Marlborough 

Marlborough has appointed Kevin Addison to a new senior role - head of UK wholesale & institutional funds distribution - as it continues its ambitious growth push. 

Addison joins from Downing Fund Managers, where he was Head of Sales & Distribution. Before that he was Head of Funds Distribution at Brooks Macdonald. 

He will focus on building relationships with institutional players, including wealth managers, private banks, global banks and actuaries. He will also have a strategic role in the business as one of the senior management team.

Marlborough CEO Richard Goodall said: "Kevin brings a huge amount of experience in key markets. He knows the wealth management industry extremely well and has good relationships across the institutional market. 

"This is an exciting time for Marlborough as we widen the offering to meet the needs of investors - that means sharing the exciting stories of Marlborough's existing funds while also listening to what they want from us as we look for opportunities to build out still further."

Addison said: "Marlborough has a great reputation for the quality and range of its funds. It's particularly renowned for its success in the UK small cap arena but it has outstanding funds across the spectrum now - in the US, Europe and globally. 

"The launch of its Global Essential Infrastructure Fund in the past year shows the commitment to keep developing its fund range with current and client-focused strategies. I'm impressed by the team's growth ambitions and am looking forward to being part of the adventure."

Mazars 
Mazars, the international audit, tax and advisory firm, has appointed Kamilla Racinska to the role of Asset Management Audit Partner. 

As a leader in Asset Management, she will support the team's growth and development. She will focus on developing Mazars' assurance proposition, securing additional business opportunities and supporting the delivery of existing client work.

She joins Mazars from KPMG where she was an asset management director. She has over 10 years' experience auditing listed and private asset and wealth management companies, fintech companies, investment trusts and mutual funds, as well as providing CASS assurance and delivering CASS advisory engagements.

David Herbinet, head of audit and assurance at Mazars said: "We are very pleased to welcome Kamilla to the partnership and she will further strengthen our asset management offering.  Her expertise will provide guidance to the rest of the team and we are confident that her passion and desire to support others will have a resoundingly positive impact on the work we deliver".

Canada Life 

Canada Life has appointed Tom Evans to the position of managing director of retirement.

He was appointed interim MD of Retirement in Autumn 2022, subsequent to a highly successful tenure as managing director of Home Finance. He completes nine years with Canada Life this month and will continue reporting to Lindsey Rix, Chief Executive, UK.

Lindsey Rix, chief executive, Canada Life UK said: "Since his appointment as interim MD last Autumn, Tom has played a key role in bringing together Individual Annuity and Home Finance into one Retirement business. His wealth of expertise and leadership, combined with a deep understanding of our markets and our industry, are a real asset in driving forward this important part of our business. 

"Tom will play a vital role in our focus to continue understanding and meeting our customers' evolving needs." 

Tom Evans, managing director, retirement, Canada Life UK, said: "It's exciting to be leading the Retirement Division forward at a time of such significant opportunity for our business and customers. I'm looking forward to working with my team to build on the fantastic work done so far to maximise the opportunities that our Individual Annuity and Home Finance business units present." 

Lombard Odier 

Bank Lombard Odier & Co, the Geneva-based international wealth and asset manager, announces the appointment of Amit Ben Sira as market head Israel. 

He will report to Stephen Kamp, head of Southern Europe & Latin America for private clients, and will be based in Zurich. 
Amit Ben Sira has over 20 years of experience in the financial industry, working in various leadership roles across multiple international firms. 

He joins from a major single-family office where he was head of private assets. Prior to this, he held senior positions at Barclays Private Bank, Credit Suisse and Citibank, among others. Amit holds an International Executive MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, as well as a BA in Economics and Communication from Tel Aviv University.

Stephen Kamp, head of Southern Europe & Latin America for private clients said: "We are pleased to welcome Amit Ben Sira to Lombard Odier. With his extensive experience in private banking and his leadership expertise, we are convinced Amit will play a critical role in driving growth and delivering exceptional value to the strategic Israeli market."

ZEDRA

ZEDRA has appointed Phil Clark as client director of ZEDRA Governance. He will be based in the firm's London office. 
Kim Nash, managing director, ZEDRA Governance, said: "ZEDRA has a clear objective to grow while never compromising on skills, experience, or professional cultural fit. The independent trustee market has grown substantially in recent years as more schemes have recognised the benefits that skilled professionals can bring to pension scheme boards. It has also become more competitive, especially as the market consolidates. 

"Our people have always been our biggest strength and that extends well beyond the size of our team. We are committed to bringing pragmatism, innovation, technical expertise and, most importantly, the soft skills needed to influence and empower people. It is also absolutely vital for us that our team has approached trusteeship as a career choice. Phil has all of these skills and more, with a strong background in strategic planning and creative thinking. He will work closely with our clients to manage the risks and opportunities facing their schemes. Phil will be a huge asset to ZEDRA, and we welcome him to the team." 

Clark added: "What really appealed to me about working with ZEDRA is their distinctive approach to independent trusteeship; in terms of market positioning, longstanding client relationships, and how they operate internally as a team. Independent trusteeship is a uniquely interesting role which has a huge impact on the ultimate direction of a scheme and, crucially, member outcomes. Being able to play a key role in that with an ambitious and forward-thinking organisation will be extremely rewarding." 
  
He joins ZEDRA after a 24-year career at Mercer, starting as a trainee and finishing as a Senior Actuarial Consultant. Phil holds a Diploma in Actuarial Techniques and a BSc in Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics. 

Polar Capital 

Polar Capital Holdings plc (Polar Capital), the specialist active asset management group, has announced that Jasper Wright will join Polar Capital's Emerging Markets and Asia team led by Jorry Nøddekær later this quarter. 

Wright will join on 1 June as a fund manager, after six years at Federated Hermes where he was an associate director in the firm's Global Emerging Markets Equity team, with both fund manager and analyst responsibilities, specialising in Latin American and CEEMEA equities. 

Prior to this, he worked at Aberdeen Asset Management. 

Polar Capital has also engaged the services of independent research consultant Aatman Ajmera, through his company Addison Advisors, to provide investment research and advisory services to Polar Capital's Emerging Markets and Asia team. 

Based in Mumbai, he started his role as an independent research consultant on 1 April, providing on-the-ground insight into potential investment opportunities in India. 

Previously, he was co-manager of the Nordea Asian Stars Fund at Nordea Asset Management. He holds a BA in Economics and Finance from the University of McGill and a master's degree in Finance from the Stockholm School of Economics.

Jorry Nøddekær, lead fund manager, Polar Capital Emerging Markets Stars Fund said: "We are very pleased to welcome Jasper to the team and to work with Aatman, who provides us with his research services. Both individuals have significant expertise in emerging market equities which will greatly support our strong track record of investing in companies in some of the most innovative and rapidly developing economies in our investment universe. 

"Having founded the team a little over five years ago, we now have six sector specialists working across a range of funds that currently have over £1.1bn of emerging market equities, as well as access to a specialist investment research consultant in India. All members of the team, as does Aatman, have a strong belief that investing in sustainable companies will generate long-term performance." 

Iain Evans, global head of distribution, Polar Capital said: "Under Jorry's leadership, our Emerging Markets Stars Fund has gone from strength to strength and as a consequence we've seen consistent and growing client demand for the investment team's expertise. The expansion of the team will enable them to further grow  their expertise in key geographies and discover those companies with significant long-term investment potential."

Aegon AM 

Jordan Irvine has joined Aegon Asset Management's six-strong UK and Ireland institutional business as a client director.

Based in Edinburgh and reporting into Jill Johnston, head of UK institutional business at Aegon AM, Irvine will be responsible for managing our existing third-party institutional relationships whilst also covering sales in the Local Government Pensions sector.

Prior to joining the distribution team at Aegon AM, Irvine was an investment solutions consultant within the firm since 2022. He joined Aegon AM from Hymans Robertson where he was a senior investment consultant, advising both private and public sector defined benefit schemes. Irvine also spent time as investment director for Hymans Robertson Investment Services working closely with key Independent Financial Advisors. 

Irvine replaces Fiona Hope who will be retiring from Aegon AM as a client director at the end of June, Fiona has been in the company since 2014 and the industry since 1987. 

Johnston said: "Jordan brings a wealth of pension and investment knowledge to his new role. This, coupled with the team's existing expertise, will enable us to build our presence in the Local Government Pension sector, a key focus area for the business.

"I would also like to thank Fiona for all her hard work and commitment to our clients. The team and I will miss her and wish her a happy retirement."