Fintech and support services provider Fintel has announced the appointment of Tom Hegarty as CEO of Simplybiz.

The appointment will be effective from 1 April 2025. Prior to joining Simplybiz, Hegarty was M&G Wealth Advice managing director, where he played a “pivotal role” in the creation and development of The Advice Partnership. He also established the M&G Wealth Advice Academy in 2021. Hegarty has previously been managing director of the New Model Business Academy, a subsidiary of Fintel (previously the SimplyBiz Group).

Wealth management firm Quilter Cheviot has appointed Tim Armitage to its newly created role of investment strategist.

In the role, Armitage will propose tactical asset allocation trades across asset classes, develop and maintain forecasting scorecards and models, and provide commentary on financial markets to clients, advisers, and Quilter Cheviot’s investment managers. Armitage will report and provide support to chief investment officer, Caroline Simmons. He has joined Quilter Cheviot from Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), where he was a multi-asset strategist and fund manager. Prior to that, he was at BlackRock for several years within its multi-asset investment risk team.

Investment management consultancy JPES Partners has named Joanna Stocks as an independent consultant.

Stocks brings experience in portfolio management and institutional investment to the role, with particular expertise in multi-asset, liquid alternatives, private markets, and investment governance. Prior to joining JPES Partners, Stocks was director of alternatives and private markets at St. James’s Place Wealth Management. She also worked at Aberdeen and M&G, and has held several senior portfolio management roles across alternative investment strategies and multi-manager teams.

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