The latest moves and appointments in wealth management in the UK, the rest of Europe, the Middle East and other select locations.

Succession Wealth
The wealth management and financial planning business, Succession Wealth, has made two executive appointments to expand its senior leadership team, with Dawn Buckingham joining as group operations director and Chris Truman as chief technology officer. 

The firm said the moves are part of a wider growth plan since Aviva bought it last year.

“The quality of our proposition and supporting the evolving needs of our clients has always sat at the heart of our business. With Dawn and Chris’ exceptional insights, expertise and leadership, I believe we will continue to find new ways to do this – ensuring our offering becomes even more compelling for our clients, partners and planners, while contributing to further growth,” James Stevenson, Succession Wealth CEO, said.

Buckingham, who will lead client delivery, paraplanning and investment operations, brings over two decades of experience in financial services. Previously she served as chief operating officer for Investec's Private Bank and, more recently, as head of operations for the wider Investec Group. Buckingham has also held pivotal posts at RBS and Commerzbank.

Truman will lead the firm’s IT department with a strong focus on strategic architecture, infrastructure, and operational IT, as Succession continues to invest in its technology landscape to help drive growth. His career spans over 25 years, with a wealth of knowledge derived from many sectors and roles, including most recently at Aviva, where he has served in several leadership roles, and previously at Telecity Networks and SABMiller.  
 
MEIRA
The independent, non-profit organisation, Middle East Investor Relations Association, has appointed Paolo Casamassima as the new chief executive officer of MEIRA. 

Casamassima brings a track record in the field of international investor relations (IR). He also understands and is committed to independent, non-profit organisations, MEIRA said in a statement yesterday. Casamassima has spent over 10 years at Orient Capital as head of global market intelligence, investor relations, and five years in Ipreo (now S&P Global) as research manager in the Shareholder Analytics, investor relations division. He established and ran Bighous, a social impact investment company based in London and Liverpool, UK. 

A graduate of Cambridge University, Casamassima is already known by MEIRA and some of its members and partners as a contributor to their regular calendar of MEIRA Chapter meetings, as well as their annual conference. Casamassima will join the association on 4 December 2023, succeeding John Gollifer who has been general manager since 2019. 

Sienna Real Estate 
The pan-European investment manager, Sienna Real Estate (Sienna RE), has appointed Michaël Hameau as head of France, effective 9 October. 

The 36-year-old Hameau has joined from BlackRock where he spent seven years, most recently heading the asset management of the firm’s French real estate activities. He has built experience in the real estate industry over the past 12 years, beginning his career as an analyst at Cushman & Wakefield in 2011. 

Hameau later joined Amundi Asset Management, followed by a move to Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. He holds a civil engineering diploma from the ESTP, a master’s degree in real estate management from the Université Paris Dauphine, and a master’s in business administration from the Université Paris Sorbonne. 

“With the support and co-investment capital of Sienna IM team and our shareholder GBL, we are enthusiastic about growing both our French and international business, and the role that Michaël will play in it,” Floris van Maanen, CEO of Sienna RE, said.

“Michaël’s experience in the French office and logistics markets will empower us to execute our strategy and develop our business with new opportunities in all sectors. In today’s market, agility, a deep understanding of local markets, and expertise in ESG factors are essential for value creation,” Samy Bchir, chief investment officer of Sienna RE, said.