Mirabaud
Mirabaud & CIE (Europe) SA has appointed Rémy Saccone who joins Mirabaud's Wealth Management division as Head of the Luxembourg Independent Asset Management team (IAM).
The Mirabaud Group said it is intending to further strengthening its offer in the Independent Asset market by reinforcing its European entity.
Based in Luxembourg, Saccone will report directly to Jeff Mouton, CEO Europe, and functionally to Carel Huber, Group Head of Independent Asset Management.
He will assume the role from 1 May 2023 and will be responsible for managing the team dedicated to developing this business line in Luxembourg.
With more than 20 years' experience in supporting IAM customers and other professional partners in Luxembourg, France, the UK or Spain, Saccone will be responsible for expanding this segment across Mirabaud & Cie (Europe) SA.
He will be supported in this process by a dedicated offering and specialised team in Luxembourg, and by the cooperation between Mirabaud Group's business lines (Wealth Management, Asset Management, Corporate Finance), as well as the various existing teams throughout the European branches.
This development will also be supported by the new digital ecosystem introduced by Mirabaud private bank. This is the largest digital transformation project in the Group's history, enabling its teams to combine a personalised, human approach with cutting-edge technology and thus meet the expectations of a new generation of investors.
"I am delighted that Rémy has joined us as Head of Luxembourg's IAM clients, for whom Mirabaud offers a tailor-made service through its focus on strong client relationships", said Carel Huber. "His managerial experience and extensive knowledge of the industry will be additional assets in serving this professional and demanding client segment in which we have strong ambitions of growth.
"Rémy can also call on support from an international network of teams dedicated to independent asset management based in Geneva, Zurich, Dubai and Montreal".
VMS Group
VMS Group has named Man Wing Chung as the group's chief investment officer, effective 2 May 2023.
Chung will be leading the expansion of VMS's investment capabilities across strategies in its key markets, including China and other parts of Asia. He will also play a key role in formulating the Group's future investment directions and new product offerings, based on the overall macroeconomic landscape and clients' asset allocation preferences.
In addition, he will spearhead the establishment of the group's external asset manager sourcing, screening and monitoring system as it ramps up its efforts in building a multi-strategy, multi-manager-ecosystem.
Chung has a strong track record in equities investment, with over 30 years of asset management and financial services experience.
Prior to joining VMS Group, he most recently served as an investment director at Value Partners. During his tenure with Value Partners, he was the lead manager for the firm's Asia ex-Japan equity and All-China equity strategies, and oversaw close to US$1 billion in assets under management for institutional and intermediary clients.
Before that, he was a portfolio manager at Ellis Brady Management (Hong Kong), a manager of alternative investments.
Earlier, he co-founded JTM Capital Partners (Hong Kong) and managed a Greater China hedge fund. He has also held other senior investment roles, including Head of Greater China Team at Jardine Fleming Asset Management (Hong Kong), founder of HindSight Investment Management (HK), and CIO (Far East ex-Japan equities) at HSBC Asset Management (Hong Kong).
He started his career at East Asia Hamon Asset Management (Hong Kong).
VMS Group's chairman and founder, Benny Chong said: "I am very excited to welcome Man Wing to the VMS family. Man Wing is a visionary investor and brings a wealth of expertise and professionalism from his 30+ years of experience in research and portfolio management.
"His proven abilities and astute leadership will be instrumental in helping us to further strengthen our investment capabilities, and growing our presence in the market. I am confident that he will add significant value to the Group and our investors."
Chung said: "I am honored to be joining forces with VMS, and I look forward to working closely with Benny and the whole team. I admire what VMS has achieved to date and eagerly look forward to bringing additional value to this growing platform. With the talents and resources of VMS, I am confident we can embrace the exciting opportunities ahead, and help our investors navigate the market cycles and achieve sustainable growth."
Praxis
Praxis has made four senior appointments across three jurisdictions as it grows its global team.
John Eadsforth and Gemma Davies have joined the group's business development (BD) team as business development consultant in the UAE, and associate director business development in the Isle of Man, respectively.
Joining Davies in the Isle of Man is client services director Simon Duggan, while in the British Virgin Islands, Joan Johnson has been appointed director.
Davies will lead the BD strategy for Praxis in the Isle of Man, working closely with the global business development team. She joins Praxis from an international financial services firm, where she was head of private clients, and has more than 20 years' industry experience advising and administering a wide range of complex multi-jurisdictional company, trust and foundation portfolios for international and high-net-worth individuals and families.
With skills and expertise developed across seven international jurisdictions, Eadsforth is an international offshore specialist with extensive experience in global business management and development. His previous C-suite roles have given him experience working across the Middle East and Africa, Mauritius, Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and Malta. He has a special interest in philanthropic trusts and will be working on developing Praxis' offering in this area.
Dominic de Mariveles, commercial director said: ‘We're excited to be expanding our business development team, and John and Gemma's appointments attest to our focus and commitment on developing our service offering for clients. They both bring considerable expertise and experience in implementing strategic plans and initiatives to enable businesses to achieve their full potential.'
Simon Duggan will work with the existing team, building and maintaining strong relationships with existing and new clients. After 38 years in financial services, Simon is an experienced industry professional. Prior to joining Praxis, he was CEO of a fast-growing fintech company and has held fiduciary roles at director-level since 2002.
In the BVI, Joan Johnson joins Praxis with more than 20 years' experience in the financial services industry specialising in trust administration. Known for building a great rapport with her clients through excellent service, Joan's focus as Director is to instil her enthusiasm throughout the team and build on the team's expertise in delivering bespoke structures to meet client needs.
Rob Fearis, CEO at Praxis said: "Simon and Joan are proven leaders, motivating their teams and maximising their capabilities to deliver top-class performance and services. I'd like to wish a very warm welcome to all our new joiners."
Suntera Global
Suntera Global has promoted Alex Noel to the role of chief financial officer (CFO) and Tom Cope has been appointed group head of finance as the firm continues to pursue a strategy of organic and inorganic growth.
In his new CFO role, Noel is responsible for the oversight and direction of the global finance function, planning and forecasting in line with the group's strategic goals, as well as driving the ambitious growth strategy and identifying key areas for investment and development.
Appointed to the group board of directors earlier in 2023, Noel was previously director of mergers and acquisitions after joining Suntera Global in 2020.
He has over twelve years of financial services industry experience and, prior to joining the firm, was an investment professional at Aliter Capital, a mid-market private equity fund investing in the business and support services sector.
He is a Chartered Accountant having trained with PwC and held roles in both the Corporate Finance and Audit & Advisory departments in London and the Channel Islands.
A new addition to Suntera Global, Cope will work closely with Alex and will play a pivotal role in leading the Suntera Global finance team to deliver a best-in-class finance function to support the business in achieving its strategic goals. With a focus on integrating market leading systems to drive efficiencies and establish cutting-edge processes, he will also lead on the financial integration of acquisitions and look to deliver operational excellence across the group.
With over 20 years' experience working in the international financial services industry, Cope has specific expertise of in-house Finance functions. Most recently, he spent seven years with a FTSE250-listed multijurisdictional service provider, where he played a key role in transforming the Finance team to support the business as it grew from around 300 to 2,500 people.
Cope is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA).
David Hudson, Suntera Global CEO, said: "Over the past year we have continued to evolve our proposition, adding to our footprint in key locations around the world, and we continue to pursue an ambitious strategy driven by both organic growth and acquisitions.
"Alex has been key in leading on our M&A strategy over the past few years and in his new role will provide greater leadership in overseeing our strategic goals, while Tom's significant experience will be invaluable in helping us to embed innovative solutions to support our objectives. These are key appointments as we look forward to the opportunities 2023 will bring."
WBR Group
WBR Group has appointed Tom Lodge as tax director with responsibility for the day-to-day management of the WBR Tax function, with 11 people reporting to him, making it one of the largest tax teams in Leicester and the midlands.
He will be a member of the Executive Board, headed by David Downie and will also report to the main board on all tax related matters.
He joined WBR Group in 2019 and has over 10 years' experience in the tax sector. He started his career within Grant Thornton's tax compliance unit where he qualified as a tax technician before transferring to their private client and entrepreneur advisory team in Birmingham where he qualified as a Chartered Tax Adviser.
He has advised on a wide variety of tax planning opportunities. However, his main focus is corporate reconstructions and sales where he applies his technical understanding, and research skills, to identify creative solutions and tackle any tax risks.
Akshay joined WBR Group in 2021 as a Senior Associate with a particular specialisation in restructuring. He joined the firm from Wilson Wright where he was a Tax Supervisor.
Tom Moore, CEO, WBR Group, said: "We are delighted to appoint Tom to the newly created role of tax director and Akshay to the role of tax manager. Tom has been with the business for 4 years and has been an invaluable member of the team, with a strong appreciation for technical detail, taking a keen interest in case law and future developments of tax policy.
"With his deep understanding of the legislation, and wider concepts he is able to advise on complex situations. His extensive experience and knowledge of the tax landscape will be invaluable as we continue to grow WBR Tax. The promotion of Tom and Akshay further strengthens our tax team and demonstrates our commitment to providing our clients and professional connections with the highest level of expertise and service."
Evenlode Investment
Evenlode Investment, the employee-owned, Oxfordshire-based investment manager has appointed Rob Harris as a non-executive director. He becomes Evenlode's second independent non-executive director, following Findlay Park co-founder Charles Park's appointment to the board in June 2020.
The appointment reflects Evenlode's ongoing strategy of building its team, systems and governance framework, with the aim of delivering a high quality, consistent investment service to clients over the very long-term.
Prior to joining Evenlode, Harris was CEO and co-founder of Majedie Asset Management. Integral to its growth, he led the 2022 sale to Liontrust, where he later became head of global institutional business. In his role at Evenlode, effective from 1 May 2023, Harris will draw on his rich experience of building a UK-based global equities boutique through various business and economic cycles.
As well as providing strategic and governance insights, Harris will provide mentorship to both the management and investment teams at Evenlode. The Evenlode team will benefit from Harris's broad experience across investment management, operations, risk and compliance, and the building of institutional relationships.
Before his appointment as Majedie CEO in 2012 he managed institutional UK equity portfolios for 17 years. Prior to co-founding Majedie in 2002, he was a director and fund manager at Mercury Asset Management (subsequently acquired by Merrill Lynch, now BlackRock), where he began his asset management career in 1993.
Hugh Yarrow, CEO of Evenlode Investment, said: "Rob is an excellent high-level addition to our now 36-strong team. His proven track record and fantastic breadth of experience across all aspects of asset management will bring a welcome new perspective to Evenlode over coming years."
Rob Harris, non-executive director, Evenlode Investment added: "This is a hugely interesting time to be joining Evenlode, which continues to evolve and expand its business. Evenlode has become a respected active investment manager in the UK and global equity space, with a strong performance track record, and consistent investment and stewardship approach. I am delighted to join the team and bring my decades of asset management expertise to bear."
Handelsbanken Wealth & Asset Management
Richard Charnock has joined the board of Handelsbanken Wealth & Asset Management as an independent director.
He brings his extensive experience of the wealth and savings sector to the role, including senior appointments at abrdn, Standard Life, and Lloyds Bank.
He is knowledgeable and passionate about the wealth and savings landscape and in 2022 was the recipient of the prestigious PAM lifetime achievement award for contribution to the private client industry. He is also active in the promotion of Diversity and Inclusion in financial services, and led the securities industry Ethics and Integrity agenda following the financial crisis.
Tracey Davidson, chairman of Handelsbanken Wealth & Asset Management said: "I am thrilled to have Richard join us as a board member. He has had a stellar executive career in the wealth industry, he has a well-earned reputation for professionalism and is a positive cultural leader. With all these attributes he is therefore a perfect fit for Handelsbanken Wealth & Asset Management and we are proud to have him join the team.''
