IQ-EQ

Frédérik Benoit is named as IQ-EQ's Global Head of Transformation, a new role which it said highlights the group's continued commitment to setting strategic goals in a complex business landscape.

Benoit has 32 years operations and technology securities services experience, spanning senior leadership roles in Luxembourg, Ireland and Malaysia.

His expertise includes cross-border programmes aimed at achieving technology, regulatory and operational transformation, including client on-boarding, in-sourcing, offshoring and migrations in almost all banking and funds arenas including FA, TA, AM, Compliance, Custody - UCITS and PERE.

Prior to joining IQ-EQ, he was managing director, global head of fiduciary & fund services operations, Financial markets for Standard Chartered Bank, where he was responsible for their overall operational footprint including hub operations in India, Malaysia and China.

He will be based in the Luxembourg office and will be working closely with another new hire Joanna Macleod, IQ-EQ's Group Chief Operating Officer. In this role he will ensure that IQ-EQ operates as effectively and efficiently as possible through driving business improvement initiatives on a global scale.

He said: "The combination of IQ-EQ's exciting transformational agenda together with my international experience will, I'm sure, bring this new role to life."

Joanna Macleod, group chief operating officer, said: "I'm delighted to welcome Frédérik to IQ-EQ. Frédérik is the latest in a number of new senior hires who have joined the business recently, demonstrating our investment in company talent as we grow our business and commitment to ensure IQ-EQ remains a global player in technology, regulation and client service."

ARK36

Cyprus-regulated cryptocurrency hedge fund ARK36 is strengthening its team in Cyprus by appointing Chris Krokides as cryptocurrency trader, Tetyana Martyneko as AML officer and Marilena Iacovou as office manager.

Krokides' role will primarily involve managing the company's portfolio, performing technical and fundamental analysis, and maintaining risk to acceptable levels through hedging and increasing/decreasing fiat currencies as necessary.

Krokides began his career in investing as a senior auditor at Deloitte, managing a significant portfolio of clients among various industries such as Retail, Hospitality, Manufacturing and Forex. He joined ARK36 from Fabriik Crypto Exchange, where he worked within the Risk/Dealing department. Krokides monitored the exchange's platform, set up alerts, and ensured the trading activity ran smoothly during this role.

Tetyana Martyneko is working with ARK36 to ensure the firm is entering into business deals with reliable investors. She will be responsible for conducting due diligence and KYC checks on retail and institutional investors before they can invest in the fund.

Martyneko worked at PrivatBank, the biggest commercial bank in Ukraine for over 14 years, across various departments, including its overseas Branch in Cyprus. She's joining ARK36 from the Fintech payment card company AEON in Cyprus, where she held the Financial Consultant and Vendor Manager position.

Marilena Iacovou's role at ARK36 will involve managing internal workflow schedules, client deadlines and client relationships. Her duties will also include maintaining good working relationships with all client contacts, including investment professionals, auditors, lawyers, and banking personnel.

In addition, she will review quarterly and annual financial work packages, quarterly and yearly financial statements, complex fee calculations, management fees, waterfall and capital account allocations.

Redington

Redington has today announced the appointment of Adam Jones to its board as an executive director. Jones is currently chief technology officer (CTO) at Redington and managing director of the firm's software business, Ada Fintech, having led the firm's technology strategy since 2017.

He joined Redington in 2017 as CTO to develop the firm's technology platform with a dual focus on digital innovation and client service excellence. Under his leadership, Redington developed Ada Fintech, a proprietary platform that provides a holistic portfolio management, research and governance solution, all underpinned by Redington's leading asset and risk modelling capabilities.

Kathryn Purves, chair of the board, said: "Clients are increasingly looking for their advisers to be more integrated and technology-enabled. Redington has always focused on delivering a cutting-edge approach and we are positioning the business to continue to be at the forefront of our clients' current and future needs.

"Adam is a proven leader with a clear vision to shape a technology-enabled future for the business, something which sits at the heart of Redington's strategy as we continue to invest, learn and evolve."

Abrdn

Abrdn has appointed Sarah Deaves as head of financial planning at its personal wealth business.

Deaves was previously at Schroders Personal Wealth, where she was managing director, client relationships and wealth advice.

She has also held the role of UK wealth director at Lloyds Banking Group. She is also a former chief executive of Coutts & Co.

At Abrdn, she will be responsible for leading the financial planning arm, reporting directly to Caroline Connellan, chief executive of personal wealth, who was appointed in October.

Natixis Investment Managers

Anne Macey has been appointed head of public affairs for Natixis Investment Managers, representing the firm in its dealings with decision-makers covering both the public and institutional space.

In this role, she also covers the other Asset & Wealth Management activities within Groupe BPCE's Global Financial Services division, namely Natixis Interépargne and Natixis Wealth Management.

Macey has over 20 years of experience in public and institutional relations. She was formerly chief of staff of the General Budget Rapporteur at the French National Assembly since 2020, after spending ten years between Brussels and Paris. She spent eight years at the think tank Confrontations Europe, where she was appointed general delegate in 2014. 

She began her career at the Paris City Hall in 2001 and then worked for Crédit Mutuel as Head of European Institutional Relations before holding various international positions, respectively at the World Bank (Washington DC) and for the impact investment fund Enclude (Morocco).

Tim Ryan, head of asset & wealth management activities, said: "Anne Macey will play a key role in the implementation of our strategy. Becoming the world's most client-focused asset and wealth manager means understanding the challenges of the regulatory environment and how it impacts our clients' and our stakeholders both in France and abroad. She will also be instrumental in supporting our ESG ambitions."

Amati Global Investors

Independent boutique fund manager, Amati Global Investors, has appointed Mikhail Zverev, whose career in global equities spans more than 20 years, to work alongside Amati Founder and CEO, Paul Jourdan.

Zverev started his career in finance in 1998 with boutique investment bank Trigon Capital, helping to raise growth capital for Eastern European technology companies. Following a spell with Citigroup, where he was a Mergers & Acquisitions analyst, he joined First State Investments as a Senior Equity Analyst, working alongside Jourdan on the FSI British Smaller Companies Fund and FSI AIM VCT.

In 2007 Zverev moved to Standard Life Investments as a Global Equities Portfolio Manager, with promotion to Head of Global Equities in September 2012.

He made the switch to Aviva as Head of Global Equities towards the end of 2018, relaunching the firm's Global Equity Unconstrained strategy a year later.

Zverev boasts an impressive track record of outperformance as a manager of global equities - particularly in the areas of innovation and technological change - and has been appointed to develop a new global equities strategy.

He managed the SLI Global Equity Unconstrained strategy over a period of eight years, to 1st January 2018, outperforming the strategy's benchmark and global sector peer group, and delivering top quartile performance.

Aubrey Capital Management

Edinburgh based privately owned investment management firm Aubrey Capital Management has appointed Ramsay Wilson as investment manager to bolster its Private Client team.

Ramsay will take over from John James, who retired at the end of November. He will report directly to Investment Manager Chris Sutton and look after a wide range of client portfolios.

Ramsay started his career in 2007, in London, as a trainee investment manager with Brewin Dolphin. After this, Ramsay worked for a hedge fund based in Zurich, Switzerland as well as in the investment team for a large independent Scottish family office.

Before his move to Aubrey, Ramsay worked for UBS where he looked after a wide range of private client portfolios, covering Scotland and the UK regions.