Janus Henderson

Janus Henderson has bolstered its business in the Middle East with the appointment of Marwan AlSaleh as senior advisor to the firm.

Marwan, who is based in Dubai, will provide expert guidance and advice to the company and its clients, leveraging his deep understanding of the investment landscape, including his extensive sovereign wealth experience.

Marwan was previously at the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), where he was Head of Fixed Income and responsible for managing KIA's Fixed Income asset allocation from 2016 to 2021. Prior to this Marwan spent 16 years at the Kuwait Investment Office (KIO) in London where he held several senior positions and was Member of the Investment Policy Committee.

He began his career in the Treasury Department of KIA in 1985 and held several board positions in both GCC, Europe and Africa including Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait, CITA (France), Gatehouse Bank (UK), Kuwait Egyptian Investment Company, Kuwait International Fair, Securities Group (Kuwait) and Kuwait Business Council (UAE. Marwan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eckerd College, Florida and has more than 36 years of financial industry experience.

Meshal AlFaras, Head of Middle East, Africa & Central Asia at Janus Henderson said: "I am thrilled to have Marwan working with Janus Henderson. We previously worked together at KIA and I believe he will be a great partner to us. Marwan's appointment showcases Janus Henderson's commitment to our clients and our clients' clients in the region. He has a wealth of knowledge and is well respected in the industry. We are excited to be working with him.

Janus Henderson's office in the Middle East was set up in 2012 by Meshal AlFaras. Since establishing the office, the firm has partnered with key clients from various countries in the region such as Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Botswana, Mauritius and Kazakhstan.

Janus Henderson's senior executives and talented investment teams visit the region regularly. In November, Andy Acker, Portfolio Manager and Head of the firm's Healthcare franchise came to the region to meet clients. More recently in December, visitors include Philip Maymin, Director of Asset Allocation Strategies, Myron Scholes, a Nobel Laureate and the firm's Chief Investment Strategist, and Ali Dibadj, Janus Henderson's Chief Executive Officer.

Ali Dibadj, CEO at Janus Henderson Investors said: "The Middle East is a strategically important region for the firm, one where we continue to see tremendous potential for growth. I am delighted to have someone with Marwan's impressive experience working with us at Janus Henderson. At a time where there are challenges such as geopolitical realignments, demographic shifts, and an increased cost of capital, clients need our expertise more than ever and I am pleased that with the help of Marwan we can build deeper and stronger relationships with our partners in this key region."

Marwan AlSaleh, Senior Advisor at Janus Henderson Investors said: "I am excited to be working with Meshal and the rest of the Janus Henderson team. The quality of the investment professionals and client relationships at Janus Henderson is tremendous. I am pleased to join the team".

Spring Capital Partners

Spring Capital Partners, the independent funds' distribution partner, has appointed Dani Hristova and Will Nott as non-executive directors (the latter as chairman), as it looks to grow its presence and that of its fund manager partners throughout the UK and Continental Europe.

Hristova began her career in financial services at Legal & General Investment Management in 2015 within the defined benefit pension scheme client team; she later joined Schroders Investment Management, with responsibility for some of the firm's largest pension scheme clients. Hristova worked for Nordea Asset Management, leading its UK insurance efforts until May this year. She was recently appointed CEO of the Independent Investment Management Initiative (‘IIMI'), the member-led industry think tank representing investment boutiques.

Nott's career in asset management spans almost four decades. He spent 34 years with M&G, where he was CEO of M&G Securities, its retail business, for 17 years overseeing the global development of the company's retail and wholesale business. Nott was President of the European Fund and Asset Management Association (‘EFAMA') from 2017-19, and is currently Chairman of Door Ventures, the digital RFP platform.

Spring Capital Director, Justin Eede said: "We are thrilled to have appointed Dani and Will, who, with their diverse career backgrounds, will bring energy and fresh perspectives to how we grow our business and the assets of our investment partners.

"As the CEO of the Independent Investment Management Initiative, Dani has a firm understanding of the needs of boutique fund managers, while Will, having presided over the huge growth of M&G, brings a wealth of experience and a track record of success. We look forward to them guiding us on the next phase of the Spring Capital journey."

Over the best part of two decades, Spring Capital has been working with a select group of boutique fund managers, helping to bring them to the attention of fund buyers and asset allocators. Working with each from their earliest days, Spring has helped to build the total assets under the management of its fund manager partners to more than £7bn.

Azimut

Azimut, the global asset management group, has announced that it has hired Michael Shedosky from Morgan Stanley to be managing director and Co-CIO of its US based Azimut Alternative Capital Partners (AACP) private markets unit.

Prior to Morgan Stanley, Shedosky worked at Wafra Inc., the US$32bn investment firm backed by the Public Institution for Social Security of Kuwait (PIFSS). He co-founded Wafra's GP stakes platform and served on the Investment Committee which approved 23 GP stakes investments representing over US$3.5bn of invested capital during his tenure. Shedosky also helped seed Dyal Capital Partners, working then alongside Jeffry Brown, now CEO and Co-CIO of AACP.

In addition, Brian Farrell joins the AACP team in New York as Executive Director. Prior to AACP, he was an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley on the GP Capital Solutions team with Shedosky, responsible for executing GP stake investments in private markets firms. Prior to Morgan Stanley, he was a Director at Wafra, Inc. where he also worked directly with Mr. Shedosky.

AACP was established in November 2019 to acquire ownership interests in private markets asset managers, including private equity, private credit, infrastructure, and real estate. In his new role, Shedosky will report to Brown and will be responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and executing new investments in AACP's GP stakes business.

"I personally welcome the opportunity to work with Mike again after our time together at Dyal," said Jeffry Brown. "He is one of the most experienced and respected senior leaders in GP stakes investing."

"GP stakes are a unique asset class with high recurring revenues, high profit margins, and exposure to the secular growth of private markets. I am thrilled about joining Azimut to form strategic partnerships with buyout, growth, infrastructure, real estate, and private credit GPs in the underserved lower middle market," added Michael Shedosky.

AACP has completed five minority stake investments in private markets firms that collectively manage more than US$20 billion. Azimut provides its global client base with access to the private market products of AACP and its affiliates, thereby offering the ability to diversify assets under management.

Mirabaud

Mirabaud Wealth Management has appointed Jonathan Unwin as Head of Portfolio Management for the UK as the business continues to strengthen its footprint in the UK wealth management market.

Based in London and reporting directly to Stuart Bates, UK Market Head of Mirabaud & Cie, Unwin will oversee the management of Mirabaud's discretionary client portfolios, bringing over 16 years of experience managing private client wealth to the role.

Unwin's investment career began in brokerage and online trading before he joined Credit Suisse's London division in 2009. During his time at Credit Suisse, he advanced to the discretionary Multi Asset Class Solutions team, where he contributed to managing a portfolio offering of over £3 billion in assets, focusing on fund selection and investment strategy.

In 2015, Unwin was appointed Deputy Head of Asset Management at Banque Havilland, a Luxembourg-based private bank, where he helped to establish the bank's discretionary platform and served as the lead manager for several model strategies and custom accounts. His responsibilities later expanded to include chairing the bank's Investment Committee, where he oversaw strategic and tactical asset allocation, managed client portfolios, and played a pivotal role in client acquisition and relationship management.

In 2019, Citywire acknowledged Unwin as a ‘Top 30 Influential Fund Selector', and he was featured in Spears' Top 500 as a ‘Recommended Wealth Manager' in 2022.

Unwin's appointment continues a busy period of growth for Mirabaud Wealth Management in the UK, and builds on the hiring of Joe Knight and Liam Jones for director-level positions in August as the business continues to bolster its UK wealth management offering.

Mirabaud Wealth Management forms part of the wider Mirabaud Group, an independent, family-owned and family-led international banking group. The business curates bespoke wealth management solutions, combining a truly personalised service and strong local market awareness with a robust platform and distinctive investment offerings including private assets.

Stuart Bates, UK Market Head of Mirabaud & Cie, said: "Jonathan brings significant financial market and client relations experience to our portfolio management team. At Mirabaud, we pride ourselves in our ability to provide a signature experience, offering the highest quality service to high-net-worth individuals, families, entrepreneurs, and the next generation of asset owners. I am confident that Jonathan's disciplined and methodological approach to multi-asset investing will play an important role in helping clients to achieve their financial goals."

Jonathan Unwin, Head of Portfolio Management UK at Mirabaud Wealth Management, said: "With 200 years of entrepreneurial expertise, Mirabaud's track record as a steward of wealth across the generations is well-established, and its further expansion in the UK wealth management space makes this a particularly exciting time to be joining the business. I look forward to working with the outstanding UK team to deliver truly curated, agile investment solutions and the very best client service."