Two research houses make senior hires
Two investment consultant firms JANA and Genium have expanded their research teams with senior appointments.
Investment consulting firm JANA Investment Advisers has made two appointments in its investment trusts division. Both appointments were made internally, and JANA said they will support the strategic direction and growth in the investment trusts division to ensure optimal outcomes and greater client flexibility.
Claire Simpson has worked at JANA for 13 years and has been promoted from co-head of infrastructure research to head of investment, investment trusts, focusing on performance and client outcomes.
Meanwhile, David Schnell has been promoted from senior investment consultant to head of diversified portfolios where he will work closely with the portfolio design team to develop portfolios and asset allocation strategies. He joined JANA in 2017 from Dimensional Fund Advisors where he worked as an associate portfolio manager.
The pair will both report to Leon Tisdell, general manager of investment trusts.
Tisdell said: “We remain committed to delivering tailored solutions and strengthening our offerings across all consulting practices.
“Both Claire and David bring a wealth of knowledge to their respective positions, with insights and expertise that will undoubtedly enrich our strategic approach. Both have demonstrated outstanding dedication throughout their time at JANA, and their proven track records and deep understanding of our organisation uniquely position them to deliver exceptional results for investment trust clients.”
Meanwhile, Genium Investment Partners, which rebranded from Insight Investment Consultants earlier this year, has appointed Justin Walsh as a senior analyst of research.
He will report to co-chief executive Tim Murphy and play a key role in the growth of its recently launched research ratings service.
Walsh has 30 years’ experience and joins from Morningstar where he was an associate director in its manager research team and previously worked at Perpetual, FTSE Russell, MSCI and State Street Global Advisors.
“One of the key differentiators of our research approach is always having senior experienced people driving and underpinning our research. There are very few researchers in the market with the breadth and depth of experience and insight as Justin, and we’re thrilled to be able to attract his level of talent to Genium to help drive the growth of our research ratings coverage,” said Murphy.
Walsh added: “I’m excited to be joining a growing, staff-owned business with a great team in place. Genium has a clear vision on how to conduct thorough manager research coupled with a focus on its importance for the end client that is very appealing and I’m thrilled to be joining.”
AUTHOR
Laura Dew
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