Marlborough has appointed "highly experienced" fund manager Kelly Prior to the newly created role of investment director to support the group’s ambitious plans for growth.

She will work closely with investment teams to help shape the group’s product range and develop new investment propositions to further strengthen Marlborough’s offering. In addition, she will reinforce the group’s investment oversight capability.

Prior (pictured), who has more than 30 years’ investment experience, previously spent 14 years at Columbia Threadneedle, where, as a senior investment manager, she helped grow assets in the multi-manager fund range to more than £3bn. Her career also includes fund management roles at Thames River, Credit Suisse and Rothschild Asset Management.

Sheldon MacDonald, chief investment officer at Marlborough, said: “Kelly is a consummate investment professional with a wealth of experience that will be extremely valuable as we continue to develop and expand our investment proposition.

“Her appointment underlines our commitment to attracting outstanding professionals who share our laser focus on delivering great outcomes for clients. I’m looking forward to working closely with her as we continue to grow.”

Prior, who will report to MacDonald, said: “Marlborough is a group that embodies many of my long-held passions: active management, an entrepreneurial culture and that all-important ‘can do’ philosophy.

“The business already has first-class investment teams, but I hope that sharing the lessons I’ve learned over many economic and investment cycles will add to the impressive expertise within the group.

“Marlborough is privately owned, which is a rare thing these days, and I believe that’s at the root of the group’s success. Our founder and chairman, Andrew Staley, is passionate about the business and the people within it. That’s something special, and I’m very excited about joining the team and being able to play a role in Marlborough’s continuing growth.”

Marlborough has also further strengthened its investment capability with the appointment of Nick Peters, formerly the group’s Investment Adviser, as a Portfolio Manager in the multi-asset solutions team. Peters has more than 30 years’ investment experience, including portfolio management roles in the multi-asset teams at Fidelity International and Barclays Wealth before he joined Marlborough in January 2022.

James Milward, formerly an oversight analyst at the group, also joins the multi-asset solutions team as an Assistant Investment Analyst.

The team, who have more than 200 years’ combined experience, are led by Nathan Sweeney, Chief Investment Officer of Multi-Asset. They manage Marlborough’s MPS portfolios, multi-asset funds and the international multi-asset portfolio range.

Sweeney said: “We’re very pleased to welcome Nick and James to our growing multi-asset solutions team. They’re both skilled investment professionals who share our ‘get it done’ philosophy. Crucially, they’re also strong believers in our partnership approach to working with advisers and share our commitment to helping IFAs grow by achieving first-class outcomes for their clients.

“More and more advisers are choosing Marlborough as their investment partner, making this an exciting time for the multi-asset solutions team, and we’re always on the lookout for talented investment professionals to join us and help drive the group’s continuing growth.”