People moves: Investments head at AllianzGI announces retirement

Allianz Global Investors – Deborah Zurkow, global head of investments at AllianzGI will retire later this year.

Succession plans which are in train envisage public markets and private markets investment responsibilities will be separated, in recognition of the growing maturity, scale and distinctiveness of the private markets business Zurkow has developed, the firm stated.

Zurkow has been with AllianzGI since 2012, when she joined the group to spearhead its pioneering infrastructure debt capability. She proceeded to become the firm’s first head of private markets in 2016, before assuming overall executive responsibility for investments in 2020.

Zurkow will remain with AllianzGI until the end of September 2025, albeit stepping back from executive responsibilities from the summer.

Law Debenture – Mark Humphreys will join the firm’s pensions team as a trustee director.

Humphreys was previously EMEA head of client solutions at Invesco, where he was responsible for leading a team designing and delivering investment solutions for clients across the EMEA region including defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) pension schemes, sovereign wealth and wealth managers.

He also has experience at Schroders as head of fiduciary management and head of UK strategic solutions, and at Watson Wyatt as an investment consultant. He was also an actuarial benefits consultant at Aon Management.

With his demonstrated expertise in growing assets under management and advisory, Humphreys will join LawDeb’s team of trustee directors and trustees. He will be part of the longest established provider of independent pension trustees in the UK, working across 220 schemes, governing pensions for approximately 10% of the region’s population.

He will work closely with Sankar Mahalingham, managing director of LawDeb Pensions, and a team of over 55 pensions experts.

Fondo Pensioni del personale del Gruppo BNL/BNP Paribas Italia – The defined contribution pension fund for the employees of the Italian banking group has appointed Ramona Zaccarella to be responsible for sustainability.Zaccarella will work, in line with corporate strategies, on the firm’s alignment plans with the 2030 Agenda and the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Zaccarella will develop, prepare and propose initiatives for the reduction of the environmental and social impact, and the promotion of sustainable practices within the organisation. She will draw up policy documents relating to sustainability principles and objectives and ensure that they are updated based on regulatory developments and industry standards.

She will periodically monitor the progress towards the objectives through the periodic reporting of precise and measurable sustainability indicators.

Zaccarella worked in the investment department of the pension fund, tasked with management and monitoring of invested assets, selection of new managers and funds in compliance with ESG criteria.

LGT Capital Partners – Ingrid Albinsson, the former deputy CEO and chief investment officer of AP7 in Sweden, has joined the firm’s advisory board. In this new role, she will provide valuable strategic advice on the future direction of the firm. The appointment also demonstrates LGT Capital Partners’s longstanding commitment to the Nordic market.

Albinsson has almost three decades of experience in senior investment management positions. She is currently vice-chair of the board of AP2, a member of the board of PRI Pensionsgaranti, a member of the board of Nasdaq Stockholm AB and a member of the investment committee at KK Stiftelsen.

Her previous experience includes serving as strategy group member and co-chair of Working Group 1 of the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance. Albinsson previously also held various senior investment positions at Swedbank Robur and SEB.

Impact Cubed – Sustainable investing specialist Impact Cubed (soon to be iCubed) has strengthened its leadership and quantitative capabilities by appointing Antonia Lim as CIO. She joins from Schroders where she served as head of quantamental investments.

At Schroders, Lim was instrumental in establishing its bespoke solution capabilities, reinforcing her industry reputation for innovation and client outcomes. She also led a 100-person initiative focused on improving sustainability measurement, integrating material factors throughout the firm’s investment processes. Prior to Schroders, Lim served as Barclays’ global head of quantitative research, solidifying her 24-year career.

Standard Life – The Phoenix Group company has appointed Barry Butler to its Independent Governance Committee (IGC), overseeing the interests of 2.7 million workplace pension scheme members with total assets under administration of nearly £65bn (€78bn).

Butler joins the IGC following Andrew Davies’s transition to chair and reinforces the committee’s dedication to strong governance and oversight, the firm said.

In addition to his Standard Life responsibilities, Butler, along with his colleagues on the IGC, will oversee assets of members worth £7bn within schemes managed by Phoenix Life Limited, ReAssure Life Limited, ReAssure Limited and Phoenix Life CA Limited (the company formerly known as SunLife of Canada).

Butler brings extensive financial services experience to the role, including board expertise, given his role as a non-executive director for MetLife. A qualified actuary, his broad expertise in financial management, risk oversight, and customer-focused governance will support the IGC’s role in ensuring pension scheme members within its remit receive transparency, value for money and high-quality service.

Amundi Deutschland – The asset manager has appointed Tobias Löschmann, head of sales institutional and corporate clients, to its board.

Löschmann previously served as a member of the extended management team and head of the Frankfurt branch. He has been responsible for the institutional business at Amundi Deutschland GmbH as head of sales institutional and corporate clients since 2017.

Prior to joining Amundi, Löschmann was responsible for the institutional business of Pioneer Investments. He also worked at BNP Paribas Investment Partners and Commerzbank in Frankfurt.

Rebalance Earth – The UK’s boutique asset manager focused on nature has appointed Anne Reaney as head of commercial strategy.

Rebalance Earth operates like a UK infrastructure fund, but instead of investing in manufactured assets, it restores natural systems to enhance value-chain resilience for businesses, communities, and cities.

With nearly two decades of experience in high-growth industries, Reaney brings a strong commercial mindset and a wealth of experience operating at the nexus of sustainability and value creation. Her role will be central to elevating nature as a viable and investable solution to reduce business and climate risks such as flooding, drought, and poor water quality.

Principal Asset Management – John Fiddes and Jas Purewal have joined the firm as director, wholesale distribution and associate director, consultant relations, respectively.

Serving the UK and Ireland, these two appointments cement the firm’s commitment to expanding its client base and enhancing investment strategies in the region, it said.

Fiddes will be responsible for driving sales with wholesale prospects and clients in the UK, Ireland, and Channel Islands, while developing and executing a market strategy to drive business growth. He will report to Sylvain Agar, managing director and head of distribution, UK and Ireland.

Fiddes brings a decade of experience in asset management to the role, joining from J. Safra Sarasin where he implemented the firm’s UK wholesale distribution arm.

Purewal will be responsible for strengthening and expanding relationships with UK investment consultants to increase their understanding and endorsement of Principal products and help drive institutional business. He will report to Carl McAndrew, managing director and head of global (ex-US) consultant relations.

Purewal joins the firm with a decade of consultancy experience, most recently as a senior investment consultant for Mercer where he was responsible for advising DC advisory and delegated clients.

Aviva Investors – The asset manager of the Aviva Group has appointed Duane Green as chief executive officer, Canada (subject to regulatory approval) and head of Americas distribution.

Green will be based in Toronto and will report to Jill Barber, chief distribution officer at Aviva Investors. In this new role, Green will lead the distribution team based in Canada and be responsible for all business development and client relationships in the region.

Green has more than 25 years of experience in the investment management industry. He was most recently president and CEO of Franklin Templeton Canada, a position he held for seven years. Prior to this, Green held several positions with the firm, encompassing a broad range of distribution roles. He also sits on a number of boards in Canadian financial services firms and has been widely recognised for his contribution to the industry through numerous awards.

Group BPCE – Mohamed Kallala, CEO of Natixis, in charge of corporate and investment banking, and Philippe Setbon, deputy CEO of Natixis, in charge of asset and wealth management, are joining the executive management committee of BPCE, following their direct reporting to Nicolas Namias, CEO of BPCE, since 1 January 2025.

The executive management committee of BPCE now has 12 members.

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