We round up the latest job changes in the industry each week.

FCA

The FCA has made two appointments to its executive team, adding Simon Walls as executive director, markets, and Johan Sekora as chief operating officer.

Walls – who joined the FCA in 2006 and has held the role on a temporary basis since 2024 – will now drive forward work he has started on wholesale markets and strengthening the FCA’s approach to ensuring a more resilient financial system by rebalancing risk and supporting growth.    

He said: “Britain’s financial markets have been defined for centuries by innovation, openness and integrity. I’m delighted to lead such a committed and professional team at the FCA as we deliver our ambitious markets work to further these traditions.

“In partnership with government and industry, we are building momentum - ensuring great outcomes for domestic and international users of markets.”

Sekora will relocate from Stockholm to assume the role of COO at the start of June. He has extensive experience on accelerating the use of data and artificial intelligence to address emerging risks and will support the FCA’s strategy and ambition to be a smarter, more effective regulator.

Sekora said: “As the leading and largest European regulator, the FCA leads from the front in many regulated areas by protecting customers, driving smarter regulation, and combatting financial crime through collaboration and the use of AI.”

Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the FCA, added: “A strong leadership team is a crucial part of us being the smarter regulator we aspire to be.”

Maples Group

The Maples Group has bolstered its fiduciary services team in Jersey with the appointments of Dameon Gaynor as senior vice president and Olivia Shanks as vice president.

Gaynor has over 25 years’ experience in the Jersey finance sector while Shanks has over 15 years’ experience in the offshore financial services sector.

The pair will be provide corporate and fiduciary services to Jersey private funds and corporate structures involving a wide range of activities, including private equity investment, commercial real estate and infrastructure and general investment holding.

Marc Randall, senior vice president and head of fiduciary services Jersey, said: “These appointments reflect the strength of our existing Jersey team and our ongoing commitment to building a high-quality fiduciary and corporate services platform.”

Carne Group

Carne Group has hired Daniel Osborne as head of ETF solutions.

Based in London, Osborne will report to Des Fullam, chief regulatory and client solutions officer at Carne.

Osborne has more than three decades of experience, primarily in ETF distribution, operations and strategy. Most recently he was COO and managing director at State Street, where he led the ETF business across intermediary distribution and commercial operations in EMEA and APAC for over five years.

In his new role, Osborne will lead Carne’s ETF business, supporting existing clients and asset managers seeking to establish and grow ETF platforms, with a particular focus on helping managers bring products to market.

Des Fullam, chief regulatory and client solutions officer at Carne, said: “With only 23% of managers feeling confident they can support active ETF launches in-house, Carne is well placed to support that wave of new entrants needing support, and Daniel’s appointment is central to that.

“His combination of expertise in distribution, commercial execution and ETF operations, developed across two of the world’s largest asset managers, is exactly what our clients need as they look to build scalable, compliant and competitive ETF products.”

Daniel Osborne, Managing Director, Head of ETF Solutions at Carne, added: “The growth of ETFs in Europe has raised the bar for operational readiness, governance and execution. Managers are under real pressure to move quickly, and they need the regulatory framework, the operational infrastructure and the governance expertise to do it properly, and Carne has spent 20 years building exactly that.

“That foundation, alongside Carne’s strong recognition in the market, was what drew me here, and I look forward to helping existing and new ETF managers navigate the next phase of ETF growth.”

Partners Group

Partners Group has appointed Ismail Afara as head of infrastructure

investments across the Middle East to establish a permanent, on-the-ground investment presence in the Greater Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Afara will be responsible for overseeing regional investment origination and asset

management across Partners Group’s private markets asset classes, with a primary focus on infrastructure.

Afara, who has been part of the European infrastructure leadership team for many years, will relocate to Abu Dhabi and build a dedicated team, while also

collaborating closely with investment teams globally.

Suhail Albaz, chairman Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia, Partners Group, said: "The

Middle East is a core strategic region for Partners Group. We have a long history in the Middle East and plan to continue to significantly scale our regional business.  

“Establishing investment capabilities on the ground reflects our conviction in the region’s rapidly expanding opportunity set, as we further deepen our holistic relationships with our clients and partners across the GCC."

Afara added: "Partners Group’s entrepreneurial investment approach is designed to build and scale resilient businesses across economic cycles. We will deploy our flexible mandate and work alongside our local partners to support and grow regional champions across various industries.”