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

Seddons
West End law firm, Seddons has appointed David Thompson (main picture) as a partner in the family team.

Thompson joins from JMW Solicitors, where he was a partner for three years. Before that, he spent three years as a partner at BDB Pitmans and 16 years at Charles Russell Speechlys, leaving as partner in 2018.

Thompson has more than 20 years’ experience in family law, specialising in financial work and aspects of childcare, including custody and adoption. He is a qualified mediator and collaborative lawyer; previously he served as the chair of the London region of Resolution from 2015 to 2021. (Resolution is a community of lawyers aimed at resolving family law issues with a non-confrontational approach.) Thompson also has extensive experience in international work in jurisdictions such as the US, the UAE, France, Germany, and India.

Guinness Global Investors
London-based Guinness Global Investors has appointed Will James (pictured below) in the newly-created role of co-portfolio manager alongside Nick Edwards for the Guinness European Equity Income strategy, based in London.

The strategy focuses on quality, value and dividend growth, with a 30-stock, equal-weight approach to portfolio construction.

James has 20 years of experience in the sector, which includes 14 years managing European equity income strategies dividend cycles in Europe, spanning the financial crisis, sovereign debt crisis and COVID-19, the firm said in a statement. He is joining from Premier Miton Investors where he was fund manager of the Premier Miton European Equity Income Fund.

He began his investment career at Adam Investment Management where he managed the CF Adam Worldwide Fund.

In December 2023, the European Equity Income strategy reached its 10-year anniversary of the launch of the Guinness European Equity Income Fund. The strategy is also available as a UK-domiciled vehicle, the WS Guinness European Equity Income Fund, which was launched in 2022.

Over 10 years, the Guinness European Equity Income Fund has delivered total returns ahead of its benchmark index, the MSCI Europe ex UK Index, with 113 per cent in sterling vs the Index return of 106.4 per cent, the firm said.

Guinness European Equity Income sits in a range of Guinness equity income strategies totalling £5 billion ($6 billion) in assets under management (AUM) and encompassing global, Asian and emerging markets approaches. See more coverage about the firm here.

Aviva Investors
Aviva Investors, a global asset management business of Aviva, has appointed Kunal Kothari in its UK equity team as co-portfolio manager, UK Equity Income. Based in London, he will join the business in February, and will report to Trevor Green, head of UK equities.

Kothari has 16 years’ experience in equity research and portfolio management. He is joining from Columbia Threadneedle Investments, where he had worked as an equity analyst and deputy fund manager on its UK Alpha strategy since April 2021. At Columbia Threadneedle, he was also research coordinator for the UK equity desk, managing a team of eight analysts and fund managers.  

His career includes roles at Merian Global Investors, where he was an equity analyst for eight years on the UK All Companies team, Santander and Schroders on the UK Small and Mid-Cap Equity team, the firm said.  

In addition to his portfolio management responsibilities, Kothari will have sector analyst responsibilities in line with the rest of the UK equities team. 

Aviva Investors operates in 14 countries in Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and the United Kingdom, with £218 billion ($277 billion) in assets under management.

Withers
Private client and tax partner Fernando Gandioli has moved to international law firm Withers' Milan office. Previously, he was the regional division leader leading the firm's private client and tax team in Asia.

Gandioli will continue to lead the firm's specialised international US tax law team, working closely with the Milan private client and tax team, led by partner Giulia Cipollini.

Gandioli, who joined Withers in 2006, has been a partner since 2013. He advises on US and international tax and estate planning, assisting families and entrepreneurs in creating efficient tax systems. He covers real estate, private equity investment matters, and governance in entrepreneurial families. Gandioli also works with clients with close ties to Asia, continental Europe (particularly Italy and Spain) and South America.

"His expertise will be invaluable in providing family businesses with international interests with increasingly comprehensive and specialized advice," Roberta Crivellaro, Withers' managing partner in Italy, said.

Close Brothers Asset Management
Close Brothers Asset Management (CBAM) has appointed Annabel Barrow as senior investment manager to bolster its Bespoke offering, based in the company’s London office.

Barrow spent the past 15 years of her career at Investec Wealth & Investment where she managed portfolios for private clients, charities, trusts and pension schemes, the firm said in a statement. Prior to this, she worked on the Asian equity sales desk at DBS Vickers, having started out her career at BNP Paribas working on the Asian equity trading desk across both London and Hong Kong.