LGIM appoints Head of Wholesale & Retail Distribution for Europe

by | Jul 29, 2021

Photo of LGIM's Steven de Vries.

Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), one of the world’s leading asset managers with €1.43 trillion in assets under management (AuM), has today announced the appointment of Steven de Vries as its new Head of Wholesale & Retail Distribution, EMEA, to lead the firm’s wholesale and retail efforts in Europe.

Steven will be responsible for driving LGIM’s ambitious growth plans in the region by managing the firm’s mutual fund and ETF distribution in core European markets, such as Germany, Italy and Switzerland. Steven will leverage his wealth of experience working closely with a range of European wealth managers, private banks, and other wholesale and intermediary clients.

He replaces Simon Hynes who retired earlier this year after successfully establishing the foundations for LGIM’s wholesale and retail business in a number of core European markets. Steven will report into Honor Solomon, Head of Retail, EMEA, and will lead the European Wholesale distribution teams. He will largely be based in LGIM’s Amsterdam office, while regularly visiting LGIM’s European offices in London, Frankfurt and Milan.

With 25 years’ experience in the asset management industry, Steven worked for Janus Henderson Investors as Managing Director, Global Financial Institutions (GFIs), where he was responsible for developing and implementing the strategy for GFIs and key accounts from 2017 to 2020. Prior to the company’s merger, he held senior roles at Henderson Global Investors from 2001 to 2017, including the position of Head of Sales for continental Europe for six years. Recently, Steven acted as an independent consultant, advising boutique asset managers on European distribution, among others.

Commenting on the appointment, Honor Solomon, Head of Retail, EMEA, Legal & General Investment Management, said:

“LGIM is particularly well positioned to take advantage of the growth opportunities in Europe and beyond, thanks to ongoing pressures on fees, higher cost local competitors and our well-established distribution infrastructure in continental Europe. I am therefore delighted that Steven has decided to join LGIM at such an exciting time for the growth of the business. I look forward to working with him and leveraging both his insight and expertise from a so far stellar career in the region.”

Steven de Vries, Head of Wholesale & Retail Distribution, EMEA, Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), added: 

“LGIM has already developed an impressive presence in core European markets with its expertise in fixed income, thematic ETFs and reputation as one of the leading responsible investors. However, there is also a great opportunity to grow those existing businesses, build new relationships with clients and further develop those in new jurisdictions. We believe that the strong product offering is well suited for European investors and will enable us to deepen our roots while strategically expanding our relationships with clients across wealth and intermediary channels.”

Related articles

Will uranium continue to glow for investors?

Will uranium continue to glow for investors?

Written by Thomas Roderick, Portfolio manager, Trium Epynt Macro Fund Uranium has been the standout commodity of the past 12 months - nearly doubling in price to $100 per pound, with nuclear firmly back on the policy agenda as part of the green energy transition. The...

Trending stories

Join our mailing list

Subscribe to our mailing list to receive regular updates!

x