GLOBAL - Pioneer Investments, EDHEC-Risk Institute, Towers Watson, BlackRock, BNP Paribas Investment Partners, Pictet Asset Management, Catella, JLT Benefit Solutions

Pioneer Investments - Jonathan May has been appointed head of institutional business development for the UK to boost Pioneer's €1bn business in the country. He will also co-ordinate Pioneer's global consultant relations activity. May joins from Aviva Investors, where he was head of global consultant relations. Before then, he worked at Fidelity International. Pioneer is in the final stages of rationalising its investment centres, moving its emerging markets capabilities from Dublin, Singapore and Eastern Europe under one roof in London with a staff of around 50, according to David Hanratty, head of distribution for the UK and Ireland.

EDHEC-Risk Institute - Six new members have joined the international advisory board. They include Ashvin Chhabra, CIO at the Institute for Advanced Study; Joseph John Jelincic, board administration member and chair of the risk and audit committee at CalPERS; Timo Löyttyniemi, managing director at Finland's State Pension Fund; Joseph Masri, head of risk management at Qatar Investment Authority; Olivier Rousseau, executive director at France's FRR; and Jean-Paul Villain, director of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority's strategy unit.

Towers Watson - Alistair Byrne has joined the consultancy's UK defined contribution investment business. He joins from Investit, where he was responsible for advising asset management firms on product development. Before then, he lectured in investment at the University of Edinburgh, and spent 10 years working in investment management at Aegon UK.

BlackRock - James Wilkinson has been appointed European CIO for the recently launched global real estate securities platform. He joins from Thames River Capital, where he has worked since 2004, helping to set up a new real estate equity fund management business and managing a number of funds. BlackRock launched its new platform in June.
 
BNP Paribas Investment Partners - BNPP IP has hired four emerging markets fixed income professionals from State Street Global Advisors subsidiary Rexiter Capital Management. The individuals hired, in addition to John Morton, who will lead the global emerging markets fixed income team, comprise Mark Capstick, Lewis Jones and Daniel Wood. They have worked together at Rexiter since November 2007.

Pictet Asset Management - The asset management arm of the Swiss private bank Pictet & Cie has appointed Alain Nsiona Defise as head of emerging credit within the fixed income team. He joins from JPMorgan, where he was in charge of managing the emerging corporate franchise. Before then, he worked at Fortis Investments as senior portfolio manager.

Catella - David Rückel has joined the Catella Real Estate Kapitalanlagegesellschaft as head of institutional business to expand client relations and product development and support the growth of timberland and international real estate investments. He joins from Wells Real Asset Management, where he was managing director. Before then, he served as head of real estate at OneBridgehouse and as assistant to the chief executive at Oppenheimer of North America.
 
JLT Benefit Solutions - Darren Lawrence has joined the international benefits team as a consultant. Prior to joining JLT, he spent two years within Mercer's London International team, his primary focus being the provision of global benefits management support to multinational clients.

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