Allianz Global Investors, Wellcome, Isio, SuMi TRUST, People’s Partnership, London CIV
Wellcome Trust – Jeremy Farrar, director at the trust, will step down from his position next year to take up the position of chief scientist at the World Health Organization. Paul Schreier, Wellcome’s chief operating officer, has been appointed interim chief executive officer of the global charitable foundation, with effect from 25 February 2023.
Farrar’s second five-year term leading Wellcome is due to end in 2023. Wellcome’s board has been planning the transition for some time, and a global search for a permanent CEO began earlier this year.
Since Farrar joined Wellcome in 2013, the charitable foundation’s annual spending on its mission has almost doubled from £726m to around £1.6bn in the next financial year, and its endowment from £15bn to £38bn. Thanks to this growth, in 2020 Wellcome launched an ambitious new strategy – funding discovery research projects to transform understanding of life, health and wellbeing, and supporting science-based solutions to address three of the most urgent health challenges facing us all, infectious disease, mental health problems, and the effects of climate change on health.
Wellcome’s board of governors has pledged to spend £16bn on implementing this strategy and realising its potential over the next decade. Under Farrar’s leadership Wellcome has taken an increasingly global outlook and role in advancing science to improve health.
London CIV – Following Mike O’Donnell’s decision to step down from the role, Dean Bowden takes over as CEO of London CIV as of today, Thursday 15 December.
Bowden joined London CIV as CEO designate almost exactly a month ago working alongside O’Donnell. Bowden himself has more than 25 years of experience in the investment sector, most recently as CEO and director of Quilter Investors Portfolio Management and managing director and director of Quilter Investors Limited, while also undertaking the role of Quilter’s group head of responsible investment where he had responsibility for the design of the group responsible investment and responsible business strategies.
Bowden began his career as an investment manager at Thesis Asset management, personally managing individual client portfolios and a range of funds. In 2007 he moved to Skandia (now Quilter) as chief investment officer of the international division, spending 15 years with the group undertaking a number of senior leadership positions across the platform, wealth and asset management businesses.
Bowden brings to London CIV a combination of investment, commercial and client service experience and a strong track record as a leader of responsible asset management and investment businesses.
People’s Partnership – The workplace pension provider has appointed life and pensions expert Jim Islam as its new chair of board.
The not-for-profit organisation provides a range of straightforward and accessible financial products, including The People’s Pension to more than 6 million people across the UK. With more than £18bn assets under management and serving around 100,000 employers across all sectors, it has grown to become one of the biggest pension schemes in the UK.
Islam has been part of the board since 2018 and will take up his new position on 1 January 2023. He succeeds Babloo Ramamurthy who is stepping down after nearly a decade in the role, overseeing much success including the launch and growth of The People’s Pension.
A qualified actuary, Islam has extensive board level leadership experience in insurance, investment management, and life and pensions sectors, and has held senior finance and general management roles at a number of organisations.
SuMi TRUST – The Asian asset manager has appointed Kei Ohashi as director of client services and global business development. He will be based in the firm’s London office where he will work alongside Shigeo Mito, head of the investment management department.
Ohashi’s new role is focused on cultivating and expanding SuMi TRUST’s European and Middle Eastern client base, in addition to developing bespoke products for investors. He has more than 10 years of experience in the asset management industry. Prior to his current role, he was the associate investment director for product management and distribution at SuMi TRUST in Tokyo. Before joining SuMi TRUST, Ohashi was the product specialist at Mitsui & Co Alternative Investments where he managed hedge funds and fixed income funds.
Isio – Steve Robinson has been named partner within its Insurance and Risk Settlement team as the firm continues to develop its unique proposition in this market.
Robinson has previously held senior positions at Aviva and Scottish Widows where he worked to set up both bulk annuity businesses. He joins from his most recent role of financial and insurance risk director for Scottish Widows, the Lloyds Banking Group insurer.
He will work closely with head of insurance Nick Johnson and team on developing Isio’s existing offering, which focuses on removing inefficiencies in the risk-transfer market.
Additionally, Alexis Parrish has been appointed into the new role of head of benefits technology.
Parrish joins from KPMG, where she led its benefits consultancy and technology business for eight years. Her insight and experience of benefits strategy and employee experience will bring a new dimension to the current offering which includes employee wellbeing and support, defined contribution (DC) consulting and risk and healthcare.
She will bring more than 20 years of experience of working with organisations across a range of sectors. She is looking forward to working with employers of all sizes to get the best out of their reward and benefit programmes. She will play a pivotal role in bringing together all aspects of benefit design and implementation into a superior end-to-end experience for the employer and their employees.
Allianz Global Investors – The firm has announced changes to the management of its distribution team, effective 1 January 2023.
Edouard Jozan, currently head of Allianz Insurance Asset Management responsible for developing the institutional business with AllianzGI’s parent and sister companies as well as leading the global third-party insurance business, will become head of distribution Europe, overseeing sales and client service in the region. Jozan joined AllianzGI in 2020, and has 23 years of investment experience, having started his career with Allianz entities in Germany, France, the UK and the US in various investment management and client-facing functions.
Barbara Rupf Bee, currently head of EMEA, will leave AllianzGI at the end of 2022 to pursue non-executive roles in the industry.
Malie Conway, who has led US distribution since 2020, will take on a new position as head of global clients and growth markets, which will encompass the existing teams of global banks, global consultants and growth markets, AllianzGI’s business in emerging countries. Conway joined AllianzGI in 2016 during the integration of Rogge Global Partners, where she was CIO. For her new role, she will return to London.
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