CompaniesOct 21 2015

Sanlam nabs Polin as new chief exec

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Sanlam nabs Polin as new chief exec

Sanlam Private Wealth is set to appoint Jonathan Polin as its UK chief executive, with effect from 1 November.

His most recent role was as Ashcourt Rowan’s group chief executive, where he transformed the business from a loss making entity with a market cap of £22m to a business worth £129m.

Prior to that, he held a number of executive roles with Aberdeen Asset Management, Ignis Asset Management and HSBC.

Sanlam Private Wealth’s incumbent chief executive Craig Massey will return to South Africa as branch operations director and head of stockbroking.

A statement noted that his remit in the UK was to merge the discretionary portfolio manager Principal Investment Management and the Merchant Securities businesses under the Sanlam brand.

Daniël Kriel, chairman of Sanlam Private Wealth UK, praised Mr Massey’s work, establishing a “values-based business, focussed firmly on its clients and established a solid base from which to grow the business exponentially”.

His return to South Africa created an opportunity in the UK to appoint a local leader with an innate knowledge and understanding of the needs of our UK clients, according to Mr Kriel, as well as the changing demands and challenges of distribution channels.

“We believe he [Mr Polin] has what it takes to drive our business to the next level, building it into a leading wealth management firm in the UK, to the benefit of clients and stakeholders.”

Mr Polin responded that he will be looking to leverage off the resources the global group and the success of the wealth divisions in South Africa, Australia and Switzerland.

peter.walker@ft.com