Charles Stanley has appointed Australian veteran Patrick Farrell as head of research and chief investment officer.
Farrell (pictured), who replaces Jon Cunliffe, has over 30 years' experience in investment management roles at some of Australia's largest firms.
Most recently he was CIO for the Suncorp Group - the country's largest general insurer. He has also held senior roles at BT Financial Group, the wealth and asset management arm of Westpac, one of the country's largest banks.
Reporting directly to CEO Paul Abberley, Farrell will chair the investment committee and seek to further develop the framework for Charles Stanley's investment strategy and processes, as well as looking after the firm's responsible investing and ESG offering.
Farrell will lead engagement between Charles Stanley investment staff and the central research team to provide the internal investment network with investment ideas and implementation strategies that reflect the house view on key elements, such as asset allocation.
Based in London, he will also work closely with the asset management team, led by Dan James, in what will be a "collaborative" asset allocation process.
Paul Abberley said: "I am delighted to welcome Patrick to the team. He is an industry heavyweight, with an excellent track-record in delivering results, both in terms of investment performance, with consistent first quartile positioning relative to peers, as well as business growth."
"Patrick's appointment combined with a collaborative house model provides our clients with a world-class investment platform based on in-depth research and rigorous process, that will ultimately deliver strong investment performance."
Farrell added: "My focus will be on bespoke research that helps identify investment opportunities as well as potential downside risks that seek to further enhance the benefits in portfolio construction that can help deliver strong risk-adjusted returns for our client portfolios."
