Invesco, Mirabaud Asset Management, Lombard Odier Investment Managers, Amundi, MJ Hudson, DCIF, Gresham House

Invesco – The $973bn (€798bn) asset manager has appointed two people to senior institutional sales roles. Alex Millar is now head of UK institutional, having previously led the group’s sovereign, Middle East and Africa institutional business. He will retain responsibility for Invesco’s work with sovereign investors, the company said. Zainab Kufaishi has been promoted to head of institutional sales for the Middle East and Africa.

Mirabaud Asset Management – The Swiss asset manager has hired Elena Villalba to lead business development in Spain, Portugal and Latin America. She joins from Merchbanc, a Spanish mutual fund provider, where she also led business development. She was previously a deputy general manager at Banco Madrid for five years. Villalba replaces Raimundo Martin who helped set up Mirabaud’s operations in the Iberian region.

Lombard Odier Investment Managers – Arnaud Langlois has joined the French asset manager to launch a global equity long/short investment strategy with a sustainability focus. He has run the strategy for seven years, launching it while at UBS O’Connor before taking it first to Millennium Management and then to his own company, Terrenueve Capital

Langlois joins along with Cyrus Azamgin, who has also worked on the strategy for seven years and is a senior analyst. The new fund will launch in the second quarter of this year with $100m in seed capital, Lombard Odier said.

Amundi Asset Management – Cristina Matti has been named sole head of European small- and mid-cap equities and country strategies. It follows the departure of Caroline Gauthier, who was previously co-head of the team alongside Matti. Matti joined Amundi as part of its acquisition of Pioneer last year, while Gauthier had worked at Amundi since joining from ING in 2000.

Separately, Amundi has appointed Stéphane Taillepied as corporate engagement manager. Most recently Taillepied was head of equity financial analysis for the company, and has also worked at Crédit Lyonnais Asset Management and Crédit Agricole.

MJ Hudson – The asset management consultancy firm has hired Sean Scott as a partner in its hedge fund practice. He was previously a partner at international offshore law firm Harneys. In a press release, MJ Hudson said the appointment was part of its aim “to provide a single, comprehensive solution for clients operating within asset management”.

DC Investment Forum (DCIF)Annabel Tonry has been named chair of the DCIF, a UK body made up of asset managers working in the defined contribution (DC) sector. She is a client and consultant adviser in the UK DC team at JPMorgan Asset Management. Vivek Roy, who heads business development for pensions at AXA Investment Managers, has been appointed vice chair.

Gresham House – The UK specialist asset manager has appointed Rachel Beagles to its board as a non-executive director, effective from today. She is on the board of several UK-listed investment companies and was elected chair of the Association of Investment Companies in October last year. She is also a former managing director at Deutsche Bank Securities.