St. James’s Place (SJP) has appointed Lea Blinoff as director of investment solutions.

Blinoff will lead investment activity for SJP’s tax-advantaged propositions, drive the development of portfolio offerings, and oversee its discretionary fund management trading function. She will also play a key role in shaping bespoke investment solutions for all client segments. Blinoff brings over 25 years of experience across wealth management, investment solutions, and risk management to the role. Most recently, she was co-founder and deputy CEO of Vestrata. Prior to that, Blinoff held senior positions at Credit Suisse, HSBC Private Bank, and JPMorgan.

Aviva Investors has named James Southern as business development director in its UK Wealth team.

In the newly created role, Southern will oversee the firm’s relationships with discretionary clients, supporting the business in building its profile with UK-based discretionary fund managers, private banks, and family offices. He has more than 25 years of experience in the investment sector, joining from UBS Asset Management where he held the role of head of financial institutions for seven years. His previous jobs include sales director at both Mirabaud Asset Management and Sanlam FOUR Investments, as well as various roles at Allianz Global Investors, Legg Mason Investment, and Fidelity Investments.

Fairstone Group has announced that its founder and deputy chair, Lee Hartley, has stepped down from the board.

Hartley has left the business after founding the acquisition-focused wealth and advice firm 18 years ago. He stepped down from the role of CEO last year to assume the position of deputy chair, with Steven Cooper over leadership of the firm. Hartley has left the company to focus on launching Castrius Capital Partners, a private capital platform.

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