Axa Investment Managers (Axa IM) on 27 June announced that it has appointed Irshaad Ahmad to the position of head of distribution at AXA IM for the UK and Scandinavian markets, from 28 June, Ahmad will be based in London, and will join the executive board at AXA IM. Before joining AXA IM, Ahmad had been at Russell Investments, from 2004. He then successively served as head of sales to distributors, institutionals and consultants in Canada (2004-2010), and then in the United Kingdom (2010), where he was also head of client services and marketing.

Financial News reports that Guillaume Rambourg, the former star manager from Gartmore, who was suspended last year due to suspected irregularities, and who was then cleared, has founded a charity to which he has transferred all of his 3.9% stake in Henderson, the firm which acquired Gartmore. The stake is valued at GBP13.8m.

From early July, the high yield management team (EUR3.7bn) at Threadneedle, led by Barrie Whitman, will include seven people, three of whom will be portfolio managers (Whitman, Michael Poole and David Backhouse) and four analysts, with the arrival of Gareth Simmons (ex Morgan Stanley) and Jenny Wong (ex Putnam Investments) as analysts. “Now the high yield team is complete,” says Jim Cielinski, head of fixed income.

On 27 June, BNP Paribas Securities Services (BNPP SS) announced that its AlphaSuite range of services for asset managers is being enlarged with what it says is the first solution compliant with the UCITS IV directive on the market for master-feeder funds.The unique quality of the offering is that it includes fund administration and global custody, while depository banking and reporting functions are offered free of charge to feeder funds “in certain circumstances.”BNPP SS states that it is in a position to provide its services to nearly all European countries, regardless of the combination of master and feeder funds.According to a statement, the solution provided by BNPP SS offers asset managers a 360-degree view in the master, providing a consolidated image of each fund, while automated trading for funds reduces the number of manual interventions needed on the part of asset managers.

From 1 July, the European bond management team at BlackRock in Munich will be sized up, alongside the existing team in London. In additon, Michael Krautzberger will be promoted to CIO and board member at BlackRock Asset Management Deutschland AG. He will continue to be responsible for European bond activities, as principal portfolio manager, and will continue to direct the bond team in London.Krautzberger joined Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM), which was acquired in 2006 by BlackRock, in 2005. He is a member of the leadership committee for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

From 30 June, Wolfgang Mansfeld, who had served as president of the German BVI association of asset management firms, among other positions, will be retiring, and leaving his job as head of the real estate unit at Union Investment, the central asset management firm for the German co-operative banks. From 1 July, he will be replaced by Jens Wilhelm, who on 20 June was appointed as chairman of the supervisory board at Union Investment Real Estate (UIRE). The real estate operation of Union Investment has assets of EUR19bn, of which EUR16bn are for open-ended funds from UIRE, and EUR3bn at Union Investment Institutional Property.Jens Wilhelm, who joined from Dresdner Bank in 2002, was previously head of portfolio management for the Union Asset Management Holding group (EUR176bn), after serving as head of equity funds at Union Investment Privatfonds.

In an interview with the Börsen-Zeitung, Jacques d’Estais, head of the investment solutions division at BNP Paribas, says that the group is now planning to scale up its asset management operations in Germany, now that the Fortis integration has been a success. He sees room for growth in this market, and marketing activities will be intensified.

The British HSBC group is planning to make additions to its ETF product range, with products covering Russia, India, emerging European markets (including an ETF which will cover Russia, Poland and Hungary), and countries of the CIVETS group (Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Turkey, and South Africa), Money Marketing reports. All of the vehicles will be launched by the end of the year.

The replacement for Henry McVey as head of the global asset allocation team at Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) will be Cyril Moullé-Berteaux, who had been a founding member of the multi-strategy alternative management firm Traxis Partners in 2003 with Barton Biggs, former CEO of MSIM. Moullé-Berteaux had served in various roles at MSIM (USD284bn in assets as of the end of March) from 1995 to 2003, including head of the asset allocation team and head of asset allocation research. Moullé-Berteaux, who will be in charge of asset allocation in the long-only universe, will report to Ruchir Sharma, head of emerging market equity. Sharma will continue to head up the emerging markets equities team, and will supervise global macro strategy. MSIM states that the recruitment of Moullé-Berteaux is the second recruitment this year of a former employee of the firm. In February, the firm re-hires Ashutish Sinha as managing director and senior portfolio manager in the global emerging markets team. He will continue to be based in Singapore, where he had been one of the founders of the alternative management firm Amoeba Capital Partners. He announced eight months ago that he was planning to take a sabbatical (see Newsmanagers of 11 October 2010).

Le Conseil d’administration de l’ONG SOS Sahel International France a annoncé le 27 juin l'élection à la présidence de son bureau de Philippe Lecomte, directeur général de Schroders France. Philippe Lecomte succède à Marc Francioli, 67 ans, qui présidait l’ONG depuis 12 ans. Créée après les grandes sècheresses de 1973, SOS Sahel International France conduit depuis 35 ans des actions de développement en milieu rural avec ses partenaires sahéliens dans une stratégie intégrant aujourd’hui la production, la distribution et la commercialisation. Philippe Lecomte est impliqué depuis plusieurs années aux côtés de SOS Sahel, à la fois à titre personnel et en tant que Directeur général de Schroders France.

Robeco Gestions, which is now the sole representative of the Dutch group in France, following the sale of Banque Robeco to Oddo et Cie in late March, on 27 June announced that it has added to its board and its sales team, “in order to pursue its ambitious objectives.”In addition to Philippe Sabbah, who will join Robeco Gestions this summer as CEO and board member to contribute to commercial development at the management firm (Newsmanagers of 27 June), François Bertrand has been appointed as secretary general and board member in charge of support functions. Since 2007, Bertrand has participated in several transverse missions and strategic or organisational projects at Robeco France, including demutualisation of common services between the bank and the management firm in 2010-2011.While continuing to offer an innovative range of products in several asset classes, Robeco Gestions has ambitions to increase its market share and to make its range of areas of expertise better known to institutional investors, retirement planning institutions, financial institutions (insurers and banks), private banks, management firms, and corporate clients.The addition to the sales team will allow the firm to address these challenges. With the recent arrival of 3 sales team members, and the forthcoming arrival of Sabbah, Robeco Gestions is structured to respond in a personalised manner to French institutional investors.Robeco Gestions has 30 employees of whom 5 are managers, and nearly EUR5bn in assets under management and/or distribution.

From 1 August, professor Frank J. Fabozzi will join the EDHEC-Risk Institute, where he will work with professor Lionel Martellini, scientific director of the institute, to develop the EDHEC-Risk Institute North America. Professor Fabozzi will supervise dissertations of candidates to the EDHEC-Risk Institute PhD in finance, an educational opportunity open to practitioners in the sector.

Neuflize OBC Investissements has recruited Vincent Rennella as manager of the NOBC Europe Long / Short fund. Rennella, who joined the absolute return management team at the firm on 10 June 2011, will take over management of the NOBC Europe Long / Short fund from 1 July. In addition to direct management of mutual funds, he will contribute his exertise in the area of financial analysis for equities markets and market risk analysis to the team, a statement says. Rennella, 38, in 2005 was a portfolio manager at the London-based hedge fund Odey Asset Management, with Michelel Ragazzi and Crispin Odey. In 2008, he joined the prop-trading division of Exane S.A. In 2009, Rennella participated in the creation of Orchidee Finance, with Daniel Larroutrou, who he met in 2004 at ING France.

The German agency Kommalpha in May undertook a survey of 121 institutional investors, 33% of whom were banks, and 20% wealth managers, about their investments in infrastructure. The survey finds primarily that 87% of respondents consider outlooks for returns from this asset class “good” to “very good,” although 59% estimate that there is high risk. While 29% of respondents are already invested in infrastructure, 61% are planning to invest in the future. Among those who have already invested in infrastructure, half had already allocated up to 2.5% of their total portfolio, with the asset class primarily used for diversification, the reason cited by 74% of respondents. But institutionals also like the stability of cash flows (cited by 70%), and the transparency of cost structures (cited by 52%). Sectors preferred by specialists surveyed include energy (81%), transport logistics (65%), and communications (63%). The preferred geographical regions are western Europe (64%), Asia (48%), and eastern Europe (44%). The most attractive countries are India (78%), China (57%), Brazil (46%), and Turkey (43%).

Financial News reports that Knight Vinke, the activist investor based in Monaco, is planning to launch a hedge fund.

EFG International on 27 June announced the appointment of John Williamson, 49, previously CEO of its affilaite EFG Private Bank in the United Kingdom and the Channel Islands, as its CEO. He succeeds Lonnie Howell, co-founder of the firm, who is retiring after 16 years in the position, who will be a candidate for a seat on the board of directors.EFG International explains in a statement that in the past few months it has been reviewing its strategic options, in the light of arduous market conditions and ongoing appreciation of the Swiss franc. With this in mind, it has decided to more effectively balance its desire to continue growth by adopting a more irgorous approach to profitability, and to undertake parallel changes which it estimates are “opportune” in terms of management responsibilities.Howell was co-founder of EFG International in 1995 with Jean-Pierre Cuoni. He played an essential role in the development of the business, which has gone from a start-up to an international private banking player with assets under management of CHF85bn as of the end of 2010.Williamson joined EFG Private Bank in 2002 as CEO. Lukas Ruflin will remain as deputy CEO of EFG International. Anthony Cooke-Yarborough, previously director general of EFG Private Bank in the UK, will replace Williamson as CEO this summer. All other members of the management team will retain their current positions.Williamson is planning to completely review the activities of EFG International with a view to preserving its many strong points, and to draw strength from the best of them, while addressing questions related to the rapid growth of the organisation and changes in market conditions.On the basis of performance since the beginning of the year, EFG International is planning to earn net profits this year of CHF140m to CHF160m, compared with an objective of CHF200m defined before the recent steep rise in the value of the Swiss currency.

Mark Röder, who had previously been head of product & sales managemenet at Vontobel Asset Management, has been promoted to global head of product sales. He will report directly to Axel Schwarzer, CEO of asset management at Vontobel. In his new role, Röder will be in charge of all client relationship management, with expertise in the area of investment, and competence in products and investor services activities within a multi-boutique environment. Meanwhile, Vontobel has also announced that Hansjörg Herzog, who had been head of relationship management EMEA, “has decided to pursue other professional challenges outside” the Swiss group.

Le retour de l’aversion pour le risque plombe les obligations notées au mieux BB+. La semaine dernière, les investisseurs ont demandé des remboursements pour 3,5 milliards de dollars, un record. Mais la classe d’actifs présente encore l’avantage d’offrir un rendement relativement élevé.

Les indices ont chuté et les fonds spécialisés ont essuyé des sorties sans précédent. Mais le high yield offre encore un rendement attractif

La collecte a faiblement contribué à la hausse des 7 % des actifs gérés par l'industrie en 2010, d'après l'enquête annuelle de McKinsey

Le renouvellement de 70 % des positions à travers un véhicule ad hoc serait incitatif

Le renouvellement de 70 % des positions à travers un véhicule ad hoc serait incitatif

La croissance inévitable des salaires en Chine laisse attendre une forte progression de la demande de services

Il s’agirait selon le quotidien d’un des plus importants projets de l’année dans le domaine du lancement de hedge funds. L’une des plus riches familles chinoises serait sur le point de mettre la main sur le fonds spécialisé dans l’énergie mis en vente par RAB Capital. Le gestionnaire alternatif londonien a fait part la semaine dernière de son projet de renoncer à la cotation sur le marché alternatif du LSE, l’AIM, sur fond de retraits massifs. La famille Choi, d’origine de Hong Kong et à la tête du conglomérat Sunwah, souhaiterait bâtir ainsi un important pôle de gestion alternative en visant 1,5 milliard de dollars sous gestion fin 2011 contre 300 millions dans le fonds aujourd’hui.

Le déficit budgétaire allemand pourrait tomber sous les 30 milliards d’euros l’année prochaine, contre 31,4 milliards prévus par le gouvernement, dans la mesure où les rentrées fiscales devraient être plus importantes qu’initialement prévu, indique le journal qui cite des sources proches du ministère des finances. BNP Paribas prévoit une croissance de 2% en 2012 et un déficit en baisse à 1,8% du PIB.

L’opérateur boursier reprend les actifs de la société de conseil Kingsbury International, dont le célèbre baromètre économique mensuel PMI de Chicago développé en lien avec l’Institute for Supply Management. L’opération a été conclue pour un montant en millions de dollar à un chiffre. Elle comprend également un versement lié à la performance.

Des problèmes techniques ont à nouveau perturbé hier les cotations de la Bourse de Paris. L’indice CAC 40 a été suspendu pendant trois quarts d’heure à la mi-journée et le service d’internalisation des ordres a été désactivé temporairement. Certains ordres passés via ce service sur des titres L’Oréal, LVMH, Total et Unilever ont été annulés.

Le gouvernement devrait détailler jeudi un nouveau plan de rigueur de 43 à 45 milliards d’euros visant à rétablir l’équilibre budgétaire en 2014

La Chine aura du mal à atteindre son objectif prévoyant de ramener l’inflation sous la barre des 4% cette année, a implicitement admis, pour la première fois, le Premier ministre Wen Jiabao.«La situation économique de la Chine restera cette année parmi les meilleures du monde, avec une croissance économique au-delà de 8-9% et un indice des prix à la consommation contrôlé à moins de 5%», a dit Wen Jiabao.

Nicolas Sarkozy a confirmé les modalités d’un plan français pour la participation des banques et des assurances européennes à la résolution de la crise grecque. Cette confirmation intervient alors que des discussions sur le plan de sauvetage de la Grèce sont en cours à Rome avec des représentants du lobby bancaire Institute of International Finance (IFF) et du Comité économique et financier de la zone euro. Ce plan français de «rollover» sur la dette grecque serait au menu de ces discussions, indique Reuters. Le président français a confirmé que les créanciers privés pourraient échanger leurs titres de dette grecque contre des titres à 30 ans à des taux équivalents à ceux des prêts de soutien européens, plus une indexation sur la croissance économique de la Grèce. Il a dit espérer que les partenaires européens de la France accepteraient ce plan mais qu’il était prêt à le modifier pour obtenir leur accord.