NETHERLANDS - SEI Investments has named former Citigroup executive Bart Heenk as managing director for the Benelux and Nordic regions.

Heenk reports to Patrick Disney, head of SEI's European institutional unit, and will target pension funds, insurers and private banks. He will open an office in the Netherlands this year. SEI does not currently run assets in the area, a spokeswoman said.

"Bart's appointment as managing director for the Netherlands is the first stage in our expansion into the Benelux and Nordic regions and will be followed shortly by the launch of a local office in Amsterdam and the establishment of a larger team to support Bart in his marketing plans," Disney said.

"We believe the region will provide a fertile area for SEI as both pension funds and private banks face a range of issues similar to those experienced elsewhere in Europe to which we believe SEI can provide solutions."

Before joining SEI Heenk ran his own company and before that he was at Citigroup for seven years. SEI has around 90 billion dollars in assets under management.