on the design, implementation and governance of workplace benefits programmes, helping organisations support employee wellbeing, engagement and financial security. The team combines strategic advice with technology-led solutions to help clients deliver modern, effective benefits experiences for their workforces.

Slee brings more than 15 years of experience working across employee benefits, technology and commercial strategy. He joins from Mercer, where he most recently served as partner and digital leader for Mercer Marsh Benefits UK and Europe and was a member of the UK and European leadership team.

ICG – The global alternative asset manager has recruited Luke Schlafly as global head of insurance in its client solutions group (CSG).

Schlafly will report to Alan Isenberg, global head of CSG, with a mandate to strengthen the firm’s global insurance relationships and develop solutions for the sector’s evolving needs.

Schlafly joins ICG with more than 16 years of experience in global asset management and extensive expertise in serving insurance companies. He most recently was managing director and global head of insurance investment solutions at PineBridge Investments, where he led the firm’s global insurance business and delivered strategic solutions to a broad spectrum of clients in this segment.

Schlafly’s appointment underscores ICG’s commitment to consolidate its global client coverage and deepen its CSG expertise, reflecting the firm’s expanding and increasingly diversified suite of strategies.

London Pensions Fund Authority (LPFA) – The authority has appointed Carol Campbell as its new director of governance, risk and legal.

Campbell starts her role in mid-April 2026, following the completion of an 18-month interim role at Lothian Pension Fund (LPF), where she served as interim head of legal, advising on governance, regulatory compliance and fiduciary duties in both LPF and its investment management company.

She previously held the statutory position of monitoring officer for the City of Edinburgh Council, where she led legal, governance, assurance and risk functions, advising elected members, boards and executive teams on complex and politically sensitive matters.

Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC) – Hitesh Patel will join the boards of PIC and its parent company, Pension Insurance Corporation Group (PICG), as an independent non-executive director, following the completion of the acquisition of PICG by Athora.

Patel will become chair of PIC’s investment and origination committee and will be a member of the nomination, conflicts, and board risk committees. He brings extensive insurance and financial services experience to his new role at PIC. His background includes his former role as CEO of life assurance company Lucida, and his early involvement in the IFRS17 implementation and the Solvency UK reforms.

Patel is currently chair of Canopius Managing Agents and chairs Canopius Group’s investment committee. He is also non-executive director and senior indepenent director of Landmark Mortgages, chairs the board of Augusta Ventures and is deputy chair and council member of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, chairing its audit and risk committee.

Broadstone – The UK consultancy has appointed John Bacon as principal of projects and endgame administration.

Bacon joins from Barnett Waddingham, where he spent 10 years working with the Pension Protection Fund, Clara and Pension Insurance Corporation. Previously, he spent eight years at Mercer in several roles and four years at Atkin & Co as operations and administration manager.

In his new role, Bacon will support Broadstone in enhancing its pension scheme administration capabilities, assisting the award-winning team with the preparation and execution of transactions and post-transaction services across the full endgame spectrum.

He will support Paul Noone, the newly-appointed head of operations, working closely with trustees, sponsors and insurers to ensure they are fully prepared for transactions while keeping the member experience, data quality and delivery at the centre of Broadstone’s process throughout.