People moves: BNY Investments appoints Nico Aspinall for new role

BNY Investments – Nico Aspinall has been appointed to the newly created role of head of UK workplace at the asset manager, responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction across BNY Investments UK defined contribution capabilities and client offerings.

A well-known figure in the UK pensions industry with nearly two decades of experience consulting within the industry, Aspinall was previously head of product advocacy at Newton Investment Management, part of BNY.

Before that, he was chief investment officer at Connected Asset Management, leading the firm’s sustainable development strategy, and before that at B&CE (now The People’s Partnership).

With Darren Philp, a former director of policy at Smart Pension, Aspinall co-hosts V-FM, a podcast about pensions and investments.

TPT Investment Management (TPTIM) – The fiduciary management arm of TPT Retirement Solutions Group has hired Vanessa Poon as an investment risk manager.

In her role, Poon will be responsible for the development, implementation, and evolution of TPTIM’s Investment Risk Framework. This will include oversight of all systems and processes related to the investment risk function, including risk modelling and analysis, as well as reporting to key stakeholders.

She will also provide risk analysis to support TPTIM’s investment strategy, contributing to the delivery of clients’ investment objectives. Poon will report to Peter Smith, investment director at TPTIM.

Poon brings deep expertise in investment risk to her role, with nearly a decade of industry experience in investment risk roles. Prior to joining TPTIM, she served as an investment risk analyst at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, where she led the development of the LDI and UK fiduciary investment risk framework and advised on regulatory risk practices.

M&G – Nadia Nikolova has been appointed as chief executive officer of responsAbility, an impact investing M&G business that focuses on private debt and private equity across emerging markets.

Nikolova, who joins on 1 September 2025 from Allianz Global Investors where she was head of direct lending, will succeed Rochus Mommartz, who has decided to retire, after 22 years with responsAbility since it was founded in 2003.

ResponsAbility’s mission is to mobilise capital and invest in emerging markets, aiming to achieve financial returns while generating a positive societal and environmental impact focussing on three major themes – financial inclusion, climate finance and sustainable food.

Nikolova has spent more than a decade at AllianzGI working in private markets across infrastructure debt, credit and real assets and, in 2019, established its sustainable and impact credit investment team. Since then, she successfully scaled its blended finance strategy, led co-investments alongside development finance institutions, with two flagship funds and raised over €4.5bn in capital, including the launch of an impact private credit strategy focusing on small-cap impact companies in Europe.

At responsAbility, Nikolova will report to Emmanuel Deblanc, CIO of private markets at M&G Investments and chair of responsAbility, as it is part of M&G’s €90bn private markets business investing in private credit, private equity, infrastructure and real estate, investing on behalf of M&G’s £128bn Life Fund and external investors, including pensions funds.

William Blair – Robert Kendall has been named global head of the firm’s investment management business, responsible for the strategic direction of the business, including all portfolio management, client and operational activities.

Kendall succeeds Stephanie Braming, who announced her plans for retirement earlier this year. Braming will remain with the firm into the fourth quarter to enable a seamless transition.

Kendall, a recognised industry leader with nearly three decades of asset management experience, most recently served as president of Raymond James Investment Management, overseeing strong growth in client assets, the establishment of active ETF and private credit strategies, and an expansion into the UK.

Previously, he led the formation of and served as CEO of DWS Americas, overseeing US operations of the global asset management business of Deutsche Bank. Earlier in his career, he served in multiple leadership roles at Van Kampen Investments, at the time a unit of Morgan Stanley.

Brightwell – The comprehensive service provider for UK defined benefit (DB) pension schemes has appointed Andrew Drake to the newly created role of head of advisory.

Derake brings more than 30 years of experience in the institutional investment industry, having held senior roles across professional services, investment consulting, fiduciary management, investment banking, and asset management. A former partner at PwC, he has advised clients on all aspects of investment strategy, built and led high-performing teams, chaired investment committees, and driven organisational strategy and commercial growth.

Drake said: “It’s an exciting time to be joining Brightwell. I look forward to working with the team to further develop advisory capabilities for existing and new clients, supporting them through complex investment and funding challenges.”

Quantum Advisory – The pensions and employee benefits consultancy for small and medium-sized schemes and employers has appointed Anne-Marie Gillon as principal investment consultant within its fiduciary management oversight team. The team is dedicated to delivering clear, independent insight into the fiduciary management market to asset owners and trustees.

Gillon has more than 30 years of experience in the investment industry within asset management and as a consultant advising trustees on fiduciary management and governance matters. She is also an accredited pension trustee.

Sacker & Partners – The UK’s specialist law firm for pensions and retirement savings has appointed two new associates: Alexandra Bellis and Enda Kerr. Their arrival takes the total number of lawyers at Sackers to 79.

Bellis is a five-year qualified lawyer who trained at Sharpe Pritchard, joined Pinsent Masons on qualification and then moved to Stephenson Harwood.

Kerr is a four-year qualified lawyer who trained and qualified at Arthur Cox in Dublin before moving to Pinsent Masons in London.

At Sackers they both will be advising trustees and employers on a broad range of pensions issues relating to their DB and DC pension arrangements, including scheme management, investment and funding, member queries and regulatory compliance.

Broadstone – The UK consultancy has hired Rob Kerry as actuarial director. He joins Broadstone’s insurance, regulatory and risk division within its life insurance team, which delivers a range of actuarial and consulting services to the market.

Kerry brings more than 40 years of experience to Broadstone from senior roles he has held at major insurers such as Equitable Life, Pearl Assurance, and Aviva. Most recently, he was chief actuary at Utmost Life and Pensions, where he was instrumental in the firm’s entry into the bulk purchase annuity (BPA) market.

The appointment enhances Broadstone’s capacity in regulated roles, supports its With-Profits, product and M&A expertise and helps expand its already broad range of services in the life insurance market, building on the acquisition of BPA specialists ExactVAL announced in June 2025.

Veritas – Tommy Sandås, chief financial officer of the Finnish pension insurance company, has been named as its interim CEO following news last month that CEO Carl Haglund is leaving to become CEO of Aktia Bank.

Sandås will serve as interim CEO throughout the process of recruiting a new CEO, and during any subsequent onboarding period, Veritas said this week.

Haglund’s last working day at Veritas will be 4 August.

Mercer – The consultancy has appointed Markus Schmidt as principal investment consultant in Munich. He joins Mercer in Germany after leaving his post as director of asset management for the pension funds of HypoVereinsbank in May.

In his new role at Mercer, Schmidt will advise pension funds and other institutional clients on strategic asset allocations, manager selection, risk management with a focus on private markets and responsible investing, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He joins the team operating under the leadership of Jeffrey Dissmann, head of investments at Mercer Germany.

Inarcassa – Italy’s €16bn first pillar pension scheme for engineers and architects has elected Massimo Garbari as its new president for the next five years. Egidio Comodo has been elected as vice president.

Garbari succeeds Giuseppe Santoro, and Comodo succeeds Garbari.

The pension fund has laos appointed the new executive board, including president, vice president, and a further three members.

The latest digital edition of IPE’s magazine is now available