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

Tabula Capital
Tabula Capital, a London-based quantitative macro credit manager, has hired Teresa Durso as managing director and chief operating officer.

Durso brings almost 20 years’ of financial services experience to Tabula Capital’s growing business, the firm said in a statement. Her more recent roles were CEO/COO of Berry Street Capital, where she managed the firm's corporate operations, and director at Paulson & Co’s London office. As a qualified barrister, alongside her practical experience, Durso brings a unique perspective and skillset to the firm.  

Tabula Capital in an independent credit manager with $420 million of assets under management across a range of five active funds that are either long biased or market neutral. The funds focus on active, quantitative and systematic strategies using liquid credit index products.

Bank J Safra Sarasin
Bank J Safra Sarasin has appointed Léna Jacquelin as co-portfolio manager on the JSS Sustainable Equity – Green Planet fund.

The fund focuses on capturing opportunities stemming from the green transition. It invests in four mega-themes with significant growth potential: ecosystem protection, resource efficiency, smart mobility and future energies.

Jacquelin, who will work with Daniel Lurch, the fund's lead portfolio manager, is part of the thematic equities team at the bank. Her career began at Natixis Asset Management Singapore working for Asian and global tech funds. She continued at La Financière de l’Echiquier in Paris, where she worked on robotics, artificial intelligence and space-focused funds. 

Franklin Templeton
Franklin Templeton, which manages over $255 billion in alternative assets, has created a new team to support the growth of alternative solutions in the wealth channel. 

London-based George Szemere, who was previously head of business development, alternatives, EMEA, has been appointed as head of alternatives EMEA wealth management. Szemere and his team will focus on the distribution of Franklin Templeton’s private market solutions to the EMEA wealth channel as well as strengthening the firm’s partnerships, the firm said in a statement.

Additionally, to lead the development of alternative product solutions, Jake Williams has been appointed as head of international alternatives product strategy. Williams, who has 15 years of experience in product development, is responsible for the research and development of new alternative products, excluding the US. Williams joined Franklin Templeton from Barings in July 2023 where he led their global product strategy team.

Previously, he was head of US product at Legal & General Investment Management, the firm added. Williams has also served in various product roles at HSBC Asset Management, BlackRock and Lehman Brothers Investment Management. 

“As wealth clients look at solutions to diversify their traditional asset allocation models, we see heightened interest on how allocating to alternative asset classes might support the creation of better outcomes for their end clients, and the need for both education and product solutions,” Szemere added. “This regional initiative follows our success in the US where we have an established and dedicated alternatives wealth solutions team.” 

The EMEA alternatives wealth management team is part of Franklin Templeton’s growing alternatives platform that extends beyond traditional investment offerings. The firm’s autonomous specialist investment managers, each with deep domain expertise, provide a range of alternative asset capabilities including private credit offerings from Benefit Street Partners and Alcentra, commercial real estate from Clarion Partners, social infrastructure from Franklin Real Assets Advisors, hedged strategies from K2 Advisors and secondary private equity and co-investments from Lexington Partners.