People Moves: Hoxton Wealth, Gen II, Aegon, LBP AM

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

Hoxton Wealth

Hoxton Wealth has hired former Quilter Cheviot paraplanning manager Poonam Patel as head of paraplanning UK.

Prior to a 10-year stint at Quilter, Patel held roles at SJP and Pier Financial.

Patel will be based at Hoxton’s London office and will collaborate with the wider UK teams based in Liverpool, Manchester and Lichfield. 

Patel said she will use her financial planning and paraplanning experience it to help shape the function for the next stage of the business.

“I have always believed paraplanning should be much more than a support function at the end of the advice process,” she said. “I feel I can make a real contribution to the quality, consistency, and scalability of an advice business.”

“My ambition is to build a high-performing, scalable, and future-focused paraplanning function, while creating a culture where people feel supported, valued, and able to develop.”

Gen II Fund Services

Gen II Fund Services has appointed Niel Krastin to director, private equity funds in Guernsey.

Krastin was previously client relationship director, funds, at IQ-EQ, funds and prior to that he held a series of senior fund administration and client service positions at Apex Group.

Earlier in his career, Krastin spent more than 12 years in asset management in South Africa, including more than eight years leading a fund accounting division.

Matt Beresford, country head, UK and Channel Islands at Gen II Fund Services, said: "Niel brings to Gen II a strong technical fund administration experience, senior client service expertise and a deep understanding of the Guernsey market.

“We’re happy to have Niel join Gen II and proud to be building our presence in Guernsey with experienced people on the ground in support of our clients."

Aegon Asset Management

Aegon Asset Management has appointed Iain McGowan to the newly-created role of partnership director.

Based in Edinburgh and reporting to Aegon AM’s head of UK client group, Adrian Hull, McGowan is tasked with strengthening relationships with some of Aegon AM’s key UK-based institutional partners.

McGowan previously spent 26 years at Scottish Widows, most recently as director of Investments. Previous positions include head of fund development and analysis, head of mutual funds, savings and investments, and head of retirement income and planning.

Hull said: “Iain brings a wealth of experience to Aegon Asset Management and we’re thrilled to have him join our team.

“His understanding of investment propositions, investments and the asset management industry in general will ensure we are well-positioned to offer all our clients access to the best of our broad and successful array of strategies.”

LBP AM

LBP AM has named Stéphane Villemain as deputy head of SRI Solutions to strengthen its ESG capabilities.

Villemain will work alongside Héléna Charrier, head of SRI solutions, and will develop tailored solutions for clients, strengthen the group’s sustainable investment product offering and further embed ESG practices across asset classes.

He will also oversee ESG activities for LBP AM European Private Markets (EPM), the group’s private-markets platform, as well as the ESG quantitative analysis team.

Villemain was previously head of sustainable investment for public and private markets at Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), where he led the implementation of climate strategies and the integration of ESG considerations across investment mandates.

Prior to that he held roles at Ivanhoé Cambridge and PSP Investments.

Charrier said: “We are delighted to welcome Stéphane to LBP AM. His exceptional track record with leading international institutional investors, deep understanding of both private and public markets, and expertise in ESG and climate issues will be major assets in meeting our clients’ responsible-investment expectations and in strengthening our SRI offering.”