Invesco 

Invesco CEO Marty Flanagan is retiring after 18 years at the helm, stepping down on 30 June.

The group's senior managing director and head of the Americas Andrew Schlossberg will take over from Flanagan at that time.

Schlossberg joined Invesco in 2001, during which time he held several roles in the company, including senior managing director, head of EMEA and chair of the board of Invesco UK.

The outgoing CEO will also step down from the board at the end of his tenure, but will be chair emeritus through 2024.

In a statement, the firm's chair G. Richard Wagoner said Flanagan had had "relentless focus" when it came to understanding and meeting clients' needs, all while growing the business.

Under his tenure, Invesco's assets under management swelled from $400bn to $1.4trn.

"The board and I are extremely appreciative of Marty's many significant achievements during his 18 years at Invesco, which will have an enduring impact on the firm's long-term success," Wagoner said.

On the incoming CEO, Flanagan said he had worked alongside Schlossberg throughout his career and found him to be "an exceptional leader who is highly focused on delivering the best possible experience for our clients.

"I have every confidence that Andrew and the executive leadership team will build on our strong momentum to take the business forward".

WBR Group

WBR Group (WBR), the UK's largest independent provider of SSAS services and tax experts, has announced two senior appointments to its leadership team. David Downie joins as managing director of SSAS & Actuarial and Peter Collier as director of marketing and distribution. 

He has over 30 years' experience in the financial services sector, with most of those years spent working within the pension and SSAS industry. He is a fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, chairman of the ACA Individual and Penson Savings Committee and was most recently chief actuary at Rowanmoor where he has worked for over 29 years. 

In his role Downie will lead the SSAS and Actuarial division of the business, further strengthening the technical knowledge and expertise within the Group. As a fast growing business that is acquisitive for the right books of business, he will also support the future expansion plans of WBR.    

Peter Collier has over 25 years' experience in the pensions industry. He has held a number of senior roles across marketing, business development and strategy functions within the pensions and wealth management industry. Previously, he was head of marketing strategy at Brown Shipley, most recently he was business development director at Hurley Partners (latterly Mattioli Woods). 

In his role at WBR Group Collier will be developing a clear brand identity and proposition for the newly named WBR Group and lead the strategy to build on the already strong relationships with financial advisers and other professional advisers such as accountants and solicitors.

The news follows the recent completion of Rowanmoor Executive Pensions Limited's book of 3,500 SSASs. The firm has also taken the opportunity to rebrand the business to WBR Group to reflect the larger organisation.

Martin Tilley, chief operating officer, WBR Group, said: "Due to our rapid growth and particularly acquisitions that include the SSAS books of James Hay and Rowanmoor, it is important to have a strong leadership team and to expand this to meet the firm's changing needs.  That is why we are pleased to welcome David and Peter to the business.  Both David and Peter have experience, expertise and with previous connections to the Board, we have shared values and the same vision for our service offering."  

Zedra 

Zedra has named Daniel Walsh as client director and head of governance advisory arrangement (GAA) research. He will be based in the firm's Leeds office, and will be responsible for shaping ZEDRA's GAA, which has been set-up to provide cost-effective reporting to a wide-ranging client base on the value-for-money DC savers are receiving.

Kim Nash, managing director said: "Daniel is an experienced strategic thinker with an outward-looking approach, and he will be an excellent addition to our team."

Daniel Walsh added: "The professional trustee market remains a real growth area and ZEDRA are at the forefront. Their forward-thinking approach to trusteeship, along with their diverse range of services, makes them a really appealing team to work with. 
Walsh joins from Isio where he was head of fiduciary management research. He has also held roles at Xafinity Consulting (now part of XPS) and Bank of New York Mellon.

Suntera Global

Suntera Global has appointed Angela Morris to lead its Jersey corporate team as part of its ongoing strategy to enhance the company's proposition for its corporate client base.

Morris has more than 20 years' experience in cross-border financial services, having worked in senior roles for a number of trust and professional services companies in Jersey. In particular, she has extensive knowledge of working with corporate clients as well as high-net-worth families. She is an associate member of the Chartered Governance Institute.

She joined Suntera Global in 2018 and was most recently a director within the firm's Private Wealth division.

Her appointment coincides with a sizeable increase in Suntera's book of corporate business, including in the real estate, natural resources and digital spaces, the latter an area where the firm is anticipating particular growth this year.

In her new role, she will also be supported by a dedicated team which will assume a greater focus on driving forward the corporate services business, working with colleagues across Suntera's global network to provide a comprehensive range of services spanning administration and governance services for corporate clients.

David Hudson, Group CEO, Suntera Global, said: "I am delighted Angela will be leading our corporate team in Jersey to drive business in a sector where we are seeing increasing activity and interest from both new and existing clients.

"Having been part of the Suntera Global family for the past five years, she not only brings a wealth of experience to the role but also a deep understanding of our clients and our ethos and a real focus in support of our ambitions in this space. I am sure she will play a key role in supporting Suntera's ambitions as we continue to evolve our corporate proposition in 2023."

Igloo

Igloo has appointed Zhu LiLiang as new chief technology officer to improve its capabilities and introduce new, simpler, and safer solutions to the market. 

Southeast Asia is touted as a key growth market for insurance and insurtech. Two in five of the Southeast Asian middle class are uninsured, and governments in Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines are welcoming insurtechs in health, travel, data, and even property to help address this. 

As Igloo's new CTO, LiLiang is responsible for strengthening the firm's tech capabilities and product innovation as it expands insurance offerings across key markets. He brings with himself over 20 years of experience building scalable and efficient cloud solutions for the insurance industry.

Crestbridge 

Crestbridge has appointed Anthony Yabut as Director of Tax in its New Jersey office, as part of its ongoing strategy to expand and enhance its client proposition in the US market.

Yabut joins the business with considerable experience in the financial services industry. In his 22-year career, he has held senior tax roles for several firms including one of the ‘big four' accountancy practices, a private equity start-up focussed on green portfolio companies, and a mortgage real estate investment trust and bank. 

He also holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and is a certified public accountant in the State of New York and New Jersey.

In his new role at Crestbridge, Anthony will be responsible for leading the continual development of the tax services capabilities for US clients, including tax compliance, planning services, and consulting on fund formations.

His appointment maintains Crestbridge's momentum in the US market, as it continues to expand its capabilities for servicing US private equity and real estate funds. Crestbridge opened its office in New Jersey in 2020, complementing its existing New York operation which it launched the previous year.

Paul Perris, chief commercial officer at Crestbridge, said: "Anthony brings with him an impressive level of experience combined with a deep understanding of the US market and its client base. His appointment supports our continued commitment and focus on our US client base and the development of our specialist tax services as part of our wider holistic service offering. Anthony will undoubtedly play a key role as we continue to enhance our proposition in the US, a market where we anticipate significant ongoing opportunities."