Sovereign Trust (Hong Kong)

Sovereign Trust (Hong Kong) has appointed Alan Fong as its new managing director.

An English and Cantonese speaker, he grew up in Wales and studied at the University of Wales in Swansea. After graduating with BSc Honours Degree in Economics, he worked in finance in Cardiff and Bristol, specialising in sales, compliance and quality assurance.
Fong moved to Hong Kong in 2012 as an associate partner at St. James's Place Wealth Management, providing wealth management and tax advice to HNW individuals. 

He joined the Sovereign Group three years later as client relationship manager, where he focused on advising private clients on establishing trusts and conducting financial appraisal of trust assets.

He was promoted first to head up the CRM Team and in 2020 was appointed as key account manager. During this time, he also completed the STEP Diploma to become a fully qualified Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP).

In 2022, he was again promoted to the position of commercial director at Sovereign Trust (Hong Kong), where he was responsible for developing commercial strategies, while also acting as the key business development contact for professional intermediaries.

As managing director, Fong will now be responsible for leading Sovereign Trust (Hong Kong), with the support of the local Board of Directors and Sovereign Group Management, building relationships with local associates and stakeholders and promoting the business globally. 

"We are delighted to confirm Alan in this new role. He has consistently demonstrated strong leadership and communication skills over many years and has the necessary strategic and operational experience to realise the Group's objectives in Hong Kong and the wider Asian region," said Sovereign Group CEO, Gerry Kelly. 

"As well as having recognised expertise in inheritance and succession planning, Alan also brings a strong understanding of compliance and quality assurance that will enable Sovereign to deliver the highest levels of customer service here in Hong Kong."

IQ-EQ 

Paul Griffith has been appointed as IQ-EQ Group's first dedicated chief commercial officer for Ireland. 

Prior to joining IQ-EQ in 2021, he was a commercial director with Intertrust Group and managed a portfolio of asset finance, capital markets and private equity clients.

A seasoned professional with over 16 years' experience in the sector, he has also worked as a client services manager with BNY Mellon Corporate Trust, a fund trader with Citco Bank in the Netherlands and as an equity execution trader with NCB Stockbrokers. 

In his new role, Griffith will join the regional leadership team and work closely with the wider team in implementing strategic growth plans.

He will also manage the regional sales team and lead understanding of industry trends to ensure IQ-EQ remains a market-leading service provider within Ireland. 

Tom Berrigan, managing director of IQ-EQ Ireland, said: "Paul's promotion to CCO is well deserved and key for our ambitious growth plans in Ireland. He has the business acumen and industry experience to excel in his new role and I'm looking forward to working with him on current and future commercial plans."

He added: "Ireland is a very important market for our Group and I'm excited to work as part of both IQ-EQ Ireland's leadership team and the Group Commercial team to encourage growth and development in the region. Together, we can exceed client expectations and cement IQ-EQ as a market leader in Ireland." 

Oak Group 

Oak Group has appointed Kim Sgarlata as Group CEO.

With an extensive background in a variety of international financial services and a proven track record of success, Kim demonstrates the knowledge, abilities and integrity needed to navigate complex business environments. She is well-positioned to have a big impact on the strategic direction and future growth of Oak Group.

Her career extending over two decades has provided her with the opportunity to hold key leadership positions in prominent financial institutions, consistently delivering cutting-edge solutions and promoting organisational excellence, instrumental in assisting businesses overcome substantial challenges and achieve lasting success in the fast-paced world of international finance.

Sgarlata said: "I firmly believe that we can drive thoughtful growth and produce long-lasting value for our clients and stakeholders by fostering an inclusive and collaborative environment for our talent and by harnessing the latest technology capabilities to drive our business. Best people plus best technology equals best client service. I am laser-focused on our mission to create a truly unique client and employee value proposition."

Mark Chasey, Chair of Oak Group, added: "Her extensive expertise, coupled with her forward-thinking approach, aligns perfectly with our strategic goals and reinforces our commitment to our core pillars: people, planet and value."

Lockton 

Lockton, the world's largest independent insurance broker, has named Andrea Guffanti as head of continental Europe, based in London. 

He takes up the newly created role with immediate effect. His responsibilities will be to work alongside Lockton Global Partners' Operations Team, led by Michael Goudime, its London Market Specialty Teams and with its owned operations in Europe to develop a dynamic engagement between all the constituencies. 

The focus of these groups serves to increase our client reach across the continent; further enhancing client service, through growing strategic relationships and a shared Lockton culture.

Guffanti brings over 25 years' worth of experience to the role and joins after 17 years at Aon, where, most recently, he held the role of EMEA Chief Commercial Officer (2018-2023). 

Prior to this, he served as Aon Austria's chief executive officer (2014-2018), Aon Iberia and Middle East's chief commercial officer (2011-2014) and managing director of the Southern European and Latin American Team (2006-2011). 

Prior to Aon, Guffanti spent nine years as executive director of Global Financial Executive Risk (FINEX) at Willis Towers Watson between 1997 and 2006.

EJ Hentenaar, CEO of Lockton Europe, said: "I am excited to welcome Andrea Guffanti to Lockton. With a distinguished track record in complex problem solving and exceptional client service, he will be an invaluable addition, particularly his depth of experience across the Continent of Europe. I and the rest of the leadership team are excited to begin working with him, drawing on his experience, technical skills and leadership expertise. Andrea is the perfect fit for Lockton."

Guffanti added: "I've long admired Lockton for its entrepreneurial culture, commitment to private ownership and dedication to providing the very best service to its clients. It is a privilege to be joining Lockton at a time in which the risks facing our clients are fast-evolving and dynamic, requiring best-in-class innovation and creative thinking. I can't wait to get started."

It has also recently appointed Gordon D'Arcy - former professional rugby player for Leinster, Ireland and British and Irish Lions - as business development executive within its Transactional Risks division. Based in Dublin, Ireland, he takes up his new role with immediate effect.

In this newly created role, he will be responsible for deal origination, with a particular focus on supporting M&A transactions throughout the UK and Ireland. In addition to joining the Transactional Risks division, where he will work closely with both London and Dublin-based teams, Gordon will support the People Solutions and General Insurance teams at Lockton Ireland.

He brings a wealth of experience to Lockton, having managed a broad range of business interests in recent years. In 2020, he co-founded Kids Speech Labs, a digital health firm which improves children's access to speech and language therapy (SLT) services using speech recognition and machine learning. 

Prior to this, he was commercial director for Brightwater Recruitment, where he was responsible for sales across three offices in Ireland. Before that, he held a range of senior business development roles at Investec, a wealth management firm, and TransferMate, a payments fintech. He currently serves as a non-executive director for Transact Payments Limited.

Before his business career, he was a professional rugby player for more than 17 years, having played in three Rugby World Cups. 

Charles Stanley 

Paris Jordan is set to join Charles Stanley as head of responsible investing, a newly created role, at the start of December.

She currently holds the role of senior multi-asset analyst at Waverton Investment Management, where she has worked since February 2021.

Prior to that, Jordan worked at Sanlam Investments UK for more than five years, joining as a reporting analyst before being promoted to fund analyst for responsible investing.

In 2020, she also co-founded Virtuvest, a responsible investment network for professional allocators aiming to educate, challenge and combine expertise to aid investment managers, investors and existing initiatives to boost their sustainability goals.

In her new role, she will be responsible for managing the responsible investment research team and leading integration and analysis that will inform Charles Stanley's investment strategy and decisions.

Based in London, she will report to Charles Stanley CIO Patrick Farrell.

Farrell said: "Paris is a highly regarded sustainable investor who brings a wealth of expertise in fund selection, portfolio construction and sustainability analysis across various asset classes.

"I am delighted that she is joining the team to help us further develop our research capabilities and integrate responsible investing analysis across our portfolios."