This week’s overview of transfers, appointments, promotions and other people news includes updates from Better Finance, Ostrum Asset Management, Invesco and Columbia Threadneedle.
Olivier Houix
Olivier Houix (photo) has been appointed the new CEO of Ostrum Asset Management, succeeding Philippe Setbon. This executive change aligns with Setbon assuming the role of CEO at Natixis Investment Managers, where he will manage asset and wealth management for Groupe BPCE. Houix, 51, will report directly to Setbon and brings over two decades of experience in the Group’s asset management sector.
Houix’s career began in 1997 at Banque Indosuez’s General Inspection department, and he joined Groupe BPCE in 2001. Throughout his tenure with the organisation, he has held various roles, including positions in Natixis’ General Inspection department, the strategy department of Caisse Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne, and, since 2005, in the Asset Management division. His career milestones include roles as project manager and director of organisation, deputy director of Natixis Asset Management’s finance and operations division, CEO of Natixis Asset Management Finance, and head of internal audit at Natixis Investment Managers. In September 2022, Houix was named chief sustainability officer for Groupe BPCE’s global businesses.
Houix is an EM Lyon Business School and Sciences Po Strasbourg alumnus. His appointment is anticipated to strengthen Ostrum’s insurance and fixed-income capabilities, the firm said.
Pierre-Henri Conac
Prof. Pierre-Henri Conac has been appointed as chair of the scientific council of Better Finance, whose 2024 research program includes further research on the real return of pension and long-term investment products, digital and sustainable investing, value for money, and shareholders’ rights, among other topics.
Professor Conac replaces Dr. Prof. Rüdiger Veil, who served two terms as Chair. The chair serves the NGO on a pro bono basis.
Hamid Asseffar
Hamid Asseffar has been appointed as head of Emea sustainable and impact investing - distribution at Invesco. Asseffar’s new role will focus on leading the company’s climate finance initiatives, expanding its expertise in sustainable, impact and transition investing.
He will also be responsible for business development related to sustainable and impact investing with Development Finance Institutions and other International Finance Institutions globally.
Asseffar will coordinate with Invesco’s teams across the Emea region to organise fundraising campaigns that are centred on sustainability and impact. He will also work on developing solutions in the areas of climate adaptation and resilience debt.Previously, Asseffar was head of asset managers, ETFs and indexed strategies, UK, at Invesco. He played a role in business development, including introducing several ETF products and leading initiatives in climate finance.
Yno van Haaster, Wesley Appels, Gerborgh Veldkamp and Riaz Kermally
Four new hires have been announced in the global team at Columbia Threadneedle. Led by David Weiss, global head of multi-manager solutions based in Boston, the global team now consists of 15 investment professionals as well as four dedicated business management and operational support personnel servicing clients globally.
Yno van Haaster, joins the Global Multi-Manager Solutions team in Amsterdam as a Director and will manage Global Private Real Estate (excluding UK). Yno will report to Rebekah Crane, Vice President in the Multi-Manager Solutions investment team, based in Boston. Previously, Yno worked at Blue Sky Group for over 10 years as a Portfolio Manager for Real Assets, where he was responsible for the Global Real Asset portfolios of the Royal Dutch Airlines Pension Funds. Yno graduated from the University of Amsterdam in Finance and Real Estate and holds the CFA and CAIA charters.
The team also recently added Wesley Appels, who is also based in Amsterdam. Wesley previously worked as Head of Investment Risk Oversight for Columbia Threadneedle Investments. Wesley’s new role will see him being responsible for Global Fixed Income, including Global Investment Grade Credit, Global High Yield and Local Currency Emerging Market Debt. Wesley will continue to be based in Amsterdam and will report to James Mitchell, Senior Director in the Multi-Manager Solutions investment team, based in London. Wesley graduated from the Erasmus University Rotterdam in Financial Economics and holds the CFA, CAIA and FRM charters.
Gerborgh Veldkamp also recently joined the team in a newly created position in Amsterdam. Gerborgh previously worked as Data Manager for Columbia Threadneedle Investments, based in Amsterdam. In his new role as Senior Manager, Multi-Manager Solutions, Gerborgh will focus on collaborating with external managers regarding all operational oversight including due diligence, onboarding and offboarding as well as relationship management. He will also be responsible for liaising with internal business units impacted by external managers. Gerborgh will report to Lisa Holcomb, Director, Multi-Manager Solutions, based in Minneapolis. Gerborgh holds a Master’s degree in Finance from the University of VU Amsterdam.
In October, Riaz Kermally joined the Multi-Manager Solutions team in London, covering Private Debt, Infrastructure and Real Estate, also reporting to James Mitchell. Riaz previously work for Tesco Pension Fund in the UK, where he was involved in managing its Private Markets Multi-Manager portfolios. Riaz graduated from the University of Essex in Economics and holds the IMC certificate.
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