This week's people on the move, are...
Legal & General makes app appointment
Matt Kirwin has taken on the newly-created role of L&G's head of retail app. Kirwin has over 20 years of experience in the financial services space and was previously senior digital strategy lead at Barclays. He has expertise in retail and corporate banking, wealth management, digital investing, mortgages, and digital technology with a specific focus on the online and mobile customer experience.
Katharine Photiou, managing director of workplace savings at Legal & General Retail said Kirwin will have a central focus on the redevelopment, maintenance and enhancement of Legal & General’s mobile app for its Workplace customers, with the app forming a pivotal part of the retail digital offering.
She added: “Matt is a vital addition to the team. The insights gained from his distinguished career in the digital technology space will see him uniquely placed to lead our mission to deliver outstanding customer journeys via our mobile app for our five million workplace customers. “The way in which our members engage with services is constantly changing and we have to adapt to those changes to ensure we always place the customer first. Matt’s understanding of customers’ evolving needs and expectations of their online and mobile experience will help provide an unparalleled customer experience in the digital space.”
Athora appoints CRO and MD
Michael Koller has joined European savings and retirement services group Athora as its chief risk officer. Koller will succeed Lukas Ziewer who stepped down as group CRO in May 2023. He will become a member of Athora’s management committee, subject to regulatory approval,
He is joined by Chantal Waight who has taken up the role of managing director of group risk.
Michael has more than 30 years’ pensions industry experience and was most recently CRO at MS Amlin. Previously, he was group risk director at Prudential where he also served as a member of key subsidiary board audit and risk committees. Before Prudential he served as CRO for Aviva’s European operations where he built and led the risk team.
Chantal has 25 years’ insurance industry experience, the last 15 of which were at M&G and Prudential; as director of strategy and corporate development for M&G and director of investor relations for Prudential.
Mike Wells,group CEO of Athora said, “Robust risk management is central to our business model. The appointments of Michael and Chantal adds two seasoned senior leaders to our risk function. They join Athora at an exciting inflection point and will each play an important role as we prepare for the next phase of our growth and maturity journey.”
He added: "The appointments follow a transformational 12-months for Athora in which it completed acquisitions in Italy and Belgium, signed a large acquisition in Germany, raised approximately €2.75bn of common equity capital and completed its inaugural bond issuance in public capital markets."
T. Rowe Price's Robert Higginbotham to retire
Higgenbotham, head of global distribution and global product, is to retire from T. Rowe Price at the end of the year. He has been with the asset manager for 11 years and in the industry for 33 years.
Higginbotham, who also serves as chief executive officer (CEO) and chair of T. Rowe Price International, as a member of the firm’s management committee and its subcommittees focused on strategy, compensation, and development, will be succeeded by Dee Sawyer.
From 1 January Sawyer will be head of global distribution, leading the teams responsible for sales, marketing, and client service globally across all distribution channels.
Scott Keller, head of Americas, APAC, and EMEA Distribution, will serve as the new CEO and chair of T. Rowe Price International, and will report to Sawyer, while continuing in his current role. The global product organisation will report to Jen Dardis, the firm’s chief financial officer.
Rob Sharps, CEO and president, T. Rowe Price Group said: “Robert has been an inspiring leader within our firm. His vision and dedication to client service, coupled with his advocacy for diversity and inclusion, will leave an indelible mark for years to come."
He added: “Dee is exceedingly well suited for this role. I am confident that she will be a strong and impactful leader of our global distribution business.”
Sawyer joined the firm in 2011 and has served as a senior leader across multiple business units, including corporate marketing, individual investors, and human resources.
