FEIFA

FEIFA (Federation of European IFAs) has reorganised its Board, with David Vacani becoming the new FEIFA Chairman.

At the Federation's recent AGM, the Board roles came up for election, or re-election, based on the three-year cycle within its Constitution. 

All existing Board Members were re-elected. The existing chairman, John Westwood had decided to stand down from the role but remains on the Board and David Vacani moves from his Director role to the Chairman's position.

Chris Marriott remains as Vice-Chairman and Treasurer, and Jason O'Connell as Secretary.

Paul Stanfield has also been retained as CEO. "I would personally like to thank John for his work and input over the last few years in the Chairman's role - and, of course, to thank Chris and Jason too, for their continued work on behalf of FEIFA," Stanfield stated. "I would obviously also like to say thank you to David for his past work and wish him all the best in his new role."

Given the continuity on the Board, Stanfield expects it will be pretty much "business as usual" for the next 3 year-term.
David Vacani is the owner and Managing Director of Beacon Global Wealth who work throughout Europe assisting clients with their investment, pension and financial planning needs. Beacon was established in 2012 and in recent years has been increasing its international footprint with holistic growth.

He has worked for clients across the Continent since 2003 and has significant expertise in cross-border financial planning. 

Transamerica Life (Bermuda)

Transamerica Life (Bermuda) has named Andy Wong as its chief operating & transformation officer.

In this role, Wong will be overseeing all of TLB's global operations, covering New Business, Underwriting, Customer Service and Claims. He will also focus on driving TLB's operational and digital transformation, helping to deliver innovation, efficiencies, and customer service excellence across the organisation. He is based in Hong Kong. 

Wong comes to TLB with over 25 years of experience across multiple industries, out of which, 18 of those years were focused on IT and Operations in Financial Services. He comes with a wealth of technological and operational background in the insurance sector having worked in AIA Hong Kong, ING, FT LIFE, and most recently at Tai Kang Life, where he was responsible for setting up IT, New Business, Underwriting, Customer Service and Claims. 

"At TLB we are committed to continuous innovation. I'm therefore delighted to have Andy join us at such an important point in our transformation journey," said Chirag Rathod, CEO of TLB. 

"With his vast experience and strong implementation track record, I'm very confident that Andy will be able to build upon our current digital efforts and further accelerate our digital transformation, most importantly in helping us to deliver more innovative and value-added solutions and services to our partners and High Net Worth (HNW) customers," he added. 

Multrees Investor Services

Multrees Investor Services has announced a new Board appointment. Magnus Carlsson has joined Multrees as a non-executive director.

Carlsson has held numerous senior positions at Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB) since joining the group in 1993, including head of project & structured finance and head of corporate clients. Most recently he was deputy president and chief executive officer and has been a member of SEB's Executive Committee since 2004. 

Multrees chief executive officer Chris Fisher commented: "We are very excited to welcome Magnus to the Board. As someone with deep knowledge and decades of experience in corporate and retail financial services, including the business of global custody, he is a significant asset to Multrees and its growth ambitions"

Non-executive director Magnus Carlsson added: "I am delighted to have joined the Board of Multrees as the business scales up and executes its ambitious plans for growth. I look forward to working closely with my colleagues on the Board and Multrees' senior team during this exciting time for the company."
 
Natixis Investment Managers
Natixis Investment Managers has named Patricia Horsfall, chief compliance officer for the international business, as chair of the management companies standing committee at the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA).  She will undertake the role for two years with immediate effect.  

"Patricia's appointment to EFAMA aligns with Natixis IM's ambitions to uphold the highest standards for clients and investors. Patricia's in-depth industry knowledge and regulatory insight will allow her to play a crucial role in promoting and protecting the interests of its members and ensuring that ESG and impact considerations are fully represented by European policymakers," said Joseph Pinto, Head of International Distribution for Natixis Investment Managers and Vice President of EFAMA. 

She has over 25 years' experience as a compliance and regulatory risk professional in the financial services and regulation industry. 

She has spent over 12 years of her career at Natixis Investment Managers, holding a number of senior compliance roles, currently serving as the firm's EVP, Chief Compliance Officer - International Distribution, based in London. 

In her role as Chair of the Management Companies Standing Committee, she will be focused on ensuring the fair representation of EFAMA members' views related to management companies' activities and services, in particular risk management, as well as prudential requirements for asset managers, and financial stability issues relevant for the sector. 

Oberon Investments Group 

Oberon Investments Group plc, the boutique investment management, wealth planning and corporate broking group, has hired Aimee McCusker to join Oberon Capital as Director of IR/Sales. 

For the past five years, she has been managing the Investor Relations department with WH Ireland and assisting their equity sales business. Prior to joining WH Ireland, she spent two years at Atlantic Equities as a roadshow coordinator and a year as Project Manager for Jigsaw24. 

During Aimee's time at WH Ireland, she has assisted with numerous UK fundraises and initial public offerings and has developed excellent relationships with institutions and other investors.

Mike Seabrook, head of Oberon Capital said: "I am delighted to welcome Aimee to the Oberon team as Director of IR/Sales. She brings with her considerable knowledge across a number of functions and I look forward to working with Aimee and warmly welcome her to our expanding Capital Markets team."

European chapter of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors

The European chapter of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR), the global association for real estate advisors, has appointed Andrew Smith, commercial partner at Carter Jonas, as President. Smith succeeds past president, Paul Danks, and will serve from October 2022 until 2024. 

Smith is a real estate advisor in the Commercial Division of Carter Jonas, with over 27 years' experience in the industrial and office markets. He currently works with a number of major global occupiers and landlords on acquisitions and disposals in the industrial sector across the UK and Europe. 

Smith said: "The current market is challenging and ever-changing, so there has never been a better time to demonstrate the value of high-quality, professional, clear advice in the investment, development and management of real estate assets and portfolios. The SIOR designation is one of the world's most valued and the association's members are best-in-class. 

"The focus of my presidency is to continue to build our great community of partners, advisors and clients so that they can collaborate to deliver work across Europe. At SIOR, we create lasting relationships and friendships, working together to remain at the forefront of the industry, networking to share business opportunities and coming together at our own and key sector events to share ideas and insights. It is a privilege to lead the Chapter in Europe and promote their expertise to prospective clients," he added. 

Other strategic priorities for Smith's term include continuing to improve diversity and inclusion in the industry and encouraging the next generation of professionals.

Immediate past president, Paul Danks, said: "It has been a career highlight to lead the European Chapter of SIOR over the past two years. With an exceptional team in Washington, London and throughout Europe, we have grown our membership and done more deals across the network, for the benefit of the members and their clients. I have every confidence in Andrew's ability to continue to grow and develop SIOR in Europe." 

SIOR is a global professional industrial and office real estate association, established 81 years ago. With more than 3,600 members in 722 cities and 45 countries.