Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse has named Roger Suter as its new head of private banking in Switzerland, succeeding current manager Serge Fehr.
"Credit Suisse is today announcing that Roger Suter, currently Regional Head Central Switzerland, will take over from Serge Fehr as Head Private Banking Switzerland, effective August 1, 2022," the bank said in a statement.
Suter joined Credit Suisse in 1993 and was appointed to his current role in 2012.
Withers
International law firm Withers has promoted seven lawyers to partner from across its private client, business and dispute resolution teams, with effect from 1 July 2022.
The new partner appointees are based across the US and Europe as follows:
New Haven
• Ryan LoRusso is a private client lawyer, advising on domestic US and international tax planning. Ryan has a particular focus on planning using insurance products.
Milan
• Mattia Biasi is a corporate lawyer who works with Italian businesses and with international institutions investing into Italy. Primarily working on M&A deals, Mattia has a focus on real estate transactions.
London
• George Coleman works with clients on the acquisition and disposal of prime residential property. Alongside property transactions, George also advises on landlord and tenant issues.
• Jennifer Dickson is a divorce and family lawyer covering the full range of family issues, with particular expertise in cases involving international connections, and trusts or complex corporate structures.
• David Holland is a property advisor with a focus on high value rural and residential properties. David advises individuals, trusts and companies on property transactions and related issues such as leases and mortgages.
• Mark Lynch works with successful international and UK domestic companies and high net worth individuals, advising on M&As, joint ventures, corporate reorganisations and boardroom disputes.
• Libby Payne assists both businesses and senior executive clients on employment law issues, including contractual advice and tribunal cases. Libby has particular experience in the sports sector, working with clubs and leading athletes.
Margaret Robertson, chief executive of Withers, said: "It's immensely important to us to bring through our emerging leaders and we are lucky to have such a strong pool of homegrown talent. Congratulations to all of these new partners, who ably show how we offer our business and individual clients a full range of services for all of their needs. Through the promotion of our internal talent and the addition of lateral partner hires, we continue to equip the firm for the future."
Carey Olsen
Carey Olsen has added to its corporate and investment funds team in Singapore with the appointments of counsel Rebecca Lee and associate Toh Wei Xun.
Lee has extensive experience advising on a variety of finance and corporate matters, including asset finance, general banking, fund finance, as well as mergers and acquisitions. She has a particular focus on the aviation industry, having represented various financiers, borrowers and lessors on a wide range of asset financing and leasing transactions over the duration of her 10-year career.
She joins Carey Olsen from another leading offshore firm and, prior to that, Clifford Chance. She is fluent in English and Mandarin, with a working proficiency in Japanese and Cantonese.
Wei Xun's expertise spans fund formation, investment management, mergers and acquisitions and he frequently counsels fund managers on licensing and ongoing compliance requirements. Wei Xun has acted for a diverse range of clients including sovereign investors, sovereign wealth funds, real estate groups and aviation businesses. Prior to joining the firm, Wei Xun qualified as a solicitor in Singapore in 2016 and trained at Allen & Gledhill LLP before joining Magic Circle law firm, Clifford Chance.
The appointments of Rebecca and Wei Xun follow the arrival of investment funds specialist Tom Katsaros, another high-profile appointment for Carey Olsen's Singapore office.
Singapore managing partner Anthony McKenzie said: "Rebecca is a highly accomplished lawyer and brings with her vast multi-jurisdictional experience, having previously worked in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok. Not only will she undoubtedly strengthen our team, but she also allows us to further evolve our corporate service offering to clients.
"Wei Xun also enjoys a fantastic reputation in the Asian investment funds sector, having worked in Singapore for some of the region's leading onshore law firms. Both are exciting additions to our team and we're delighted to have them on board."
VG
VG, one of Jersey's largest independent providers of trust, corporate and fund administration solutions, has made several promotions across its private wealth, funds, corporate and support teams.
Within VG's Private Wealth Team, five promotions have been awarded. Chris Hamon, who joined VG in 2019, has been promoted to Manager. Hamon has over 15 years' experience in the fiduciary industry having worked for both large FTSE 100 companies and smaller family office boutique firms.
Director Mark Healey, said, "Chris has not only shown his capabilities within his client work, but he is also a positive influence across the firm and has clearly demonstrated his commitment to VG's core values for which he was recently awarded VG Brand Ambassador of the Year 2022".
Chelsea Ford and Sarah-Louise Mason who joined VG in 2020 have been promoted to Assistant Managers within the Private Wealth division. Debbie Lumsden, Director, added "Both Chelsea and Sarah-Louise run busy and complex portfolios of clients with minimal supervision. They have both developed strong relationships with their clients whilst always making time to support their team. Their can-do attitude and loyalty make them assets to the team".
Additionally, within the Private Wealth team, Matthew Sargeant has been promoted to Assistant Manager and Karen Mollet to Senior Trust Officer.
Healey added "Matthew is very capable of dealing with clients autonomously and has been great at mentoring more junior members of the team. Karen has taken on day-to-day responsibility for some significant client relationships and has made substantial inroads in introducing efficiencies and improving the client experience".
Zach Ellam, who joined VG's Funds team in 2021 following a career change, has been promoted to Senior Fund Administrator alongside Lewis Mold, an equally new entrant to the industry and VG's Corporate team, who has been promoted to Corporate Administrator. Director - VG Funds, Ashley Le Feuvre added "As relatively new entrants to the world of fund and corporate administration, Zach and Lewis have demonstrated a keen desire to apply themselves; they have climbed a steep learning curve, developed strong relationships with clients and these promotions are a well-deserved recognition of the respective strengths they bring to VG".
Within VG's Compliance team Brice Harris, who joined VG in 2015, has been promoted to Compliance Officer. Commenting on Brice's promotion Ian Murphy, Director, said "Brice's work ethic, attitude, and willingness to go over and above are only some of the reasons behind his deserved promotion; he is always looking for the best way/better way to do things and has been a huge support not only to the Compliance and Risk Team, but to the wider business".
Evelyn Partners
Evelyn Partners, the leading integrated wealth management and professional services group created from the merger of Tilney and Smith & Williamson, has appointed Nick Reeves as a partner in its London financial planning team.
In his new role he will support the firm's drive to provide holistic financial planning advice to clients with an international element to their financial affairs.
He re-joins the business from Deutsche Bank, where he spent four years as Head of UK Wealth Planning & Intermediaries. Prior to Deutsche Bank he was a Partner in the London financial planning team at Tilney, which has recently re-branded to Evelyn Partners following the merger with Smith & Williamson in September 2020. During Nick's career he has also worked as a Wealth Advisor at Barclays Wealth.
In his new role at Evelyn Partners, he will report into Mark Pollock and help grow the firm's offering providing international financial services, including pre-arrival planning for clients looking to come to the UK, structuring advice for clients looking to leave the UK and ongoing advice to UK Resident but Non-Domiciled clients.
Pollock, partner in Evelyn Partners' London financial planning team said: "I am very pleased to welcome back Nick to the business to help us expand our offering of international financial planning services. Nick has a considerable amount of experience and expertise in this space and I know he'll be instrumental in helping us continue to grow our presence in the market."
Newton
Newton Investment Management Group, part of BNY Mellon Investment Management, has bolstered its multi-asset senior leadership team with the appointments of Paul Flood as Head of Mixed Assets Investment, and Hilary Meades as Head of Charities Investment.
This follows the decision by Rob Stewart, current Head of Multi-Asset Balanced and Charities, to retire later this year, and will see Newton separating the leadership of its mixed assets and charities investment capabilities.
Paul Flood, who is currently lead manager of the BNY Mellon Multi-Asset Income Fund and BNY Mellon Multi-Asset Diversified Return Fund, will assume Rob Stewart's responsibilities as lead manager of the BNY Mellon Multi-Asset Growth Fund on 1 July. He will also join the management team of the BNY Mellon Multi-Asset Balanced Fund and BNY Mellon Multi-Asset Global Balanced Fund, working with lead manager Simon Nichols.
In his enhanced role, Paul will continue to provide leadership and analysis on asset allocation, derivatives, investment trusts and convertible bonds within the multi-asset team, as well as maintain his responsibility for generating ideas within alternative assets for the wider business, which he has been leading on since 2008. Paul will be stepping down as named portfolio manager on the Global Income strategy on 1 August 2022 but will continue to play an active part in the management team's discussions, given his continued management of the Multi-Asset Income strategy.
Alongside Paul's expanded remit, Hilary will be responsible as head of charities Investment for leading on the investments of Newton's charities investment team and for managing the team of other portfolio managers focused on those investments.
In these newly created roles, both Paul and Hilary will report to Mitesh Sheth, CIO of Multi-Asset, and will join the multi-asset senior leadership team, whose other members include Suzanne Hutchins, Head of Real Return, Dimitri Curtil, Head of Multi-Asset Solutions, and Paul Brain, Head of Fixed Income.
Mitesh Sheth, chief investment officer for Multi-Asset at Newton Investment Management, said: "While our Mixed Assets and Charities Investment team will continue to operate as a single team from an investment perspective, we have separated the leadership of our mixed assets and charities investment capabilities, and believe that doing so will help ensure that we can continue to deliver the best outcomes to clients in the distinct markets those capabilities serve."
Peregrine Communications
International strategic communications firm, Peregrine Communications Group has appointed Mary Beth Kissane as EVP, Head of Client Services, United States. The appointment follows a period of strong growth at the firm and further deepens Peregrine's commitment to providing superior communications services to North American clients during a period that sees asset managers working hard to compete for brand awareness and category authority in a fast-changing and increasingly competitive environment.
In joining asset management specialist Peregrine, Mary Beth will be working alongside the New York-based team offering clients her considerable experience, combining both media and investor relations expertise most recently as Financial and Corporate Practice Group Managing Director with Burson Cohn and Wolfe (BCW) in New York. Prior to that, she held senior roles with Hill+Knowlton, Georgeson, Abernathy MacGregor and Walek Peppercomm.
She advised many of the world's leading asset managers - including Blackstone, Bank of America, Tudor Investment Corporation, Citadel, New York Life Insurance, and the Rockefeller Group - on their complex communications challenges. In addition, her experience in synthesizing complex and material disclosures, activism and defense, proxy and crisis issues as well as her policy and academic work complement Peregrine's ESG offerings for clients.
Peregrine chief executive, Anthony Payne said: "I am very excited that one of the sharpest and most experienced operators in our business is joining our multi-specialist team. Mary Beth's unique combination of deep domain expertise, charismatic leadership and strategic consulting experience is an extraordinary addition to the value we can bring to our clients. The next few years will be some of the most exciting and testing yet faced by the asset management industry, and it will be no time for ‘business as usual'. Successfully navigating this environment will require specialist knowledge, exceptional creativity, deep multi-channel capability and an international perspective. This is what we continue to bring to our clients."
Mary Beth Kissane said: "This is an incredibly exciting time to join Peregrine. We have a wonderful platform to serve clients with our singular focus on asset management, our integrated capabilities and data-driven approach to strategy. I am thrilled to be joining such a great team in New York."
lemania
Leading digital pension platform in Switzerland, lemania - pension hub is pleased to announce the recruitment of Pasquale Zarra as chief executive officer. A BVG specialist with extensive expertise in the field of occupational benefits, he will take up his new position in August. He replaces François Normand who has decided to move on to a new professional challenge.
Pasquale Zarra, 55, will join the Geneva office of lemania - pension hub in August. His mission will be to intensify the platform's presence throughout the Lake Geneva region, a territory in which he has been successfully working for many years. In addition to providing advice to brokers, GFIs and Wealth Managers, he will also focus on supporting private clients.
With over 30 years of expertise in the field, he has worked for the past 15 years with PensExpert, a specialist in the occupational benefits market, as head of the Lausanne office and its development in French-speaking Switzerland. By joining lemania - pension hub as Managing Director, Pasquale Zarra is pursuing a logical career path.
After starting out in 1987 with SUVA in Lausanne and then in Lucerne, he joined La Genevoise Compagnie d'Assurances sur la Vie to manage the Geneva team. After a few years, he returned to SUVA in Lucerne as a pension advisor, then to Swisslife in Zurich, before joining PensExpert in Lucerne and later in Lausanne. He holds a federal diploma in occupational benefits and a federal diploma as a pension fund manager.
"We are very pleased to be able to rely on Pasquale Zarra's extensive expertise in the field of pension. He is widely recognized and has an undeniable network, particularly in French-speaking Switzerland. Moreover, his skills and multilingualism will enable him to respond to requests from all over Switzerland," said Alexandre Michellod, Chairman of the lemania - pension hub Board.
Pasquale Zarra, future CEO of lemania - pension hub, said: "I am very happy to be able to join a team that is as talented as it is professional in order to continue the platform's growth in a market that is constantly evolving. The success of the digitalization of pension provision marks a real turning point in our industry, and lemania - pension hub is among the pioneers with its digital platform opened in 2018."
The lemania - pension hub Board validated the appointment of Pasquale Zarra as CEO, he will also serve as Chairman of the Management Committee alongside Roxane Ecoffey, Laurent Pittet and Alexandre de Boccard.
François Normand will be leaving lemania - pension hub at the end of June.
Bravura
Bravura Solutions announced the appointment of Libby Roy as the company's new chief executive Officer (CEO), with Nick Parsons stepping down, effective 22 August 2022.
Libby Roy, currently non-executive director of Bravura, has over 20 years leading global financial services and technology companies and joins from Optus Business in Australia where she was their managing director. She has also held several senior executive positions with AMP and AXA, was Managing Director of PayPal in ANZ, and held senior global roles with American Express.
Based in Australia, Roy will spend a large amount of time working in the UK and other regions that Bravura serves.
Bravura chairman Neil Broekhuizen said "I have every confidence that Libby will champion the needs of clients, employees and shareholders into the future. I am delighted that Libby has agreed to become our next CEO, having experienced her talent and contribution first-hand, I am sure she will contribute significantly to Bravura's development, both internally and externally."
Peter Mann, former CEO of Skandia and long-standing non-executive Director of Bravura will be the interim CEO until 22 August. Post this Peter will take on the role as Chairman for EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) to bring additional support and focus to Bravura's growth plans in the region.
In accepting the appointment for chief executive officer from August 22nd, Libby Roy says "I would like to thank the outgoing CEO, Nick Parsons, for the work he has done in building the executive team and his contribution during his many years with Bravura. I am looking forward to using my experience to harness the tremendous opportunities Bravura has in its existing markets and globally. Bravura has been experiencing a transition in its markets and has been developing its offering accordingly. I am very excited to have been given the opportunity to capitalise on this."
Peter Mann, interim chief executive officer and new chairman for EMEA said, "During my time as non-executive director, I've seen Bravura grow into a highly regarded and deeply trusted partner to some of the world's most important financial institutions and I wish to help to continue this growth."
