Goldman Sachs Asset Management
Goldman Sachs Asset Management's global head and chief investment officer of fixed income and liquidity solutions Sam Finkelstein will retire from the firm at the end of June after nearly 26 years.
Having joined GSAM in 1997 as an analyst, Finkelstein was named managing director in 2005 and partner in 2010.
He held a number of roles within the fixed income franchise, including global co-head of the business and global head of emerging markets.
In a memo to staff, the firm's asset management heads Marc Nachmann and Julian Salisbury said that throughout Finkelstein's almost 26 years of distinguished service at the firm, he had played "a critical role" in the growth of its fixed income and liquidity solutions business.
"Sam has been a trusted mentor, friend and colleague to many of our people around the world," they wrote.
"He has also been a champion of our inclusion and diversity efforts, currently serving as regional head of the EMEA Disability Network and as a member of the EMEA Inclusion and Diversity Committee."
Finkelstein will be succeeded by the firm's current deputy co-heads of fixed income Kay Haigh and Whitney Watson, who will become global co-heads and chief investment officers of the fixed income business.
The outgoing CIO will work closely with them to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities before his retirement, GSAM said.
Haigh will continue to oversee the emerging markets debt team.
Haigh joined Goldman Sachs as a managing director in 2019 and was named partner in 2022, while Watson joined Goldman Sachs as an analyst in 2005, was named managing director in 2015 and also named partner in 2022.
Brooks Macdonald Group
Brooks Macdonald Group has named James Rawlingson as non-executive director effective 2 March 2023. He will in due course assume the role of chairman of the audit committee, subject to regulatory approval.
He currently serves as chairman of the audit and risk committee at Citibank UK, chairman of the audit and risk assurance committee at the Foreign Office's executive agency Wilton Park, and chairman of the Board at Novai. In his executive career he has held senior positions at Coutts, UBS Wealth, Charles Stanley plc and Arix Bioscience.
Acting chairman Richard Price said: "I am delighted that James is joining the Board. James has had an extensive career and his sector experience will provide valuable insight as the Company continues towards its strategic goals."
Ocorian
Ocorian has appointed Matt Litten as head of private clients in Guernsey as it focuses on growth in the private wealth space.
Litten joins from PraxisIFM where he recently held the position of managing director with the responsibility of managing and developing key UHNW client relationships, while also contributing to PraxisIFM's strategic plans.
Educated in Guernsey, Matt has nearly 30 years of experience in the wealth management industry.
He started his career in practice with KPMG, before spending 12 years in private banking with HSBC based in Guernsey, Jersey and Geneva.
He specialises in managing and developing UHNW and family office client relationships to deliver effective, well-governed structuring solutions that support estate and succession planning goals for complex, international clients.
Michael Betley, Ocorian's global head of private clients, said: "I am delighted to welcome Matt to the Private Client team. We have a global vision of the services we offer and Matt's experience and wealth of knowledge will be an asset to the growth of our offering as we continue to deliver excellent service and thoughtful solutions for our clients."
Synpulse
Synpulse, the global professional services provider to major banking and insurance institutions, has announced its newly elected partners - Inge Halim in Indonesia, Marco Fell in Switzerland, Pallav Kapur in the USA, Rahul Bansal and Yash Shah both in Singapore. The group also elected its fourth managing partner, Salomon Wettstein.
During a meeting held in Dubai, the Synpulse leadership elected five new partners, its largest group in the company's history. The expansion of the partnership will further support the company's growth and provide strong leadership to 1200+ Synpulsians around the world.
Inge Halim has been with the firm since 2020 and is head of the Jakarta office. She has led the rapid growth of the business and people in the Indonesian market. She has over 30 years of experience in IT and financial services much of which was gained during a long career at IBM.
Marco Fell started his career as a consultant with Synpulse in 2007. He rose through the ranks and has been successfully leading the Health Insurance Practice in Switzerland since 2019 where he spearheaded many large transformation projects focusing on (health) insurance core processes and IT systems, alongside his military duties as Colonel, General Staff of the Swiss Armed Forces.
Pallav Kapur joined Synpulse in 2016 and is the Head of the Banking Practice and Synpulse8 in the Americas. Having worked in a couple of large American banks as a senior leader, he has extensive experience in Wealth and Investment Management advisory and transformation.
Rahul Bansal joined Synpulse in 2014 in Singapore fresh from university. He developed his career within the company to attain Partner status this year. He has focused on Private Banking Transformation Projects and recently led the build of a full-blown new wave digital bank in Singapore.
Yash Shah was hired as an Associate Consultant in 2014 and is also a great example of a career starter moving up to Partner very quickly. During this time, he was active in the private banking and wealth management industries and has been instrumental in Synpulse's expansion into emerging markets in Asia where he currently leads the wealth business.
Salomon Wettstein joins Konrad Niggli, Yves Roesti and Silvan Stüssi as a Managing Partner. Salomon is co-CEO of Synpulse8, our product and tech powerhouse, as well as the Regional Head of North Asia. Under his leadership,
Synpulse has expanded to Taipei and Shenzhen and established a strong presence in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) poised to take advantage of the synergies and growth the area provides.
"I welcome Inge, Marco, Pallav, Rahul, and Yash to the partnership. Their diverse profiles and depth of experience will be strong contributors to Synpulse's further success as we continue our global growth. I am thrilled to have Salomon joining the Managing Partner group bringing his massive global experience and ensuring a symbiotic relationship between the consulting and tech sides of the business," said Konrad Niggli, Co-CEO of Synpulse.
Yves Roesti, Co-CEO, Synpulse, added: "Our rapid growth has been unstoppable in the past couple of years. With the massive demand for digital transformation globally alongside our strong commitment to our clients to provide onshore support, we have solidified our global presence by adding Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, and Paris offices to our current 17 offices in different parts of the world."
Crestbridge
Teodora Croitoru has joined Crestbridge as head of compliance, fund services, while Emmanuelle Poret has taken on the role of head of client onboarding, fund services & manCo.
Croitoru has more than 14 years' experience in the Luxembourg financial services industry with particular expertise in AML, risk and compliance obligations. She joins Crestbridge from a global financial services provider where she was responsible for all aspects of compliance oversight and monitoring, as well as AML/KYC and financial crime review, escalation and training in her role as head of compliance and AML/CFT Compliance Officer.
At Crestbridge, she will be responsible for the ongoing development of Crestbridge's business compliance strategy and risk management framework for Fund Services in Luxembourg, and for the delivery of robust oversight and reporting to support compliance with Luxembourg laws and regulations.
Poret joins Crestbridge from an established international provider of corporate and fund administration services where she was head of client onboarding. In her role she managed a team responsible for delivering a smooth and efficient onboarding process to new clients, while supporting the set-up of companies and fund structures, ensuring the collection of accurate AML/KYC information and managing client relationships.
She has over 15 years of experience in the financial industry, most of which she spent working at the largest law firm in Luxembourg before moving to their corporate and investor services company to develop and lead the CRM team.
In her new role, she will be responsible for all areas of client onboarding, across its fund servicing and ManCo divisions, ensuring the Luxembourg office continues to grow its client base while offering a best-in-class service.
Anne-Catherine Grave, Country Head - Luxembourg at Crestbridge, said: "We are continuing to see significant demand for expertise and support across our fund administration and management company divisions in Luxembourg, and expanding our team and deepening our pool of experts is a key priority for Crestbridge as we look to further our prominence in the jurisdiction.
"I'm delighted to welcome both Teodora and Emmanuelle to our team, both of whom bring a tremendous amount of experience and I've no doubt their contribution will enhance the already high-calibre services we offer to our clients."
io.insure
M&A tech and InsurTech firm io.insure, the world's first online mergers and acquisitions insurance marketplace for SME transactions, has launched in the UK with the appointment of George Apperly as managing partner.
Based in London, Apperly will be responsible for the platform's growth in the UK SME M&A market. He will also work to foster the strategic partnerships required to further develop products such as Mio, the pioneering M&A insurance online product for SMEs, and other financial lines and specialty insurance products.
Apperly joins io.insure from Lockton where most recently he was vice president of Lockton Transactional Risks. Joining the team at an early stage, he played a pivotal role in its development and ultimate success, assisting clients across private equity, real estate, corporate, energy and infrastructure transactions. Prior to Lockton, Apperly held the role of account executive at Howden.
Killian McDermott, co-founder and executive partner, io.insure said: "I am extremely pleased to welcome George and to announce the launch of io.insure in the UK - first launched in Australia then the US last year - to address the global issue of underinsurance within the SME M&A market. With an estimated 5.6 million SMEs in the UK and with a huge volume of deals happening without insurance, io.insure is designed to meet this need for underserved SMEs, which are the lifeblood of the UK economy."
Apperly said: "With ground-breaking technology and unmatched expertise, io.insure is opening up a whole new area, reaching a critical market segment that has previously been underinsured and underserved. Both the need and the scope of the opportunity are therefore huge. I look forward to building the platform in the UK, as part of the broader effort to address this global issue, and developing it to offer further digitalised financial lines and SME specialty insurance products."
Saltus
Wealth management firm Saltus has appointed Kathryn Kendall as chief people officer to attract and retain the talent needed to realise its ambitious growth plans.
In 2022, the firm - which employs more than 200 people and manages client assets of more than £3.1.bn - acquired London-based Higgins Fairbairn Advisory LLP (HFA), and wealth management firm NSL Wealth, as well as winning ‘best financial planner to work for' at the Professional Adviser 2022 awards.
Throughout 2023, Saltus will continue its growth trajectory, and she has been brought onboard to oversee all things people and culture during this period of fast growth, while ensuring the company maintains and builds on its award-winning culture.
She has more than 20 years' experience in HR, starting her career at the University of Portsmouth and holding a number of senior roles, including Head of HR at Candyking UK.
In 2014, she joined employee benefits and experience platform, Benefex, as Head of HR, and worked her way up to HR Director and then Chief People Officer, where she played a key role in growing the organisation from a £9m to £40m turnover business, having more than tripled headcount to 500, and managed two successful acquisitions.
She will use her wealth of experience to support Saltus' growth strategy, ensuring the successful integration of these new businesses, while maintaining Saltus' excellent company culture.
Jon Macintosh, Managing Partner at Saltus, added: "Kathryn has a really solid track record of leading HR teams within fast growth businesses and of building out the employee brand, which will help us attract and retain the best talent."
