Royal London Asset Management (RLAM), the £181bn fund management arm of life company Royal London, has appointed Will Nicoll as its new chief investment officer (CIO).

Nicoll joined the company in 2023 as its head of private assets. He was previously at M&G where he was CIO, private and alternative assets. RLAM said at the time that he was part of a strategic initiative to expand further into private markets.

The business said that since joining, he has been "instrumental" in building the foundations of RLAM's private assets capability. He succeeds Piers Hillier as its new CIO, who is stepping down.

“I am delighted to see Will step into the role as our chief investment officer given his expertise and leadership,” said Hans Georgeson, chief executive of RLAM. "I would like to thank Piers for his enormous contribution to our business over the last 10 years and wish him every success for the future.”

Nicoll added: "“It’s a privilege to take on this new role having worked alongside such a talented team and I’m looking forward to the next phase of our investment journey. My focus will be on supporting our people, enhancing our investment proposition and delivering strong investment outcomes for our clients.”