People moves: Schroders names head of UK institutional

Schroders – The firm has named Rachel Harris as head of UK institutional, reinforcing its commitment to the UK market and focus on continued growth.

Harris joined Schroders in 2022 and has held several senior roles, including head of defined contribution (DC) and retirement solutions and, most recently, business partner to Richard Oldfield, group chief executive officer.

Prior to joining Schroders, she held positions at Aviva Investors, Janus Henderson and Credit Suisse First Boston.

In her new role, Harris will lead the development and delivery of Schroders’ UK institutional strategy, driving growth across the firm’s client base, and will report to Phil Middleton, head of UK client group.

Franklin Templeton – The global asset manager has appointed Julian Lyne as head of UK institutional. Reporting to Andrew Ashton, head of UK, Lyne will be responsible for shaping and executing Franklin Templeton’s UK institutional strategy.

In this role, Lyne will oversee relationships across the full spectrum of institutional channels, including family offices, endowments, local government pension schemes (LGPS), defined benefit (DB) and DC pensions/master trusts, insurance clients, and consultant relations.

He will partner closely with the broader distribution, product and marketing teams to drive sales activity and develop innovative solutions, leveraging the breadth and depth of the firm’s investment capabilities across public and private markets.

Lyne joins from The Pensions Regulator, where he was the interim executive director of market oversight. In this role, he oversaw the workplace DB and DC pension funds, including master trusts and super funds, and drove strategic initiatives to enhance pension savers’ outcomes.

DWS – Barbara Richter has been appointed as head of asset-based finance, further strengthening the firm’s capabilities across private credit and asset-based investment strategies.

Richter brings extensive experience across asset-based finance, structured credit and private investments, with a strong track record in building and scaling asset-backed platforms across Europe and globally.

Prior to joining DWS, Richter was a managing director at Värde Partners in London, where she served as co‑head of the asset-based finance business with responsibility for EMEA as well as global whole‑loan investing. In this role, she built out the asset-based finance platform, supported the fundraising, and oversaw a team of investment professionals.

Richter’s experience spans corporate lending and asset purchases across consumer and commercial assets, including SME lending, consumer and auto finance, structured risk transfer transactions and mezzanine lending across multiple jurisdictions. Previously, she held senior roles at Goldman Sachs in structured credit trading and credit and mortgages structuring, where her responsibilities included secondary trading and underwriting of loans and bonds across transportation, project finance and asset-backed markets, as well as bespoke credit solutions and balance sheet optimisation transactions.

RBC BlueBay Asset Management – Mike Bell has been recruited to a newly created role as head of market strategy.

Based in London, Bell will be responsible for providing economic and market analysis to clients. The new role will complement RBC BlueBay’s existing extensive client engagement, with the new hire providing analysis of the global economy and market insights across all investment asset classes to clients and prospects.

Before joining RBC BlueBay, Bell was global market strategist at JP Morgan Asset Management, where he also led an international team of investment specialists. In his role as global market strategist, he spent most of the last decade providing macroeconomic and market analysis to clients and the media. Earlier in his career, Bell was a member of the economics and asset allocation team at C. Hoare and Co Private Bank.

IFM Investors – William Jackson has been appointed as a new independent director to the firm’s board.

Jackson is an experienced board director and strategic leader with a track record in building and overseeing global businesses. He is the founder and former CEO and chair of Bridgepoint Group, a global alternative investment firm listed on the London Stock Exchange.

He is chair of the Lawn Tennis Association, the national governing body for tennis in the UK, and has previously served as chair of Pret A Manger, president of the board of MotoGP, and chair of Wellington College Education. He has also served as a non-executive director of Berkeley Group, and as senior independent director of both British Land and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

Based in the UK, Jackson brings expertise in strategy, governance, capital markets, and international growth to IFM Investors’ board. He succeeds Carol Gray, who has completed her tenure after 10 years of service.

Federated Hermes – The firm has appointed Catherine Gill to its UK distribution team. She brings twenty years of experience in financial services, with 15 years focused on consultant relations and UK institutional business development. She is based in London and reports to Doug Anderson, head of international consultant relations.

In her new role, Gill will be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with UK and global investment consultants, working closely with the international head of consultant relations and the wider UK institutional and distribution teams.

Gill joins from BNP Paribas Asset Management, where she was responsible for engagement with global and UK consultants, securing buy ratings and supporting cross‑regional sales initiatives. Prior to BNP Paribas, she held senior consultant relations and institutional sales roles at Newton Investment Management and Barings. She brings deep experience across equities, fixed income, multi‑asset and sustainable investment strategies, alongside a strong track record of building strategic consultant partnerships and driving new business opportunities.

Maven Capital Partners – The UK alternative asset manager has appointed Ewan MacKinnon as managing partner, while founder and previous managing partner Bill Nixon has moved to the role of chair.

The change of senior leadership is part of a planned succession strategy, reflecting the continued evolution of the business, and importantly ensures long-term continuity for investors, portfolio companies and other stakeholders, the firm stated.

MacKinnon has been a senior member of the Maven team since 2009 and has been integral to its growth and regional expansion over that time. He has led numerous transactions across multiple sectors, played a key role in the development of Maven’s product offering and, over the last seven years, has deputised for Nixon as fund manager for the Maven VCTs.

As managing partner, MacKinnon will focus on delivering Maven’s long-term vision and strategic direction.