People on the move

23 January 2009 4:50 pm

Liontrust Asset Management fund managers Jeremy Lang and William Pattisson have resigned from the firm. Lang and Pattisson will remain with Liontrust until January 11, 2010 in order to ensure an smooth handover of their functions and responsibilities. Lang joined Liontrust in 1996 as manager of the first income and first growth funds, becoming investment director in 1999. Pattisson joined as joint investment director in 1999 and also runs the first large-cap and focus 350 funds.

Fidelity has confirmed that managing director of multi-manager Simon Ellis is to leave the group. Ellis’ departure comes as part of a cost-cutting exercise undertaken by the firm late last year. Ellis joined Fidelity in 2006 from Axa Investment Managers.

Ignis is looking to close its Japanese equities desk and has announced four high-profile redundancies as part of a job- cutting programme within its Glasgow office. Fixed-income head Joe McKenna, Japanese equities head Natasha Chetwynd, Japanese fund manager Samuel Thorley and US equity manager Douglas Wright are the latest to go as the firm trims up to 36 from its 458 headcount in Glasgow.

Insynergy has appointed David Orr as marketing and product director. Orr will take up the new role in February after two years with Fidelity International as marketing director for equity funds and product director for Asia Pacific equities.

Gartmore has confirmed the roles of fund managers Ashley Willing and Karl Bergqwist have been made redundant. Bergqwist co-managed Gartmore’s corporate bond fund and high-yield corporate bond fund after joining the firm in August 2002 from Barclays Global Investors. Co-manager Simon Surtees will take the reigns.

Willing co-managed the UK Focus fund. Willing’s co-manager Simon King will take full control of the fund.

Mortgages

Sebastien Maloney has joined Exact as group finance director. Maloney was with Merrill Lynch as vice-president of the Global Structured Finance & Investments group. He also worked at GMAC RFC as head of portfolio management and financial planning.

Michael White, the founder of the London Mortgage Company, has launched a new online mortgage broker, Email Mortgages. It will offer mortgage broking services just via email. Martin Gilsenan has also joined as corporate relationship executive.

Mike Perry has joined Clarity Credit Management Solutions as sales and marketing director. Perry was the former associate director of sales and marketing at Skipton-owned Amber Home Loans. He has also worked with Skipton’s third-party outsourcing firm Homeloan Management and with Norwich & Peterborough.

Leadbay has appointed Jonathan Barrett as head of sales. He joins the lead generation firm from NMG Management Consultancy. Prior to work with NMG, Barratt worked at Mortgages plc as business development manager and then as corporate account manager.

Nigel Payne, former managing director of BM Solutions and The Mortgage Business, has begun his role at general insurance firm Assurant Solutions Intermediary as managing director. Payne spent more than two decades at HBOS, rising to become one of the leading figures of the UK intermediary mortgage industry. Prior to joining HBOS, he also worked at former mutual Leeds Permanent.

This week sees the launch of the UK’s biggest-ever bank, Lloyds Banking Group. Sir Victor Blank will be chairman and Lloyds TSB chief executive Eric Daniels will remain in his seat. Helen Weir is appointed group executive director of UK retail banking. Truett Tate is appointed group executive director of wholesale. Other big names in the group will include HBOS board member Dan Watkins becoming head of mortgages. Peter Jackson, HBOS’s head of products for retail banking, becomes managing director of consumer banking. Tom Woolgrove, head of HBOS’s general insurance operation, will run UK private banking of the group. recruitment

Pensions

Rowanmoor Pensions has appointed Norwich Union’s Graham Walker to the role of senior consultant. Walker will provide consultancy and support services to Rowanmoor Pensions’ professional adviser partners in Scotland.

His core remit will encompass new business development for Rowanmoor’s SSAS and family pension trust schemes. Walker joins Rowanmoor from Norwich Union, where he was a corporate relationship manager responsible for managing and developing corporate client portfolios.

Steve Webb has returned to the role of Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary for the Liberal Democrats. Webb replaces Jenny Willott, who has moved to the role of Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Webb previously held the work and pensions brief between 2001 and 2005.

Just Retirement’s distribution arm has appointed David Bitner as head of partnership development. Bitner joins Just Retirement Solutions from Bradford & Bingley, where he worked for the past five years in a variety of roles, including head of mortgage operations, head of retail mortgages and most recently as director of group partnership.

Just Retirement has also appointed Shayne Deighton as group chief actuary and board director. Deighton was previously group financial management director at Aviva.

Friends Provident life and pensions chairman and company executive director Ben Gunn has retired. Gunn announced his plans for retirement in July last year.

Prudential has appointed Barry O’Dwyer as managing director of retail life and pensions. O’Dwyer joins the firm from HBOS Financial Services, where he was products and marketing director with responsibility for investment, pensions and protection products through the Halifax, Bank of Scotland and Clerical Medical brands. O’Dwyer replaces Gary Shaughnessy who left Prudential in September to take up a role at Fidelity.

Distribution

Manchester IFA Buckland Harvester has appointed Andy Burnett as managing director. Burnett holds the advanced financial planning qualification and has been an adviser for 20 years.

Home of Choice has appointed Steve Morris as head of operations. Morris joins from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, with over 30 years of experience within the Industry.

Scottish Widows has appointed Norwich Union’s Simon Massey as intermediaries director.

Massey will be growing intermediary business and has more than 23 years’ experience in financial sales, most recently in the role of director of business development at Norwich Union.

Towry Law has promoted Bryan Innes to the role of senior client partner. Towry Law says Innes, who joined the firm in 1999, has been instrumental in the development of the business in Scotland and particularly building relationships within the oil and gas industry.

Oval has acquired Shropshire-based high-net-worth specialists Wills & Partners. Wills & Partners’ seven advisers will be joining the Oval Financial Services division and linking to Oval’s insurance broking operation in Birmingham, bringing the total number of advisers to 60 and Wills & Partners director Peter Osborne will launch a discretionary management service.

The Guardian Financial Group has appointed Alan Dawson as group compliance director. Dawson will oversee all internal and external compliance procedures across the group, including Guardian Debt Management and Credit Issues.

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