Justin Onuekwusi has left Legal & General Investment Management to join St James's Place as the wealth management giant's chief investment officer.

Onuekwusi will join his new firm in October, reporting to director of investments Tom Beal.

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He brings more than two decades' experience across investment management, most recently as head of retail investments, EMEA and head of retail multi-asset funds at LGIM.

He has also held previous roles with Aviva investors, Merrill Lynch and Aon Consulting.

Onuekwusi was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 2020 for his work promoting and campaigning for diversity in the asset management industry.

He is co-founder of the Diversity Project and its #TalkAboutBlack campaign and launched the #IAM social media campaign in 2020 alongside BlackRock's Gavin Lewis and Impax's Darren Johnson in order to break down racial stereotyping and allow black members of the asset management community - and allies - to define their own identities and narratives.

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Beal said Onuekwusi will lead the development of SJP's "investment proposition, asset allocation approach and selection of our fund managers", working with the firm's investment committee and in-house investment team.

"He will support the continual evolution of our investment management approach as we pursue our goal to deliver superior investment performance in a safe, responsible and cost-efficient manner, whilst continuing to meet the evolving needs of our partners and clients," he added.

In a statement from LGIM, a spokesperson thanked Onuekwusi for his decade at the firm and wished him "every success" in his new role.

"We thank him for his contribution to LGIM in terms of his investment leadership and as an advocate and ambassador for diversity and inclusion in the City and beyond," the statement read.

"Since early 2022, Justin led the development and external positioning of LGIM's broader investment proposition for advisers and wealth managers, alongside his existing multi-asset role."

Following his departure, LGIM CIO Sonja Laud will continue to oversee the wider strategy, while head of multi-asset funds John Roe will increase his focus on multi-index.

Andrzej Pioch will take on the role of lead manager for the multi-index range.