A senior custody manager from BNP Paribas Securities Services (BNP PSS) has been recruited to Challenger Financial Services Group.
Ross Gulliford joined the $19.5 billion diversified financial services group as technical services manager, a newly-created role, on February 4. Gulliford was formerly the custody and investment administration manager at BNP PSS, reporting to Tony Winwood, the custodian’s head of operations. Gulliford has more than 15 years’ experience in investment administration. At Challenger, he works alongside David Mackaway, the group’s general manager of investment services. A spokeswoman for BNP Paribas Securities Services said the company was seeking a replacement for Gulliford. Meanwhile, Challenger has announced its installation of SimCorp’s buy-side module, Order Management³, which sits within the software provider’s backoffice system, Dimension. Previously, Challenger was using the provider’s first order management system. Derek Goh, Challenger’s executive general manager of IT and management services, said that using SimCorp across its front, middle and backoffice investment management operations had proved efficient.
There is one investment area where Insignia’s $180 billion super arm has not lost money for the past 17 years, which is what it calls the insurance-related investments. The alternatives strategy is gaining popularity among asset owners due to its diversification benefit, but Insignia’s super and asset management investment chief Dan Farmer warns it is a space where investors can suffer if they “stumble in without doing the homework”.
Darcy SongJanuary 23, 2025
