Broadstone, Aon, Manulife, SSP, AP2, AP7, APG

APG Asset Management – The firm has appointed Barbara Bakker as its new chief finance and risk officer. The appointment will take effect as of 1 July 2023.

Bakker joins from Aegon Asset Management, where she worked for more than a decade in various roles in risk and asset management. In her last position she was chief transformation officer, in which “she gained knowledge and experience in the IT field and in successfully implementing transformations in a global organization”, APG said in a press release.

Bakker is succeeding Céline van Asselt, who left for Goldman Sachs Asset Management last November.


SPPJenny Nilsson has been appointed as the new chief compliance officer at SPP, the Swedish investment funds subsidiary of Norwegian financial group Storebrand. She joins from a role as operational development manager at insurance broker Max Matthiessen, and will start the new job at SPP in August, according to a post on LinkedIn.

According to news service Sak & Liv, Nilsson is replacing Magdalena Grunder at SPP, who will move on to a position outside the firm in June.


AP2/AP7Ingrid Albinsson, the chief investment officer of Swedish premium pension default provider AP7, has been appointed as vice chair of the board of Gothenburg-based state pensions buffer fund AP2 from 1 August.

Albinsson confirmed earlier this year she is leaving AP7 this summer after 12 years at the state-run pension fund, with an open mind about her next career steps.


Nigel Aston at Aon

Nigel Aston at Aon

AonNigel Aston has joined Aon’s UK defined contribution (DC) solutions team as an associate partner and market development lead. He brings over 20 years of experience in driving DC investment strategies within the UK market and abroad.

Prior to joining Aon, he was a senior managing director at State Street Global Advisors where he was responsible for global workplace strategy and ESG. He also previously held roles at Standard Life, AXA, SEI and technology start-up DCisions, spanning areas including investment design, sales, and marketing and communication.

In his new role Aston will be focused on working with clients and market evaluators to ensure client needs are well understood and addressed.


Broadstone – The pensions and employee benefits consultancy has appointed Simon Kew as its new head of market engagement.

Kew will be responsible for raising Broadstone’s profile and share of voice across its consulting and actuarial division together with OAC – a UK based specialist actuarial and financial services consultancy acquired by Broadstone last month.

Kew’s role will be dedicated to increasing Broadstone’s market engagement through its core audiences across new and existing clients, at conferences and speaking events and other external communications channels like social media. He will also take on a mentoring role within the business leveraging his prominence as a leading commentator on pension regulation, as well as his insights across the industry and the legislative direction of travel from government.


Manulife Investment ManagementAndrew Blackman has been apppointed as managing director, private equity and credit business development specialist for EMEA institutional.

Blackman is based in London and reports to Marco Zanuso, senior managing director, head of distribution, EMEA institutional. In this position, Blackman will play a pivotal role in continuing to grow the firm’s distribution capabilities across its expanding private markets business. He will be responsible for capital formation of all Manulife IM private equity and credit strategies and funds in close cooperation with the existing regional EMEA sales team.

Reaching additional investors in Europe with private market strategies is a priority and an opportunity for the business, the firm added.


Icelandic Pension Funds Association (Landssamtök lífeyrissjóða, LL) – Jón Ólafur Halldórsson, chair of Iceland’s Federation of Trade & Services (SVÞ) and other organisations, has been appointed as chair of the Icelandic Pension Funds Association, replacing Hilmar Harðarson, the lobby group announced.

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