VAM Funds

Steve Thompson has joined VAM Funds as a business development manager. 

Thompson said in a LinkedIn message: "I'm happy to share that I'm starting a new position as business development director at VAM Funds, based in Dubai and covering the GCC!"

EdenTree

EdenTree has appointed a new management team to the firm's Managed Income fund, after the fund's lead manager stepped down from the role.

Chris Hiorns, who has managed the fund since November 2020, is set to step back from managing the fund to concentrate on his role of head of multi-asset and European equities.

The fund will now be led by Gregory Herbert as lead fund manager, with Michael Sheehan as co-fund manager.

Herbert joined EdenTree last year from Jupiter Asset Management, where he managed the firm's Global Equity Income fund and European Income fund, the latter of which closed in November.

Meanwhile, Sheehan joined the firm in 2021 from abrdn, where he worked as an investment analyst within the investment grade credit team. He currently manages EdenTree's Global Impact Bond fund.

EdenTree said that Herbert and Sheehan will lead the fund "in line with its current strategy".

Herbert said: "I am delighted to be taking over as lead manager of the Managed Income fund, working alongside Michael Sheehan.
"After a broad reset in markets last year, we believe this is a very exciting period for multi-asset investing and are pleased to be able to offer clients highly diversified sources of income through a diversified basket of equities, bonds and listed infrastructure stocks, within our well-established responsible and sustainable framework." 

Charlie Thomas, CIO of EdenTree, added: "The changes we are announcing today represent a key growth milestone for EdenTree. Following an uplift in assets across his core strategies, Chris will now focus on the European equities franchise of our business.

"We are only able to do this because of the quality of our fund management bench. Gregory and Michael are both experienced managers with excellent track records, and we are excited to see them lead the Managed Income fund into its next chapter of growth."

Mourant

Mourant, a law firm-led professional services business, has named two new partners to its Guernsey and Jersey teams. Both are internal promotions. 

Sandra Duerden, a member of the Guernsey Litigation practice and James Daniel, from the firm's Jersey-based Finance and Corporate practice have been promoted to Partner, effective from 1 February 2023. 

Duerden joined Mourant in 2006 as a paralegal and since qualifying in 2010 has specialised in commercial litigation and contentious trusts disputes. An experienced Advocate, she has a particular interest in cross-border disputes or those having international law aspects, as well as insolvency and regulatory matters. 

Daniel started at Mourant in 2008 as a legal assistant and his practice today focuses on banking and finance law and has extensive experience advising both borrowers and lenders on a diverse range of cross border banking and finance transactions. He has a particular focus on acquisition and leveraged financing, fund financing, real estate financing and Islamic financing. He has been named as a Rising Star by Legal 500 UK since 2019. 

Mourant global managing partner, Jonathan Rigby, said: "It's fantastic to be able to announce the promotion of these two long-standing and highly respected lawyers to Partnership from within the firm.

"I have worked with James and Sandra for a number of years, and they possess both the experience and technical excellence to ensure we continue to provide the best possible service to our clients as they navigate the increasingly complex legal and regulatory landscape.

"We have invested heavily in our internal resources and training programs in recent years, and I'm sure that our staff development strategies will see more internal promotions like this in the future."

Saffery Champness

Saffery Champness, the top 20 firm of chartered accountants, has today announced further growth of its team in Peterborough with the appointment of James Stevens J as partner. 

Stevens joins Saffery Champness from Deloitte, where he headed up the private client team in the Eastern region, along with leading its UK trust business and playing a key role in its Channel Islands private client business. 

James's practice is private client centred, focused on advising high and ultra-high net worth families, many of whom are high profile with complex, international financial and business affairs. His particular focus is on capital tax and trust advice and strategy, as well as succession planning and wealth preservation. He has considerable experience managing the tax and accounting compliance processes for both families and their trust and business interests, domestically in the UK as well as internationally.

At Saffery Champness, he will work with the Peterborough team to deliver advice and compliance services to its client base of private clients and landed estates, including highly innovative entrepreneurs and owner-managed businesses based in and around the East Midlands and East Anglia.  

His arrival is the latest milestone in a period of growth and expansion for the firm in Peterborough, and follows the recent appointment in February of Gareth Norris as partner, bringing the total partner headcount in the office to seven. 

Matthew Burton, managing partner at Saffery Champness, said: "James's expertise in both domestic and international tax and trust issues, developed over years of leading private client and offshore teams, aligns with our firm's heritage, our clients' evolving needs and the complex global regulatory environment they operate in. 

"James is a great addition to the Peterborough team, and we are thrilled to have him on board."

James Stevens added: "Saffery Champness has an excellent reputation and an outstanding track record of providing the highest standard of tax and succession planning advice to some of the UK's most prestigious families and landed estates. I'm excited to be joining such a great team, which is committed to providing clients with the highest levels of service."

Financial Software Limited 

Financial Software Ltd has announced the appointment of Michael Edwards as its new managing director. The firm offers specialist investment tax solutions and has a proven track record for developing market-leading products since 1994, including the industry's award-winning capital gains calculator CGiX. 

Edwards joined FSL eight years ago as a member of the Application Support team, creating new app functionality and continuing to develop the capabilities of CGiX for SaaS and Service Bureau clients. 

As FSL's client base grew to include many of the UK's largest wealth management providers, he expanded the team and received several promotions. Most recently, as head of the business analysis team he amalgamated the application support and business analysis function and played a pivotal role in implementing the new tax consultancy offering.

Prior to FSL, he began his technology career with the European multinational Atos Origin, providing first-line IT support for the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) as a Service Desk Analyst. He then moved to the global technology company Unisys where he continued to support MPS in partnership with Capgemini and BT, managing IT engineering teams and technology rollouts across London.

Nuno Godinho, group CEO of FSL's parent company Industrial Thought Ltd, said: "Michael's appointment as managing director is a testament to his impact on the business over recent years. His skills in technology management and people management make him the perfect choice to lead the company through an ambitious stage of growth as we remain at the forefront of digital transformation in a new era of wealth management."

Michael Edwards, managing director of FSL, added: "Wealth managers have partnered with FSL to help solve their investment tax challenges for decades. And, as financial services undergo a significant shift driven by digital and social demands, our commitment to them is stronger than ever. I am looking forward to working with our talented team as we keep innovating to deliver financial software and data products they can trust."

Wealth managers, banks, accountancy firms, and platform providers rely on FSL to alleviate the pain of investment tax, allowing them to give a more accurate and efficient service to their customers. In addition to CGiX, its other solutions include Offshore Reporting Funds data and the ESG modelling software, ETHiX.

BNP Paribas Asset Management

BNP Paribas Asset Management has created a new systematic portfolio management team to complement its fundamental portfolio management capabilities in equities, fixed income and multi asset. 

BNPP AM's Quantitative Portfolio Management and ETF teams will combine to become a distinct centre of excellence for systematic portfolio management.  

Within an environment of regulatory change, this initiative reflects BNPP AM's growth ambition, focused on supporting clients with innovative portfolio solutions integrating both financial and extra financial criteria.

The new division will be led by Robinson Rouchié, who has been appointed chief investment officer, Systematic & Quantitative Investments, reporting to Rob Gambi, Global Head of Investments. Rouchié, currently chief of staff to Rob Gambi, will relinquish this role following the appointment of his successor.  He will remain a member of BNPP AM's Investment Committee and continues to be based in Paris.

Rob Gambi, Global Head of Investments at BNPP AM, said: "Robinson has demonstrated strategic vision, detailed technical knowledge and a strong commercial focus.  He will bring a breadth of investment expertise - from securities research and quantitative analysis, through to asset allocation, and with a demonstrable track record of building strong client relationships." 

Furthermore, Guy Davies, deputy head of investments, will assume leadership of BNPP AM's Multi Assets and Solutions teams (excluding Quant and ETF) in March, in addition to his existing role as CIO for Fundamental Active Equities.  He replaces Denis Panel, who will be leaving BNPP AM in March to take up a leadership role elsewhere within the industry.

Finally, in acknowledgement of the predominance of fixed income strategies within BNPP AM's emerging markets affiliates, Olivier de Larouzière will become responsible for the investment teams within emerging markets affiliates, in addition to his current role as Chief Investment Officer of Global Fixed Income. 

Guy Davies and Olivier de Larouzière continue to report to Rob Gambi.

TCSP Acclaim 

Isle of Man-based TCSP Acclaim Limited has appointed Irena Hill as finance director.

Hill, a Chartered Certified Accountant (Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) with a degree in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes, joined the Douglas-based TCSP in 2018 as Client Accountant and was promoted to financial controller in 2021.

She said: "I joined Acclaim as an Office Junior in April 2007 and was later inspired by the business world and my mentor, Acclaim CEO Brian Byers, to start studying for my ACCA certification. Due to family commitments, I moved to Africa in 2011 and completed my ACCA qualification with EY Botswana. 

"I re-joined Acclaim as a Client Accountant in 2018 after moving back to the Isle of Man. Acclaim is a fantastic company to work for because we have a brilliant team and great clients. It's also a really supportive working environment where everyone has the chance to progress professionally and personally. I'm delighted to accept this appointment and the exciting opportunities it provides as we set out on a new era of growth for the business." 

Acclaim's managing director Sandra Georgeson added: "Irena has made a tremendous contribution to the business since she joined us just over four years ago. Her appointment is well-deserved and marks another significant development in Acclaim's strategic plans for 2023 and beyond."

Acclaim Limited is a privately-owned TCSP which offers a comprehensive range of services, including incorporation, trusts, foundations, accounting and bookkeeping, payments and collections, tax and VAT. The business has clients in aviation, shipping, eGaming, the satellite and spacecraft sector, real estate, investment portfolio, consulting and management, marketing, oil and gas, advertising recruitment and HR, yacht and boat design, and asset holding. 

Acclaim has a team of 12 - all based on the Isle of Man.

The Independent Investment Management Initiative

The Independent Investment Management Initiative (IIMI), a boutique asset management think tank whose membership accounts for approximately £500bn in client assets, has appointed Sebastian Stewart as its chairman as it embarks on the next phase of its development. 

The new, strengthened board has significant and varied experience across the asset management sector, deepening the value that the IIMI can bring to its membership.

The new Board has refreshed its core aims, which are to:
•    Shape a regulatory environment that supports boutiques and promotes competition
•    Promote the strengths of boutiques and facilitate commercial opportunities for members
•    Drive best practice across the membership

Sebastian Stewart has been on the board of the IIMI since 2017 and became deputy chairman in 2019. 

He is also a partner and head of client aervices at Somerset Capital Management.

Stewart said: "I'm delighted to take over from Nick Mottram as Chairman after his successful three-year tenure. The IIMI was established to give a voice to boutique asset managers' interests and help shape the debate on financial regulation and best practice. 

"It is as important as ever that we support the crucial role specialist asset management plays in the financial services sector in the UK and globally. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Board to build on the excellent work of my predecessors while bringing fresh perspectives to the organisation. We are committed to supporting entrepreneurial specialist asset management firms, which are increasingly important in an industry dominated by global financial giants."

Under his chairmanship, the new board will comprise:
•    Rose Beale, Responsible Investment Lead at Findlay Park
•    Daniel Pinto, CEO of Stanhope Capital
•    Charles Scott Plummer, Head of Institutional Solutions at Waverton Investment Management
•    Charlotte Yonge, Fund Manager at Troy Asset Management
•    Dan Brocklebank, Head of UK at Orbis Investments
•    Edward Guinness, CEO of Guinness Global Investors
•    Nicole Harrington, COO of Evenlode Investment Management
•    Philip Reed, General Counsel at Independent Franchise Partners
•    Helme Harrison, Head of Distribution at Tellworth Investments
•    Sondre Myge, Head of ESG at SKAGEN Funds
•    Toby Illingworth, Executive Director of the IIMI