The latest moves, appointments and personnel changes in the wealth management sector in the UK, rest of Europe, Middle East, and select international locations.

The Investor Forum
The Investor Forum, a not-for-profit organisation of institutions holding UK stocks that push for stewardship in decision-making, has appointed Chris Kinder as its new CEO.

Kinder is joining after founding executive director Andy Griffiths is stepping down after leading the Forum for 10 years. Today, it has more than 50 institutional members.

Kinder has worked in the asset management space for more than two decades, covering areas such as investment trusts, retail and institutional mandates. Most recently, he was a senior fund manager at Columbia Threadneedle Investments. He holds a degree in modern European languages from Durham University, and qualified as a chartered accountant with PwC. He is an independent advisor to BBC Children in Need.

Harneys Fiduciary
Harneys Fiduciary has added David Wilman and Kavita Maharaj-Alexander to its general counsel team, based in London and the Cayman Islands, respectively.

Willman has over 25 years of professional services legal and operational experience, including more than a decade as a general counsel. He will lead the Harneys Fiduciary in-house legal function, the firm said in a statement yesterday. He is based in London, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Maharaj-Alexander has been appointed as deputy general counsel in the Cayman Islands office. Recently admitted to the Cayman Bar, she has extensive experience in financial services regulation. 

The General Counsel team will continue to be supported by existing members. Nyssa-Kaye Darby, based in the British Virgin Islands office, serves as deputy general counsel and advises on a range of areas concerning corporate governance, regulatory and compliance. Kelly Ho, deputy counsel for Asia, based in Hong Kong, advises on a range of regulatory, contractual and corporate governance matters; she supports the fiduciary offices and their respective teams. Finally, Marios Koutsios, compliance officer for Cyprus, supports the team.

7IM
UK-based investment manager 7IM has appointed Sam Christopher in the new role of head of platform.

Her hire, which is part of 7IM’s multi-million pound and multi-year investment into its proprietary platform, follows investment into the business by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan earlier this year.

Christopher starts in September, reporting to Russell Lancaster, managing director, platform and intermediary partnerships.

In her new role, she will be responsible for leading the delivery of 7IM’s platform growth strategy and evolving the proposition and service, liaising with 7IM’s advisor partners to support their businesses.

Christopher has worked in senior roles at M&G, Aegon, L&G and Cofunds. Prior to 7IM, she spent three years at Fidelity International as head of proposition.

Her appointment follows a series of hires to the firm’s platform and transformation teams earlier this year, with further recruitment underway.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Sam whose wealth of experience, talent, and impressive track record position her perfectly to lead our superb team on the next phase of our growth story, Lancaster said, adding that: “we not only need to continue to ‘stand in the shoes’ of our clients, but also continue to invest in our people as well as our proposition. Sam will play an essential part in this, and her appointment is vital to our strategy to continuously enhance and evolve our platform and the overall experience it delivers.”